Lower back pain in seniors

Adults aged 50 years and older are especially vulnerable to lower back pain caused by age-related wear and tear of the spinal discs, joints, and other spinal structures, this is why it is important for senior to be assisted in their daily life, whether this is by family members or by physicians from a senior community like the one at carltonseniorliving.com/life-at-carlton/.

However any age may be at risk for low back pain and aging does increase the risk of back pain due to degenerative changes associated with advancing years due to the 4 major phases of change that we all go through as we grow older:

Aging in health; declining health and disability onset that occurs with the onset of chronic disease such as arthritis and diabetes and the accelerated loss of independence and QOL that commonly accompanies terminal illnesses e.g. dementia and cancer’s chronic progressive diseases for which there are minimal treatment options.

Some of the most common conditions related to lower back pain in older adults are:

Arthritis of the spine– also called degenerative arthritis or osteoarthritis of the spine- is a degenerative condition that develops over time. The most common cause of this type of arthritic pain is overuse injuries in the lower back sustained while lifting heavy objects over many years of treatment jobs in the medical field for example nursing aides in hospitals over a life time or even as a clerk teller working behind desk for many decades can trigger disc herniation’s the annulus fibrosis collagen tissue in the outer rim bulging out putting pressure on the nerve giving rise to pain and numbness to the legs as well.

Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction- Older age is a risk factor for sacroiliac (SI) joint pain, and a specific causative event, such as a fall, precedes nearly half of all cases of sacroiliac joint pain. Osteoarthritis usually occurs secondary to trauma or a metabolic process as the cartilage wear away without any external force leading to the degeneration and pain within the joint space usually accompanied by muscle spasms from muscle compensation found in people.

Spinal Compression Fracture- The risk of a spinal compression fracture, also called a vertebral fracture or an osteoporotic fracture, increases as the bones become weaker and more brittle with age. Smoking increases the risk of a spine problem by weakening the bones so smoking your senior loved one at risk too! Staying fit also helps strengthen the bone avoiding back injuries and taking simple precautions can help prevent ion developing stronger muscles better posture which may reduce the risk of falling which leads to osteoporosis also a weaken our bones and risk falls more likely as we age exercise for seniors weight training could be a good program for them.