Understanding back and lumbar spine osteoarthritis
Spine osteoarthritis represents the form of osteoarthritis the most commonly diagnosed among people between 65 to 75 years old. Even if this type of osteoarthritis can potentially affect the whole back, we notice, however, a high prevalence of lumbar vertebrae involvement. This is what we call lumbar spine osteoarthritis. More regularly subject to strain, this area of the back is naturally more exposed to damage to the cartilage which usually protects the back structures and dampens shocks. Zygapophyseal osteoarthritis is also a specific form of back osteoarthritis, since it only affects the facet joints located between the vertebral arches. There can be many different causes of osteoarthritis of the back or lumbar spine. However, this chronic disease is generally secondary to an infection of the intervertebral discs, vertebral inflammation, injury to the spine or scoliotic attitude. The main factors likely to encourage osteoarthritis of the back include being overweight, carrying heavy loads, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption etc.
Patients with osteoarthritis of the spine may also suffer from shoulder pain, also called: « shoulder osteoarthritis».
Diagnosing back and lumbar spine osteoarthritis
Joints affected by osteoarthritis
Subjected to significant stress throughout life, the back is one of the worst affected areas by osteoarthritis. To be precise, the lumbar vertebrae are the most common spinal osteoarthritis site.
Evaluating your back osteoarthritis
Fill in a specific questionnaire to evaluate your back or lumbar spine osteoarthritis. You can thus determine the progression of your disease and measure its impact on your daily life.
Managing and treating back and lumbar spine osteoarthritis
Advice and postures for relieving lumbar spine osteoarthritis
Pain should have partially subsided before starting re-education. For long-term good posture, a few sessions are not enough. It is an activity which you must undertake regularly yourself.
Exercises to reduce early lumbar spine osteoarthritis
In the event of early back or lumbar spine osteoarthritis, it is important to take action early on. Doing the right exercises is one of the first measures to put in place. Here are some exercises you can do on a regular basis.
Living with back and lumbar spine osteoarthritis: tips for daily living
Keeping your chin up and living with back or lumbar spine osteoarthritis is not always easy on a daily basis. However, many solutions are available to osteoarthritis patients to help them preserve optimal quality-of-life for as long as possible. It often involves changing their way of life. More physical exercise, improved diet, targeted and suitable exercises for the affected joints… These are just some of the measures that can slow erosion of spinal cartilage.
