Osteoarthritis Back Pain
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joints that is the result of cartilage breakdown. It is capable of making everything hurt, including, and maybe even especially, your back. As we age, our cartilage, which provides a cushion in between the bones of joints, disintegrates. This causes bones to rub together and results in swelling, loss of joint motion and pain, according to Spineuniverse.com.
Other People Are Reading
-
Spondylosis
-
Osteoarthritis of the spine is called spondylosis. The spinal or facet joints are affected by the disease, as are the intervertebral discs. Degeneration occurs in the cartilage that coats the ends of the bones in a joint and also in the discs between the vertebrae. As a result, the discs lose the ability to absorb shock because the water content in the discs has dwindled and the discs get shorter. The smooth articular cartilage coating gradually deteriorates. The bones of the joints are no longer capable of moving easily and and smoothly over roughened cartilage, and this causes damage to the bone as well as irritation. Bone spurs may develop, according to Bigbackpain.com. Sometimes the damage is minimal, whereas other times it is advanced. However, back pain doesn't necessarily correlate to the damage that has been done. Pain may come and go.
Location
-
Osteoarthritis often occurs in the lower back, which carries the load of your body. The lower back experiences the most mechanical stress, and this can irritate joints that are already damaged by osteoarthritis. It also causes muscle strain. The upper back is also commonly affected. The neck is another area that is frequently targeted by osteoarthritis; this is called cervical spondylosis. If you hold your neck in the same position for too long, this can cause pain.
-
Outcome
-
If you have osteoarthritis in your back, you will probably experience neck and/or back pain, especially in the morning. The pain and stiffness will wear off to some degree as the day progresses. Many people stop being active because of the pain, but that makes the condition worse because the back muscles then become weaker and even more stress is placed on the spinal joints. If your condition is advanced, you can develop what is called spinal stenosis. This means that the spinal cord and/or the nerve roots have been compressed as a result of the narrowing of the spinal canal. If inflammation occurs, this can make the canal narrow even further. Bone spurs can develop. When this happens, the size of the vertebra openings is reduced and the spine nerve roots are compressed. The pressure on the nerve roots causes weakness, tingling, numbness and pain.
The Neck and Lower Back
-
When the neck is affected and cervical spondylosis results, this can cause pain, numbness, tingling and weakness in the arms and shoulders. You may get headaches at the back of your head, as well as neck stiffness and pain. Lumbar spondylosis (lower back) can also result when bone spurs are pressing on the nerve roots. This can cause pain in the legs and buttocks and even the feet. Numbness can also result.
Treatment
-
Treatments for the pain run the gamut: taking analgesics, using topical creams, applying heat (if no inflammation is present) or cold presses, getting injections of corticosteroid (a powerful anti-inflammatory) or surgery in very serious cases.
-
