subject: Chiropractor Atlanta - The Aging Spine [print this page] Growing old is as certain as death and taxesGrowing old is as certain as death and taxes. It is a natural phenomenon that no one is exempted from. When you get to your thirties, you might already feel some changes in how you really feel and how you look. You do not only mature mentally, but there's a significant change in your physical appearance. These physical alterations frequently leave lots of ladies conscious and insecure, particularly when it comes to their faces.
More than just getting bothered by the toll of aging on one's physical beauty, ladies should also be worried about how bones get weak with age. As ladies grow old, the density of their bones sharply declines. Pains are usually felt in different parts of the body, including the lower back. One of the most common causes of low back pain, and also one of the most misunderstood bone ailments is called Degenerative Disc Disease or DDD. Degenerative disc disease is not truly a disease but a term put to use to describe the normal changes in your spinal discs as you age. Spinal discs are soft, compressible discs that separate the interlocking bones (vertebrae) that make up the spine.
The pain generally occurs near the location of the affected disc. An affected disc in the neck area may bring about neck or arm pain, while an affected disc in the lower back may lead to pain in the back, buttocks, or leg. The pain frequently gets worse with movements for example bending over, reaching up, or twisting. The pain might start after a major injury, like if one is injured in a car accident, or in a minor injury such as a fall down a flight of stairs.
Degenerative disc disease is diagnosed after a detailed study of a patient, his medical history, and also the results of a physical examination. Then your physician will offer you treatment choices which are appropriate to your physical condition. At very first, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are prescribed. Exercise programs to strengthen abdominal and spinal musculature, enhance aerobic fitness, and reduce lumbar lordosis (swayback) are also needed to relieve the symptoms. Surgery is offered only after physical therapy, rest, and medications have been unsuccessful to adequately alleviate the symptoms.
By being informed and at peace with alterations in life, we are better able to cope with the loss or decrease of physical strength and beauty. We can still live normal and healthy lives as we get old since there are other measures that we can do to stay away from illness or reduce pain. Certainly, we would do well to accept change because it's part of human growth; and if we don't grow, we are not really living.
