How To Treat Arthritis Pain In Lower Back

What Is The Outlook For People With Lower Back Pain

The outlook depends on the cause of pain. Most people with back strains and sprains recover and do not have long-term health issues. But many people will have another episode within a year.

Some people have chronic back pain that doesnt get better after several weeks. Older people with degenerative conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis may have symptoms that get worse over time. Surgery and other treatments are effective at helping people with a range of injuries and conditions live pain-free.

Arthritis Of The Spine

Arthritis of the spine the slow degeneration of the spinal joints is the most frequent cause of lower back pain. All of us experience wear and tear as we age, and it is normal for your lower back to start acting up as you get older. As the cartilage breaks down between the spinal joints, surrounding tissues may become inflamed. The inflammation and the thinning of cartilage increase friction in the joints, which may cause pain in the lower back.

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Treatments For Back Pain

More than 85 percent of people with lower back pain improve with minimal treatment in a matter of days. However, if back problems persist, doctors generally prescribe one or more of the following treatments: proper exercise, rest, heat and cold, posture training, weight loss, stress management and relaxation exercises, medication, spinal manipulation and/or surgery. For some back conditions, the doctor may refer you to another specialist such as an orthopedist, rheumatologist, physiatrist, physical or occupational therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist or surgeon.

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Spinal Arthritis Causes And Risk Factors

The causes of arthritis in the back or neck vary depending on the type of arthritis you have. Besides normal wear and tear and autoimmune triggers, in many cases the exact cause remains unknown. Genetic components have been identified in connection with some forms of spinal arthritis, meaning that it may be hereditary.

Other spinal arthritis risk factors include:

• Excess weight/obesity

• Presence of certain conditions such as diabetes, gout, psoriasis, tuberculosis, irritable bowel syndrome and Lyme disease

Techniques For Good Posture:

When sitting:

• Sit in a firm chair with armrests to relieve pressure in your back and shoulders.
• Keep your upper back straight and shoulders relaxed. Keep stomach muscles pulled in, and maintain the proper curve in your lower back. You can do this by tightening your stomach and buttocks. Some people are more comfortable sitting with the back of the chair at a 15- to 20-degree angle. A small cushion behind the lower back to maintain the natural curve of the back also can be quite helpful.
• Keep your knees slightly higher than your hips.
• Use a footstool or book under your feet if necessary.
• Keep your feet flat on the floor or other surface.
• Don’t sit for a long period of time. Stand up every now and then to stretch tight muscles and give them a chance to relax.

When standing:

• Stand with weight equal on both feet.
• Avoid locking your knees.
• Ease tension in your back by placing one foot on a footstool.
• If you stand for long periods of time, wear flat or low-heeled shoes.
• Keep your back straight by tightening your stomach muscles and buttocks.

Lie on your side with your knees bent.

• If more comfortable, place a pillow between your knees while sleeping on your side.
• If you sleep on your back, ask your doctor or physical therapist if placing pillows under your knees would help your lower back pain or make it worse.
• Use a firm mattress.

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What Causes Lower Back Pain

Many injuries, conditions and diseases can cause lower back pain. They include:

• Strains and sprains: Back strains and sprains are the most common cause of back pain. You can injure muscles, tendons or ligaments by lifting something too heavy or not lifting safely. Some people strain their back by sneezing, coughing, twisting or bending over.
• Fractures: The bones in the spine can break during an accident, like a car crash or a fall. Certain conditions increase the risk of fractures.
• Disk problems: Disks cushion the vertebrae . Disks can bulge from their position in the spine and press on a nerve. They can also tear . With age, disks can get flatter and offer less protection .
• Structural problems: A condition called spinal stenosis happens when the spinal column is too narrow for the spinal cord. Something pinching the spinal cord can cause severe sciatic nerve pain and lower back pain. Scoliosis can lead to pain, stiffness and difficulty moving.
• Arthritis: Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis to cause lower back pain. Ankylosing spondylitis causes lower back pain, inflammation and stiffness in the spine.
• Disease:Spine tumors, infections and several types of cancer can cause back pain. Other conditions can cause back pain, too. These include kidney stones and abdominal aortic aneurysm.
• Spondylolisthesis: This condition causes the vertebrae in the spine to slip out of place. Spondylolisthesis leads to low back pain and often leg pain as well.

What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune and inflammatory condition. This causes your immune system to incorrectly attack healthy cells in the body which may then lead to inflammation, pain and/or swelling in the affected body parts. RA usually affects the knee, hand and wrist joints. It may also affect other body tissues and cause complications in crucial organs such as the heart, eyes and lungs.

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Spinal Arthritis: What You Need To Know

• Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis to affect the spine.

• Arthritis can occur anywhere along the spine, but is more frequent in the lower back and neck.

• Pain and stiffness are the most common symptoms of spinal arthritis.

• Causes of spinal arthritis are still largely unknown except for osteoarthritis, which is typically a result of wear and tear.

• Spinal arthritis treatment may include pain medications, steroid injections, physical therapy and surgery in severe cases.

