Osteoarthritis of the Spine - What Is It?

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Find out if you're a candidate for a minimally invasive alternative to open neck or back surgery

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Osteoarthritis of the Spine - What Is It?

Although usually associated with aging, osteoarthritis of the spine is a condition that can affect people of all demographics and involves the breakdown of cartilage that allows joints in the spine to move easily. Without cartilage to protect the bones that make up a joint, they rub against one another. This can cause the body to form protective structures known as bone spurs. These raised “bumps” on the bone can press upon nearby nerve roots or even the spinal cord itself, resulting in pain, numbness, weakness, tingling, and more symptoms.

Osteoarthritis of the Spine - Addressing Symptoms

Osteoarthritis of the spine is an untreatable condition, as the degeneration cannot be stopped completely. However, there are many steps you can take to ease the symptoms of this disease and to minimize its affect on your life. Symptoms can be managed with:

Pain medications
Epidural cortisone injections
Hot and cold therapy
Rest
Exercise
Physical therapy
Stretching

Once these conservative options have been exhausted, doctors may recommend more serious treatments, such as surgery, to people who continue to experience debilitating symptoms that impact their quality of life. In these cases, endoscopic spine surgery is an effective alternative to open back and neck surgeries, and it comes with many benefits over these procedures. Due to the minimally invasive techniques employed, endoscopic procedures are performed on an outpatient basis with a lower risk of infection and require a much shorter recovery time, among many other advantages.

For more information on osteoarthritis of the spine, and the minimally invasive procedures performed at Laser Spine Institute to reduce its symptoms, contact us. We’ll provide you with a complimentary review of your MRI or CT scan to ascertain whether or not you’re eligible for one of these procedures.

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