Back Pain and Aging

Back pain is extremely common in our society. In fact, almost 80% of adults in the United States will encounter some form of back pain in their lifetimes. There are many reasons why so many people experience back pain, including poor posture, poor body mechanics, overweight, excessive strain on the spine, smoking, poor diet, as well as spinal diseases and other health conditions, but the most common cause of back pain in our country is simply aging. Read on to find out why aging can be a real pain.

The Spine

The spine is made up of individual bones called vertebrae, which provide support for the body. In between each vertebra is a disc that gives the spine flexibility and serves as a shock absorber for the body. Discs are made up of a tire‑like outer band (called the annulus fibrosus) and a gel‑like inner substance (called the nucleus pulposus). Together, the vertebrae and the discs provide a protective tunnel (called the spinal canal) through which the spinal cord and spinal nerves pass through.

What happens when we age?

For many of us, several things begin to happen to our spines as we age. Our vertebrae begin to thicken and our discs start to loose moisture and shape. As a result, the spinal canal becomes narrower putting pressure on the spinal cord and nerve endings and causing pain, numbness, or weakness in the body. This condition is called spinal stenosis. While stenosis can affect people in their 20s and 30s, it is most commonly seen in older patients. Spinal stenosis is a degenerative condition, meaning the symptoms tend to be progressive, increasing in severity as the patient ages.

Symptoms of Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis can occur in all areas of the spine, but occurs most often in the lumbar (lower back) and cervical (neck) areas. Patients with lumbar spinal stenosis may feel pain, weakness, or numbness in the legs, calves or buttocks. Symptoms often increase when walking short distances and decrease when sitting, bending forward, or lying down. Cervical spinal stenosis has similar symptoms in the shoulders, arms, and legs, and may also include hand clumsiness and gait and balance disturbances.

Treatment Options for Spinal Stenosis

The good news is that nearly 90 percent of spinal stenosis cases are successfully treated without surgery. Non‑surgical treatment options most commonly used for patients with stenosis include the following:

  

  $ Medications such as non‑steroidal anti‑inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to reduce swelling and pain, and analgesics to relieve pain.

  $ Corticosteroid injections (epidural steroids) to reduce swelling and treat acute pain.

  $ Rest or restricted activity (this may vary depending on extent of nerve involvement).

  $ Physical therapy and stretching and strengthening exercise to help stabilize the spine, restore   mobility, and increase flexibility.

• Chiropractic care and physical therapies.

Severe cases of spinal stenosis may require surgery. However, surgery should not be considered unless several months of non‑surgical treatments have been tried. The most common surgery used to treat stenosis is called decompressive laminectomy in which the laminae (bony plates located on the back of the vertebra) are removed to create more space in the spinal canal.

Don't Ignore Back Pain

With all of the treatment options available today, it's no longer necessary to accept back pain as a normal part of the aging process. Back pain, especially if it continues to get worse, includes bowel and bladder difficulties, or prevents you from participating in your everyday activities, should not be ignored. Talk to your physician or see a spine specialist. They will help you find a treatment plan that can return you to your pain‑free life once more.

Observation by George Carlin

 
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter 
tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, 
we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more 
conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more 
knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, 
but less wellness. 
 
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive 
too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, 
watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. 
 
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, 
love too seldom, and hate too often. 
 
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life 
not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble 
crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not 
inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. 
 
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but 
not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish 
less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold 
more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and 
less. 
 
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small 
character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two 
incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of 
quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, 
overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. 
It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the 
stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when 
you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete. 
 
Remember to spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to 
be around forever. 
 
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that 
little person soon will grow up and leave your side. 
 
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only 
treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. 
 
Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of 
all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside 
of you. 
 
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not 
be there again. 
 
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious 
thoughts in your mind. 
 
And always remember, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but 
by those moments that take our breath away. 
 
George Carlin