The term “degenerative spine” may sound alarming to you, but the
truth is that almost everyone older than 50 has some form of
degenerative spine disease. The spine naturally wears down as the body
ages — spinal discs gradually deteriorate and the cartilage protecting
the joints begins to show signs of wear and tear.
If you have been diagnosed with a degenerative spine condition, your
doctor will likely begin recommending many options for treatment.
Research the options available to you so you can play an active role in
your treatment process. Typically, treatments will begin conservatively,
though sometimes surgery is needed if all conservative treatments have
been exhausted and you are still suffering from chronic neck or back
pain.Conservative options for degenerative spine treatment
Degenerative spine treatment can take many forms. To determine the
best treatment regimen for your unique needs — whether that includes
conservative therapies, surgical intervention or potentially both — you
should always make sure you have a full understanding of your condition
and consider all of the available options.
Spinal degeneration essentially begins with the disintegration of
spinal cartilage, either in the discs or in the spine’s facet joints. If
cartilaginous discs between the vertebrae begin to weaken or become
brittle, this is sometimes called degenerative disc disease. If
cartilage on the surface of the facet joints erodes, this is called
degenerative spinal arthritis, or spinal osteoarthritis. These
conditions can lead to herniated discs, thinning discs, bone spurs,
bulging discs and/or spinal stenosis, which is the narrowing of the
spinal canal. All of these changes can make the neck and back feel stiff and achy, and can also put painful pressure on spinal nerves.
If your physician has diagnosed you with any of the above, he or she may suggest conservative degenerative spine treatment options, including:
- Physical therapy. This approach consists of gentle stretching and muscle-building exercises that are aimed at helping patients increase their mobility, flexibility, strength and endurance. When done properly — as instructed by an experienced physical therapist — stretching can often temporarily increase the nerve space in the spinal column, thereby alleviating some of the pressure placed on affected nerves. That can mean relief from pain, numbness, weakness or other symptoms caused by the nerve compression. Physical therapists can also teach patients about maintaining proper posture and using the correct lifting techniques.
- Steroid injections. These injections are commonly known as “epidural steroid injections” because they are delivered into the epidural space of the spine, or the area between the spinal membrane and the vertebral wall. These corticosteroid injections temporarily mitigate pain by reducing inflammation around compressed nerves in the spine. Such injections are typically comprised of a combination of a numbing agent and a longer-lasting corticosteroid. Epidural steroid injections function primarily as temporary pain relievers, but spinal injections can also be used to make more accurate diagnoses concerning the location of spinal abnormalities.
- Pain and anti-inflammatory medications. Physicians often advise their degenerative spine patients to use over-the-counter or prescription medications to help manage symptoms like pain. The specific products recommended may include muscle relaxants, narcotic pain medications, oral steroids, anti-inflammatory drugs or acetaminophen. It’s best to check with a physician before beginning any new medicine regimen to understand potential side effects and interactions with other drugs or supplements.
- Lifestyle changes. Having unhealthy habits can contribute to the progression of neck and back problems. Thus, physicians often ask their patients to make improvements to their lifestyle to help minimize damage. Changes might include quitting smoking to help protect disc proteins from breaking down, losing weight to remove some of the excess pressure from the spine and performing moderate exercise to enhance overall strength and flexibility.
Many patients also choose to incorporate holistic approaches into
their degenerative spine treatment regimen as an alternative to
traditional techniques or in order to complement them. Although the
medical community has not yet reached a consensus on the effectiveness
of such methods, people with degenerative spine conditions may find that
they help manage their symptoms. A few examples of alternative and
complementary treatment options include:
- Therapeutic massage. Intended to relieve tension from the muscles of the neck and back, massage can stimulate blood vessels and thereby increase blood flow. It is also useful for relieving and preventing muscle spasms and potentially improving the flexibility of targeted areas.
- Acupuncture. This method involves placing tiny needles at specific locations in the patient’s body. The aim is to stimulate “acupoints” along specific pathways that run throughout the body, potentially alleviating the pain and other symptoms associated with a damaged spine.
- Chiropractic care. Chiropractors work to bring the spine back into proper alignment, based on the belief that neck and back issues can be caused by components of the spine being out of place. They use a variety of spinal manipulation techniques to help provide their patients with temporary relief from their symptoms.
- Herbal remedies. People with spine problems sometimes take herbs in a variety of forms to control their symptoms. Some patients find them beneficial, but a physician should always be consulted before adding herbs and other supplements to a treatment regimen, lest they interact with a medication or have other serious side effects.
Many people who have degenerative spine issues find that
conservative treatment sufficiently addresses their symptoms and allows
them to carry on with work and other typical tasks. For the patients who
don’t gain enough benefits from conservative therapies, spine surgery
may become a viable option. Traditional open neck and back surgeries are
performed in a hospital setting and patients must usually spend a few
days at the facility to recover before they are released. These
relatively invasive procedures require large incisions, lengthy recovery
time and may cause extensive scarring.
At Laser Spine Institute, we offer minimally invasive outpatient
spine surgery as an alternative to these traditional surgeries. We are
at the forefront of minimally invasive surgical technology, and we have
helped more than 75,000 people find relief from neck and back pain since
2005. Our surgeons perform several types of minimally invasive
decompression and minimally invasive stabilization procedures that are
designed to improve the lives of our patients. These procedures have
lower average rates of infection and complications^ than inpatient
surgeries performed in a hospital.
Resource Link: https://www.laserspineinstitute.com/back_problems/degenerative_spine/treatment/
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