Every person depends upon the health of his or her spinal cord to walk, stand, sit, run, turn, and do just about any other motion that’s done on a daily basis. Without a healthy spinal cord, it becomes much harder to do daily activities. Most of us don’t think twice about how much our spine supports us until we suffer an injury or start to experience pain. Age plays a huge role in the health of your spine, including how you treated it when you were younger. If you were always conscious of your posture, engaged in regular physical activity that stretched the muscles and spinal column, and always lifted heavy items correctly, then you will probably end up with few problems as you age.
However, the majority of us don’t care for our spine the way we should. Women frequently carry babies on one hip, men lift heavy objects without proper form, and children engage in all sorts of activities that impact the spine. For this reason, many people suffer from some form of back pain during their lifetime. There are symptoms to watch for to determine if you suffer from spinal damage, but there are also options for back pain and chronic neck pain relief.
Reasons for Spinal Problems
Age affects all parts of our body, and as we age our spine ages. Degenerative disc disease is a common culprit for back and neck pain. As discs wear away, bone starts to rub together or compress nerves. This can cause pain, numbness, or weakness on one or both sides of the body. Traumatic injuries, like falls or car accidents, can cause whiplash or fractures that affect spinal health. Poor posture can also realign the normal curvature of the spine, causing pinched nerves, lower back pain, neck pain, or tension in the shoulders. Even if you suffer from multiple back problems, there is a way to seek back pain and chronic neck pain relief.
Restoring Spinal Health Later in Life
Everyone knows that the best treatment is preventative maintenance. However, since people often fail to have preventative treatments a doctor doesn’t see a patient until something is already wrong. Thankfully, there are treatments to help with chronic neck pain relief and back problems. You can see a chiropractor for spinal adjustments and therapies, invest in at-home spinal restoration programs to reduce the severity of your spinal problems, and speak with a surgeon who may be able to recommend a surgery that will alleviate your symptoms and improve your condition. By trying to prevent further deterioration of your spinal health, you can improve the quality of your life in the later years.
