Physical Therapy for Spondylosis
Spondylosis: Wearing out its Welcome
Under the best of circumstances getting older means you have created a lifetime of good memories. Hopefully your body has carried you through lessons and adventures you can pass along to the next generation. With aging, however, our physical bodies undergo changes that can lead to sensations of pain, stiffness and even weakness. While this may seem like an inevitability, there is often a lot that can be done to alleviate these symptoms so that you can continue living your best life. As physical therapists, healthy aging is something we are passionate about and this article describes how physical therapists can address symptoms of spondylosis, an umbrella term for a number of degenerative changes that can occur in the spine.
WHAT WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY “SPONDYLOSIS”
Spondy- meaning “spine” and -losis meaning “condition or state of” gives us a generic term meaning condition of the spine. In the medical world, spondylosis is an umbrella term used to describe age-related changes that can occur in the spine, sometimes referred to as “wear and tear.” These degenerative changes can affect some or many of the different structures found in the spine such as the intervertebral discs, the ligaments in the spine and even the bony structures themselves.
Intervertebral discs become more dry and may crack and lose height, ligaments can thicken and cartilage may become worn down. Spinal stenosis in which the spinal canal or vertebral foramina are narrowed causing pressure or irritation of the spinal cord and spinal nerves may develop as a result of bone spur formation. Discs may be more likely to herniate causing pain and discomfort in the back and potentially into more distant areas of the upper and lower extremities. Finally movement may not be as smooth secondary to loss of cartilage.
The only way to truly identify these age-related changes is through imaging such as radiographs, CT scans or MRIs. It is interesting to note, however, that changes such as these can be observed in imaging of pain-free adults as well as adults experiencing pain. This is to say that the presence of spondylosis does not mean that you will experience pain or discomfort. The presence of these degenerative changes combined with other factors such as imbalances in muscle strength and length, changes in joint mobility and flexibility, patterns of movement and habits of movement may lead to the development of these symptoms, however. These factors are often the targets of physical therapy intervention to address spondylosis-related symptoms.
PHYSICAL THERAPY CAN IMPROVE SYMPTOMS OF SPONDYLOSIS
Physical therapists are skilled movement practitioners. They aim to address symptoms like pain, stiffness or weakness so that you can continue doing the activities that you love and need to do. This approach applies to spondylosis as well. If you are considering physical therapy to address some of your spondylosis symptoms, you may be wondering how physical therapists approach this condition. While an individualized approach is always best, let’s take a look at how physical therapists commonly address spondylosis:
Reduce pain, inflammation and irritation: While completely eliminating your symptoms may not be realistic in all cases, providing as much relief as possible is an important goal of physical therapy for spondylosis. In many cases, repeated irritation of involved structures results in symptoms of spondylosis. For example, in the case of a herniated intervertebral disc, irritation of the spinal nerves near the disc can cause localized and radiating pain, numbness or tingling. Similarly, the presence of a bone spur may irritate the spinal cord when the spine is moved or held in certain positions.
Reduction of pain, inflammation and irritation is a multi-step process. One step involves addressing local symptoms of pain, muscle stiffness or spasm and inflammation through modalities like ice, heat, electrical stimulation, soft tissue mobilization or dry needling. The other steps involve identifying and addressing patterns of movement or impairments in muscle strength, motor control, coordination, and flexibility, for example, that may contribute to increased irritation or stress across the area affected by spondylosis. Addressing and optimizing these components can help decrease the likelihood that the spondylotic changes in the spine will result in unwanted symptoms.
Movement is key
While there are certainly times when rest is necessary for recovery such as after an acute injury or surgery, in many other cases too much rest can be counterproductive. When addressing spondylosis-related symptoms, a physical therapist will educate you on the importance of staying active. Avoiding activity altogether may lead to worsening of contributing factors like muscle weakness or stiffness that can ultimately exacerbate your symptoms whenever you try to resume activity. If activity worsens your symptoms then the goal will be to find activities you can do comfortably. Sometimes simple modifications to movements is all you need while other times brainstorming other modalities of movement is indicated. As you discover new and different ways to move, your PT will work to address underlying factors contributing to your symptoms to improve the likelihood you can resume some of the activities that may have been problematic before.
AGING IS INEVITABLE, PAIN IS NOT
Aging is inevitable, but pain and discomfort is not and taking a proactive approach to managing your spondylosis-related symptoms is one way to fight back against the effects of aging. Movement is essential to healthy longevity so if pain, stiffness, discomfort or weakness from spondylosis of the spine is holding you back, we want to help. Schedule an evaluation with one of our skilled physical therapists so that we can partner with you to help alleviate your symptoms and get you back out there making memories for as long as possible.
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Brooklyn's Premier Holistic Physical Therapy Clinics- There’s physical therapy, there’s training, and then there’s EVOLVE. We use the science of biomechanics merged with fitness to help our patients get better and stay better!
First we evaluate, then we heal, then we strengthen our clients so they can reach their goals, feel better, and live happier lives. We do so by utilizing a range of core techniques and specialized treatments to reduce pain, improve mobility, enhance physical strength and deal with the underlying issues, not just the pain itself.
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