No doubt you’ve heard the saying, When you consider the alternative, getting old isn’t so bad.” However, it’s nothing to joke about if the aging process is causing you pain! As a Santa Barbara chiropractor, when it comes to musculoskeletal challenges, I see too many age-related conditions that probably would not have taken place if the original cause had been eliminated earlier. Poor posture, improper gait, and repetitive overuse often produce unnecessary stress in the back, neck, hip, knees, and even the feet that can result in painful problems over time. Unfortunately, as another saying goes, “Hindsight is 20-20.” If we only knew then how our aging body would feel now!
Back pain is number one on the list as the most prevalent musculoskeletal condition to evolve as we age. Age-related back pain is generally produced by spine osteoarthritis, or Spondylosis, a degenerative disorder.
Spinal osteoarthritis is caused by prolonged erosion and weight-bearing stress on the spine that eventually damages discs, joints, and surrounding ligaments. The specific area(s) and measure of the degenerative process of spondylosis varies from person to person. It might affect the cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back), or lumbar (low back) regions of the spine. Spondylosis symptoms are individual as well, depending on the severity of degeneration, and can extend from minor pain and numbness to severe sensory loss and muscular atrophy.
Calcium is deposited in the tissues around the vertebrae as the result of repetitive stresses that abnormally affect the cartilage around the joints Adjacent nerves, blood vessels, and soft tissue can be constricted by these calcific deposits, also called bone spurs. This type of compression is at the root of Spondylosis.
Regular chiropractic care and overall chiropractic management has been shown to significantly slow age-related degeneration of the spine whether or not you are suffering from spondylosis. No, “you can’t un-ring a bell” or “turn back the hands of time,” but it isn’t too late to give your spine the consideration it deserves. Chiropractors are experts when it comes to treatment of the spine. See your Santa Barbara Chiropractor today, for the health of your spine.
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