Is Back Pain Normal As You Age?

Is Back Pain Normal As You Age?

Your body goes through many changes as you get older. Some of these changes you can see, like the gray in your hair, and others you can’t, like the wearing away of the cartilage in between your joints. Back pain might seem like a natural part of aging, but it doesn’t have to be. 

At Wynn Over Pain, our team utilizes a range of traditional and nontraditional therapies to help you find relief from your back pain, and we want you to know that you don’t have to accept your discomfort as a normal part of the aging process.

Degenerative changes lead to back pain

Your spine is made up of a series of bones (vertebrae) that are each separated by a soft cushion (disc). The structures of your spine serve to protect your spinal cord, allow for flexibility and movement, and support much of the weight of your upper body. 

The soft but strong discs in between each of your vertebrae degenerate as you get older. The deterioration of the discs lessens their support for your vertebrae, which may irritate or pinch your spinal canal or nerve roots, resulting in back pain. A ruptured disc, also referred to as a herniated disc, may also irritate or pinch the nerves. 

Aging also decreases muscle strength and flexibility, which may place additional stress on the structures in your back and create more aches and pains.

Treatments to reduce back pain

Many people experience their first back pain attack between ages 30 and 50, and the pain may become more frequent as you get older. We offer many innovative treatments to help you get relief from your back pain, including:

The treatments we offer not only provide immediate relief from your back pain, but also serve as a long-term solution to your discomfort. Our chiropractic adjustments can improve spinal alignment to alleviate nerve irritation and improve blood flow to the area to reduce inflammation and support healing. 

Preventing the onset of back pain

You can’t stop the aging process, but you may be able to slow down the degenerative changes that occur in your back that eventually lead to the pain. 

Being overweight or obese increases the stress on the discs and bones in your back, which speeds up the degenerative process.

You may also be more likely to develop back pain if you’re not physically fit. Your back is responsible for carrying much of the weight of your upper body. If your back and stomach muscles aren’t strong enough to help support some of the weight, then it may place extra stress on your discs and vertebrae. 

For management of your back pain at any age, contact us today at Wynn Over Pain. Give us a call, or request an appointment online.

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