Home > Videos > Spine Care > What is Spondylosis?

What is Spondylosis?

The word ‘Spondylosis” is a Latin word that means ‘Vertebrae,’ and the word ‘Spondylosis’ means ‘aging.’ When your spinal cord starts growing older, it starts giving pain. It changes and processes with your age. When the parts of your body grow older, it will not harm you but the aging of the spine does hurt very much. Spondylosis is not a disease and hence, the doctors call it the ‘Ageing process’ of our spine. There is a thin line between aging and disease. Excessive aging can develop several diseases in you.

Spondylosis causes stiffness in the back, or you even start feeling pain in the back. It causes-

• Restriction to day to day activities- It provides restriction to your most of your activities. You may start to feel pain while sitting and walking. You might feel good when you are lying down. 
• Sciatica- Sciatic nerve is the joint of hip bone and spine. When you feel pressure in the sciatic nerve area, it causes radiating pain, and your back gets stiff. Slowly, your legs may start aching and as a result you will face many problems while walking.

It is important to diagnose the disease properly. Sciatica gets better when you are sitting or lying down. The more activity you do, the more pain you feel. If you constantly feel pain in your back or legs, you should immediately consult a Spine Specialist. Here is a list of the types of diagnosis that are usually done.

1. Clinical diagnosis: In this process, the doctor talks to you and starts diagnosing the disease. As soon as the verbal interactions and the points get sorted, the disease is being diagnosed. Then the doctor starts giving medicines that can help you recover from the pain.
2. MRI: Most of the time, MRI is not needed in Spondylosis, but when some of the criteria do not match, the doctor prescribes an MRI to diagnose the disease. In this case, the whole body gets a scan and identifies the reason behind the pain. Then the doctor starts treatment.
3. X-Ray: Generally, we do X-rays when some part of our body is broken or hurt. But it is one of the most accurate tests to identify the disease. It provides a full description which includes a detailed scan of the bone and how it is responsible for creating pain in the area. The doctor always provides medicine only after he gets the surety of the x-ray report.

Read More – What are the most common spine problems and their treatment?

If you want to keep your spine healthy and fit, here are some tips that might help you.

• Exercise regularly
• Maintain a proper posture while sitting
• Avoid leaning just to carry heavy loads
• Start eating foods that contain calcium

Have queries or concern ?

The spine is our body’s central support structure. It keeps us upright and connects the different parts of our skeleton to each other: our head, chest, pelvis, shoulders, arms and legs. Although the spine is made up of a chain of bones, it is flexible due to elastic ligaments and spinal disks.

There is no way to stop the aging of your spine. By taking proper precautions, you can fight the disease. You should know your body better, and if you feel any pain for a long time in your back, you should consult a doctor immediately. Proper medication can make you feel better.

About Author