In many ways, our bodies are like machines and like any machine, the better care we give to our body, the longer it will last.Active seniors may not have this problem and that may be the secret to avoiding spinal arthritis.
"Spinal arthritis is typically something that shows up with a lot of stiffness in the morning. This is something where people have trouble standing up straight and for the first moments, they're hunched over,” said Dr. Stephen Scheper.
As we said, the more active you can stay, the better off you are.
"Arthritis in general responds to flexibility so stretching is important. Whether you do that independently or whether you join a yoga class or Pilates class. Tai Chi is wonderful for the age group that we're talking about,” said Scheper.
There may come a time when flexibility - exercise in and of itself may not be the total answer to the problem of spinal arthritis.
"Medications are also an important part because reducing pain is the whole reason are seeking treatment because their life style is affected and their quality of life and their recreation is decreased - so that can be medications, that can be heat, that can be massage,” said Scheper.
Or in some cases - east meets west, the doctor says acupuncture may be the proper medical procedure. Dr. Scheper prefers to try all these methods before surgery. "We have to determine - is this the cause? X-rays are an important factor in that, because x-rays will show us the joints and show us the bones. And then we get into the first steps of the treatment like maintaining good flexibility, starting with some strength to stabilize and protect this problem and controlling it with medications or other treatments if we need to."