How Will Osteoarthritis Of The Spine Affect Me

The first sign of osteoarthritis of the spine is usually pain and stiffness in your back or neck.

The condition can be difficult to diagnose, as it can be hard to tell which symptoms are linked to osteoarthritis. It can even be hard to spot back and neck problems on x-rays of the spine, as changes caused by osteoarthritis dont always cause pain.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis of the spine will vary from person to person. The most common symptoms are:

• pain in your back or neck
• stiffness, especially first thing in the morning or after resting
• crunching or grinding noises when moving your back or neck.

People who have osteoarthritis in their neck might also have headaches or feel pain in their shoulders and arms.

Its normal for the cartilage in our joints to get thinner, especially as we get older. But in people with osteoarthritis, its the bodys normal process of repairing damage to joints that can cause pain and stiffness.

When the body starts to repair damage to cartilage, the whole joint can be affected including the bone, tendons and ligaments.

During the repair process, the edges of the bones in the spine can grow outwards, forming bony spurs. These are known as osteophytes . The discs between the vertebrae in the spine can also become thinner.

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Active And Passive Treatment Options

The treatments for degenerative disc disease generally fall into two categories:

• Active treatments, which are performed by the patient
• Passive treatments, which are done to the patient

Passive treatments, such as pain medications or injections, are rarely effective on their ownâan active component, such as a controlled, progressive exercise program for rehabilitation, is almost always recommended.

Additional therapies, such as heat and/or ice therapy, acupuncture, and behavioral therapy, may also provide enough low back pain relief to allow the continuation of an exercise and rehabilitation program.

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Nondrug Therapies And Lifestyle Changes To Ease Back Pain

Learn how assistive devices, mind-body therapies and healthy choices can provide back pain relief.

An estimated 50 percent to 80 percent of American adults will experience back pain. Whether because of a traumatic accident, a simple injury or osteoarthritis, there are ways to find relief. If you have a type of inflammatory arthritis such as ankylosing spondylitis or non-radiographic axial spondylarthritis, you also need to seek care from a rheumatologist to manage the inflammation that is driving your back pain. But these self-care tips can help to ease back pain.

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Ways To Treat Back Pain

In general, back pain is treated âholistically and with supportive care,â Blazer says. That can include:

• Moving regularly. âYou have to keep moving,â Blazer says. That can include walking, stretching, strength training, yoga and tai chi. âThose are very good at preventing the kinds of the common types of back pain that we experience,â she says.

• Taking OTC medications. Over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen or like ibuprofen can help. Blazer just recommends checking in with your doctor if youâre regularly planning to treat your back pain with medication. âAnything thatâs strong enough to have an effect is strong enough to have a side effect,â she says.

• Consider acupuncture. This holistic treatment may help relieve pain, Blazer says.

Blazer says many of these treatments are covered by health insurance, including Medicare, âso if youâre interested in a holistic approach for your arthritis, donât be afraid to talk about it because you may have some benefits through your insurance to help that.â

Arthritis In Lower Back Can Be Hereditary

Mrs P is doing incredibly well, and now comes in every three weeks for maintenance care ⦠Yesterday she told me⦠Her great niece, aged 17 had Harrington rods put in her spine about four years ago for the scoliosis. It was apparently reasonably successful. But last week, the lass went in for a further spinal fusion at L5-S1 â and woke up with a foot-drop. Nuff saidâ¦

Update: Mrs P continues to do well. We have now exended the maintenance treatment to every six weeks. And, the arthritis of the back is no different. Another X-ray would probably look just the same. But sheâs a different woman. The arthritis of the back wasnât per se the cause of her pain.

• Free weight loss programs â¦

Research shows that if you are significantly over weight, that losing a lot of weight is the most important treatment you can do for arthritic hips, knees and feet. So choose: a knee replacement or lose 50 pounds. Your call, itâs probably going to be one or the other.

Itâs true in religion, but itâs true in healthcare too. Like: âYou have arthritis, Mrs Jones. Iâm afraid thereâs nothing to be done.â

Itâs a conviction commonly held in medical circles and light years from the scientifically proven truth. Think fatty fish, think exercise, think weight loss, think strawberries, think magnesium deficiency ⦠think Chiropractic.

But yes, sometimes it is difficult. Always? Definitely not!

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Use Hot And Cold Therapy

Heat and cold treatments can help relieve arthritis pain and inflammation.

• Heat treatments can include taking a long, warm shower or bath in the morning to help ease stiffness and using an electric blanket or moist heating pad to reduce discomfort overnight.
• Cold treatments can help relieve joint pain, swelling, and inflammation. Wrap a gel ice pack or a bag of frozen vegetables in a towel and apply it to painful joints for quick relief. Never apply ice directly to the skin.
• Capsaicin, which comes from chili peppers, is a component of some topical ointments and creams that you can buy over the counter. These products provide warmth that can soothe joint pain.

The Basics Of Spinal Arthritis

Spinal arthritis includes disease of the vertebrae in the neck and the middle , and the lower back . These bones are separated by discs that serve as joints and cushion the bones. These bones can deteriorate because of chronic diseases or degeneration due to aging. This causes arthritis.

