Arthritis In the Spine – What is really causing the pain?
The two most common types of arthritis in the spine are: 1. Osteoarthritis – by far the most common type. 2. Rheumatoid arthritis – much less common but harder to treat. Most people with back pain learn that they have arthritis after having an x-ray exam of their spine. Often, the pain may primarily come from a strain, sprain, spinal misalignment or nerve irritation. Arthritis in your back may contribute to a slower healing process from the initial problem. I have had many patients come to my office seeking relief from back pain that started a few days or weeks before, only to find severe arthritis in their back that had been worsening for years without other symptoms. Unfortunately, advanced arthritis in the spine will almost always slow healing and can even severely lessen your ability to fully heal from other painful back conditions that would have otherwise healed nicely without the condition of arthritis. The definition of arthritis is, very basically, the inflammation of joints. Osteoarthritis is a disease of the joints. It is caused by a breakdown of the cartilage that normally acts as a cushion between the bones of joints. Bones usually glide over one another, but, when cartilage breaks down, the bones start rubbing together causing pain and inflammation. Most of my patients with arthritis in their spine had osteoarthritis. I often found this common type of arthritis in joints that had been injured years before in a sports, work, or auto injury. After the pain of the initial injury goes away, your injured joint may seem okay for years even while osteoarthritis is causing a slow deterioration of the joint. Arthritis in your spine becomes painful very slowly over time. For example, you may have a backache after physical activity or exercise. The pain will usually come and go depending on whether you are very active or resting. Because you can’t see your back, you won’t be able to notice the joint swelling and loss of flexibility that you would in smaller joints such as the hand or fingers when the arthritis starts developing. However you find you have arthritis in your back, whether it be through eventual back pain, or by accident on an x-ray that was taken for another reason, you will need to treat it properly to slow the progression down as much as possible. To Your Best Health, Dr. Cliff
For a detailed description on the best cures and treatments for relief of arthritis pain click here For information about how to reduce the swelling often associated with arthritis click here Information on Arthritis Hip Pain Return from arthritis in the spine to Back-Pain-Treatment-and-Relief.com
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