Arthritis in the back is an extremely painful condition. This is because unlike the muscular or joint pains that come with arthritis in other parts of the body, arthritis in the back affects the nerves of the spinal cord.
This results in pain in other parts of the body, such as shooting pains down the leg, or the arms, and shoulders. Moreover, if the condition is allowed to worsen without any remedial action, the pain can be quite excruciating.
Arthritis in the back is generally defined as spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis is actually the narrowing of the spinal column, and this narrowing is generally caused by arthritis, although injury too is a known cause. The spine is composed of 26 bones that are separated from each other by a narrow disc of cartilaginous tissue called the inter-vertebral discs. These discs keep the bones of the spine from rubbing against each other and also give it its flexibility, allowing a whole range of motion. As we age, these discs slowly harden and narrow. The bones of the spine too thicken, and some people can even get bony outgrowths or spurs in the bones of the spine. All of this puts pressure on the nerves that branch out of the spinal column. Since the most commonly affected bones are in the lumbar portion of the spine, this results in pain along the leg because the nerves that travel to the leg are being compressed.
If this is not treated immediately, the condition will worsen and in extreme cases can even cause permanent damage to the nerves.
The most common symptom of arthritis in the back is pain. However, since the condition is a very slow progressing one, it generally starts as a feeling of numbness along the arms or the legs, depending on the portion of the backbone that is affected. As the condition progresses, the numbness changes to a dull pain, the intensity of which slowly increases over time.
The sooner this is diagnosed and treatment started, the better is the prognosis.
If the arthritis is caused due to rheumatoid arthritis, there can also be other symptoms including pain and swelling/stiffness in the joints, fever and lethargy. Since rheumatoid arthritis can affect any portion of the body, it can also cause organ damage such as to the liver, kidneys and even the heart. Thus, the symptoms will vary depending on the particular organ that is affected.
Whatever the causative factors, the treatment is generally the same. People who have rheumatoid arthritis may be prescribed anti-inflammatory medication to control the disease while those who have osteoarthritis will not need this. Pain killers may or may not be prescribed, depending on the progress of the condition.
Exercise is the best management technique, and even people who are very badly affected are recommended exercise.
Stretching exercises are the best, although yoga advocates both stretching as well as twisting exercises. This is because stretching expands the space between the vertebrae, relieving the pressure on the nerves. Twisting exercises bring fresh blood supply to the backbone, helping to heal the damage caused due to arthritis.
Over time, this can result in significant reduction in the pain of arthritis, and if age is on your side, can even help reverse the trend of the disease, and improve the flexibility of the back.
Although there is not much information with regards to any actual healing of arthritis to the point of normalcy, yoga will help reverse the trend of the disease to the point where the pain and/or discomfort are within manageable limits.
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