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Let’s Talk Health: Spinal Column Issues

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It is nice to get up in the morning and stand up straight on your back. It gives you that sense of refreshment and the confidence to take on the day. However, it is not only your knees and feet that do the work. You should also thank your spinal column for supporting everything from your head to your body. 

It can be a lot of trouble – and pain once something happens to that set of bones we call the vertebrae. But the neat thing is that thanks to science and research, there are ways to solve and cure specific spinal injuries and issues. One of the things you can do is look for the best pain management Washington DC offers. But before we get into that, we should take a look at some basics first.

The Types Of Spine Disorders And Issues

It is elementary that several conditions can affect your spine as you grow older. What’s more, these conditions can happen anywhere, from the back of your neck to the lower back parts. Here are some of them:

Arthritis

Arthritis is a joint condition where inflammation happens to your joints. There are several types of arthritis, and each one does not only involve your joints. What happens is that these conditions also affect your eyes, heart, and even your skin. Symptoms of arthritis include redness, heat, and swelling in your joints. You might also have trouble moving around, and you might also encounter breathing problems as well as rashes and itchiness.

Degenerative Disc Disease

This condition also comes in the name of spinal osteoarthritis. It is where the jelly-like substance in the discs between the vertebrae breaks down due to drying out. Such a condition can cause severe back and neck pain. It will also pressure your spinal cord and the nerves resting in that area.

Scoliosis

Scoliosis is when a patient has a curved spine, which can be in the form of a C or S shape. The thing with Scoliosis is that several patients do not experience any symptoms at all. However, they will feel muscle spasms, back pain, unnatural back shaping, and sudden weakness.

Kyphosis

Kyphosis is a bit similar to Scoliosis. The primary difference is that a patient does not have a deformity that makes their spine curve to the side. Patients with this condition will appear to have a hunchback. Albeit it is normal to have a forward curvature in the thoracic area, kyphosis can pose a grave threat in several cases. Just like Scoliosis, the patients of this condition rarely get to experience symptoms. But the thing is, they will still have occasional back pain and stiffness.

Herniated Disc

Herniated disc conditions have numerous names, including ruptured, prolapsed, and compressed discs. But regardless of the name, any patient suffering from it will have their spinal cushion discs rupture and leak. It can lead to severe back pain, sciatica, and a significant inability to perform specific or daily tasks and actions.

Chronic Back Pain

Any person can suffer from spine and back pain. It will often last for a couple of minutes. For some individuals, the pain lasts for more than an hour. However, if your back pain lasts for more than a day leading up to weeks or even months, that is considered chronic back pain. Not only will prolonged back pain become annoying, but it might also hurt you so much that you will have difficulty doing your daily tasks.

Spondylosis

Like most things out there, your spine is not perfect and invulnerable. It can also wear down. That is exactly what happens with spondylosis. An abnormal wearing rate happens to your spine and the discs resting between the individual bone sections. This condition can lead to chronic neck pain and wearing of the middle and lower back.

Spinal Fracture

The thing with a spinal fracture is a patient has one or several broken bones in their back, spine and neck. A spinal fracture is not one thing alone, which is why it has a wide severity or degree. Plus, there are dozens of reasons why it happens to a person, including:

The good news is that people who suffer from a spinal fracture can have their conditions removed without the requirement of surgery.

Let’s Talk About Treatment

There are numerous conditions and issues that can happen to your spinal column. However, science and medicine also boast a number of ways to treat them for good.

The first form of treatment is physical therapy. It is ideal, especially for specific spinal conditions. In addition, it does not cost a lot of money.

Surgery comes next. It will only be a mandatory course of action once doctors or health specialists see that your spinal condition mandates it. 

A surgery’s purpose is to remove any fluids and tissue forming in your spinal column, and it also works splendidly to remove any unwanted bone fragments and foreign objects. Surgery is also one way to place spinal braces for other conditions and fuse broken bones. 

Exercises And Stretching

Not many people think of it, but doing back exercises and stretching does a lot of good for your back and spinal column. Not only that but doing so also allows you to burn through those calories and make your body feel better. However, it is a must that you check in with your health physician before you begin with an exercise plan. They will check whether a routine or specific type of exercise will cause trouble for your back or not. 

One More thing

Having a spine condition does not mean the end of the world for you. Thanks to science and medicine, there are several means to cure you of any that you might be suffering from altogether. The first step you have to take is to find out what spinal condition you might have and head to your physician for advice and what to do. It is unwise to seek treatment without getting a checkup or medical advice. You might end up hurting yourself way more.

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