There are five degenerative spinal conditions that can be treated by chiropractic care. This being said, depending on the severity of your condition, you may need other types of therapy, as well, including back surgery. Catching the problem early, however, and immediately taking advantage of chiropractic care can reduce the need for surgery later on. Let’s talk more about this below.
Arthritis
Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints. In the case of your spine, the arthritis can affect the facet joints or the sacroiliac joints. The latter are found between the pelvis and the spine. An arthritic back is a painful back that is often stiff. Unfortunately, there is no cure for arthritis, although your physician may put you on a prescriptive treatment that will slow down the disease.
Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerative disc disease is a form of osteoarthritis of the spine. This condition is a common cause of back pain and discomfort in many people. You have a jelly-like substance inside each cushioned disc that is found between each vertebra. Degenerative disc disease dries out the jelly and causes the disc to bulge or protrude from its original position. It can also cause bone spurs.
Herniated Disc
Your spinal cord has 26 vertebrae and a disc between each one. Unlike degenerative disc disease, which dries out the disc, a herniated disc is a ruptured disc. When the disc ruptures, the jelly-like substance leaks out and presses down on the nerves and spinal cord. This can be an extremely painful condition that can also cause numbness and sharp pains in the legs and feet.
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis means that your spine is narrowing. As the spine narrows, it applies pressure to the spinal cord and the nerves that run through it. You can have spinal stenosis in your neck, the middle of your back, or the lower back. The conditions are called cervical spinal stenosis, thoracic stenosis, and lumbar stenosis, respectively. Pain and weakness are signs of spinal stenosis.
Spondylosis
If your spine is wearing out, you have spondylosis. Specifically, spondylosis will wear out the vertebrae and their discs. One of the most common places of spondylosis is in the neck, where the cervical spine wears out prematurely. This can cause chronic neck pain. If you have chronic pain in the middle of your back, you may have thoracic spondylosis. Lower back pain may be lumbar spondylosis.
If you have received a diagnosis of any of the back conditions listed above, call us to schedule an appointment for a chiropractic evaluation. We will discuss in detail how chiropractic care and lifestyle changes can improve the condition of your back.
