Because osteoporosis is a “silent” disease, meaning that there are typically no symptoms until a fracture occurs, it is not uncommon for someone with back pain to be unaware of the fact that he or she has actually fractured a vertebra (or multiple vertebrae) in their spine.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 7% of American adults suffer from hip pain. That number more than doubles for senior citizens, even though lower-back pain and headaches are still more common.
The two types of spinal stenosis are lumbar stenosis and cervical stenosis. Lumbar spinal stenosis is the more common of the two, but cervical spinal stenosis is often more dangerous since it involves compression of the spinal cord.
Posture issues are incredibly common and unfortunately, can also be incredibly painful. If your poor posture is causing you physical discomfort, there are steps you can take to straighten your spine and mitigate your pain. Follow these steps to correct your weak posture.
The sciatic nerve extends from your lower back down to your feet. If you have sciatica, something such as a disc or bone spur compresses your sciatic nerve. This compression can cause pain, inflammation, and a feeling of numbness. If it impacts your mobility, sciatica pain can feel rather scary.
The brain is a vital organ. Your brain controls all of your thoughts, memories, and feelings. It also manages and synchronizes all of your physical actions and reactions. If the health of your brain deteriorates because of a disease or health condition, you will not seem like yourself to the people who know and love you, and your quality of life will suffer.
Yes, you’ve heard this before, but it needs repeating. Drink about eight glasses of water a day. Proper hydration can help to relieve swelling in your back, providing significant relief. In fact, many types of pain that are related to swelling can be relieved by drinking more water.
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), formerly known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSDS), is a condition that causes pain; swelling; changes in skin color, texture, temperature, and other symptoms. It usually affects your extremities – an arm, leg, hand, or foot – but can affect any part of your body.
Chiari malformation is a condition in which brain tissue in the lower back part of your skull is forced into the spinal canal. Most of the time, this happens because of a structural problem, a misshaped or smaller-than-normal part of the skull. Because there is not enough room in the skull, part of the brain, specifically the cerebellum, grows downward into the spinal canal. This can cause compression on the brain at the base of your skull. Brain tissue in the spinal canal can block the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. This fluid cushions the brain and spinal cord, circulates nutrients and chemicals and removes waste products.
In spondylolisthesis, the fractured pars interarticularis separates, allowing the injured vertebra to shift or slip forward on the vertebra directly below it. In children and adolescents, this slippage most often occurs during periods of rapid growth - such as an adolescent growth spurt.