There are two major types of arthritis:

• Inflammatory arthritis: This type of arthritis can affect patients of all ages and is caused by chronic autoimmune disorders. Patients report stiffness, limited mobility in the back, and pain in the neck or back. Patients often can improve by taking part in certain exercises or physical therapy. Medicine regimens have also been shown to help these patients.

• Osteoarthritis: This type of arthritis more often hits older adults, as it is often caused by degeneration as the person gets older. The bones along the spine wear down over time. They sometimes develop narrowed or ruptured discs, bone spurs, and cysts. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis.

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Find A Community That Understands

Theres no reason to go through a psoriatic arthritis diagnosis or long-term journey alone. With the free PsA Healthline community, you can join a group and participate in live discussions, get matched with community members for a chance to make new friends, and stay up to date on the latest Psa news and research.

Nonsurgical Treatment For Osteoarthritis Of The Spine

If osteoarthritis of the spine is diagnosed early, doctors may recommend nonsurgical treatment to manage symptoms. NYU Langone physicians, physical therapists, and physiatrists, who specialize in rehabilitation medicine, can help you relieve pain and stiffness, improve flexibility, and build strength in muscles that support the spine.

These treatments do not reverse damage to cartilage or bone or prevent the progression of osteoarthritis, but they may make it possible for you to continue an active lifestyle.

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Symptoms Of Back Or Lumbar Arthritis

Arthritis in the back usually causes pain and stiffness, particularly in the lower portion of the back. A patient suffering from this condition often notice that their back is stiff particularly upon waking up in the morning and this may loosen as the day goes on. The symptoms of the condition may also worsen when doing strenuous or prolonged physical activities. When the arthritis condition in the lumbar facet joint is aggravated, the joints will start forming bone spurs, the nerves surrounding the joints become pinched, and the tissue becomes swollen and inflamed. This condition is known as spinal stenosis, which is very common in patients suffering from arthritis in back.

Back Pain And Stiffness

While back pain is a common symptom, not everyone with back arthritis experiences it.

Stiffness, which occurs as the joint hardens, is a frequent complaint among those with back arthritis. It can hinder you from doing simple activities, such as gardening or getting dressed.

Both of these symptoms can be helped significantly with exercise and physical therapy.

Increasing your flexibility and range of motion can help lessen the pain. Your physical therapist can achieve this with targeted movements that strengthen the muscles and take pressure off your joints.

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Symptoms Of Arthritis In Lower Back And Hips

When we think of arthritis, we think of joint issues in senior people. While senior citizens do suffer the most from arthritis, it isnt exclusive to any age group, nor is it a single condition describing a specific type of joint related issue. There are several different types of arthritis that affect different age groups.

If you are someone who experiences chronic joint pain, you should be aware of arthritis. In this article, well try to give you a detailed description of arthritis, and its symptoms in lower back and hips.

Physical Therapy For Back Arthritis Information Exercises And More

You cant move like you used to. The pain in your back has gone from uncomfortable to debilitating.

Or maybe you are frustrated by tingling and numbness in your arms and legs. You keep wishing there was something you could do about it.

Getting up every morning shouldnt be this hard. Tired of your stiff back keeping you from doing the things you love?

Physical therapy and fitness coaching can help you regain motion and manage symptoms of back arthritis.

Keep reading to find out how physical therapy for back arthritis can help you get back to enjoying life.

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Low Back Pain Caused By Osteoarthritis

The most common symptom of spinal osteoarthritis is pain in the lumbar spine . This pain may also radiate down to the pelvis, buttocks, groin or thighs. It is usually treated through a combination of:

• and that strengthens a person’s core
• , acetaminophen, and/or adjuvant pain medication

When these treatments are not enough to alleviate pain and stiffness, a patient may require procedural pain management, such as or blocking of the medial nerve through radiofrequency neurotomy, where heat generated by radio waves disrupts the nerves ability to transmit pain signals.

How Can A Physical Therapist Help

Your physical therapist will help you set goals to reduce your symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. Youll learn how to safely exercise and continue to participate in your normal daily activities.

Your physical therapist can help with a variety of treatment options, including:

Exercise. Exercise is the most important treatment to lessen your pain and improve your mobility. Your physical therapist will prescribe specific low-impact activities that will strengthen your spine, abdomen, and hip musclesâto improve your ability to stand, walk, and balance, and lower your risk of falling.

Caution: Please consult your physical therapist or doctor before starting any exercise program.

Stretching. Your physical therapist will prescribe specific stretching exercises for your spine, arms, or legs based on the results of your initial evaluation. Obese individuals are in special need of stretching and exercises. Combined with strengthening, stretching may help slow the progression of the disease.

Symptom management. Symptom management means learning to feel better and remain active. Sometimes people are fearful that increased activity will worsen their symptoms or increase their pain. Your physical therapist will help you learn how to be more active without worsening your symptoms. The therapist will help you find your appropriate activity levels, and develop a unique program to keep you moving.

Following Surgery

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