Spinal Arthritis Symptoms

Spinal Arthritis is another name for Spondylosis, Degenerative Joint Disease, and Osteoarthritis. This condition is a completely normal part of aging for most people. There is a lot of controversy about why some people develop painful symptoms with arthritis of the spine, while the majority have little or no pain whatsoever.

Spinal Arthritis

Symptoms of Spinal Arthritis

* Pain in the actual spinal joints. This is usually caused by bone to bone contact between the vertebrae, or bone spurs that have formed around the spinal joints.

* Neurological symptoms such as tingling, numbness, or weakness. This is usually caused by bone spurs compressing a nerve or nerve root. Bone spurs can take up much of the intervertebral space a nerve requires to exit from the spine.

* Loss of flexibility and range of motion in the affected area of the back. Stiffness might be especially noticeable in the morning.

* The sound or feeling of bone on bone �crunching� or �cracking�. This is called crepitus and is not inherently painful. It can be scary though�

* Lumbar osteoarthritis can be painful when sitting or lifting.

* Cervical osteoarthritis can be painful with motion of the neck.

Recommendation for Spinal Arthritis Symptoms

Are you getting older? Of course, we all are. Look in the mirror�What do you see? Grey hair? Wrinkles? ( not me�at least not yet �)

You can�t see osteoarthritis in the mirror but it is there, or will be soon. It is normal. Don�t worry about it. If you look at the symptoms as NORMAL and just another fact of life, you will be ok. Your wrinkles don�t hurt. Your gray hair doesn�t hurt. Your osteoarthritis does not have to hurt either. Relax. You will be fine.

Spinal Arthritis to Back Pain Home page 6/2/06 Revised 8/29/07