Santa Barbara Chiropractor

No doubt you’ve heard the saying, When you consider the alternative, getting old isn’t so bad.” But, if the aging process is creating pain in your body, you are painfully aware that aging is no joke! As a chiropractor in Santa Barbara, I treat quite a few people suffering from age-related challenges that likely would not have happened if the primary cause had been addressed earlier in life, particularly when it involves musculoskeletal breakdowns. Pain in the back, neck, hips, knees, and even the feet are commonly the result of undue stresses due to poor posture, improper gait, and repetitive overuse. If we only knew then how our aging body would feel today, eh? However, as they say, “hindsight is 20-20.”

As you can see from the list of complaints above, there are a large number of musculoskeletal problems that can, and frequently do, take place as we get older, however painful back problems are one of the most prevalent. Age-related back pain is most often caused by a degenerative disorder known as Spondylosis (spine osteoarthritis).

Spinal osteoarthritis is caused by prolonged wear and weight-bearing force on the spine that, over the years, damages discs, joints, and surrounding ligaments. The location and degree of the degenerative process of spondylosis varies from person to person. It is likely to affect the cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back), or lumbar (low back) areas of the spine. Depending on the severity of degeneration, Spondylosis symptoms vary from person-to-person as well, and can extend from low-amplitude pain and numbness to extensive sensory loss and muscular atrophy.

Calcium is deposited in the tissues around the vertebrae as the result of repetitive stresses that negatively 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 kind of compression is at the root of Spondylosis.

Fortunately, whether or not you have developed spondylosis, regular chiropractic adjustments and overall chiropractic management can significantly decelerate age-related degeneration of your spine. No, “you can’t un-ring a bell” or “turn back the hands of time,” but it’s never 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.

---

Technorati Tags: age-related back pain, chiropractic, chiropractor, spine osteoarthritis