Spondylosis - Arthritis of the Spine

Arthritis is one of the most common ailments that affect people all over the world. Osteoarthritis which happens through the normal wear and tear of the body's joint tissues occurs as people grow older. This kind of degenerative disease is the one that affects people of the older population. One kind of Osteoarthritis is the arthritis of the spine also known as Spondylosis.

There are two kinds of arthritis of the spine depending on which part the pain is most felt. Lumbosacral arthritis affects the lower back causing it stiffness and pain. It is loss of cartilage in the sacroiliac joint that is found between the pelvis and the spine. It is also called Lumbar Spine or lower back osteoarthritis.

The cervical spine or neck osteoarthritis is also called the cervical spondylosis which is felt in the upper spine. Stiffness and pain in the shoulders, neck, arms and head usually accompany the condition. Other signs of arthritis of the spine are pain or difficulty in bending or walking especially in getting out of bed in the morning, a feeling of your bone grinding on bone and any type of deformity of the spine.

Proper diagnosis of the condition by a doctor requires a record of your medical history, when you have started to feel the pain and difficulty of movement in your spine and also the test to recognize the regions which you are having most difficulty to function. Blood tests and x-rays must also be taken in other instances to assure that other spinal diseases are ruled out. These are important for the proper treatment of the ailment.

An effective pain management plan can be done through some known techniques for its treatment. Sometimes, a combination of the different methods added with other contributing factors such as lifestyle, food and exercise are used to restore balance and mobility to the body. Most traditional treatments fail to offer long-lasting pain relief to arthritis of the spine because they just address the symptoms and not the cause.

An example of the traditional treatment includes medications which has a high risk for the drug dependency among those who take it. Certain side effects are also triggered by the long-term use of the drugs that aggravate the condition instead of improving recovery.

The most important thing in the treatment of arthritis of the spine is to be informed as much as possible of the many possible treatment and alternative ways in bringing back the lost vitality through proper diet, exercise, health supplements and a combination of methods that would help ease the pain.