Why are young adults getting Arthritis?

As chiropractors we are seeing younger and younger people coming into our office with this condition. In this blog we are addressing the issue of why are we seeing spinal wear in young adults.

What is SADD?

Spinal arthritis is mostly associated with disc disease. SADD stands for spinal arthritis and degenerative disc disease. With spinal degeneration, there is wear and tear in the bones of the spine as well as the discs and joints. One of the biggest causes we see in our office of SADD is changes in the spinal curves.

What causes spinal degeneration/arthritis/spondylosis:

  • poor posture
  • poor spinal alignment
  • trauma
  • repetitive movements, bending and lifting
  • car accident
  • Sporting accident
  • Falls
  • Uncorrected short leg
  • Untreated scoliosis

Spondlyosis – it’s synonyms

All these terms indicate a wearing away of the spine:

  • Osteoarthritis
  • Degeneration
  • Spinal decay
  • Wear and tear

How can spondylosis present

The symptoms of this condition can present as:

  • Pain in the spine and neck
  • Referred nerve pain in the arms or legs
  • Stiffness and lack of mobility
  • Disabilities

Research around spinal curves and degeneration:

There are many research articles indicating that the increased loads on the spinal joints and bones are a primary cause of wear and tear. Here are a few research articles that state this and help to why we see spinal wear in young adults.

Study 1 Neck curve loss (lordosis) and degeneration

This research shows that we cannot blame age on degeneration of the spine. Here we see a link between the loss of  normal curves with an increase in spinal wear and tear.

Study 2 Nerve Health and your Curves

‘the majority of the studies (100/128 or 78%) have found a positive association between sagittal plane curves/posture and health disorders.’ (2)

What this means is that altering the spinal alignment, where it is no longer ideal, places tension on the nerves.

Study 3 Loss of Low back curve and Spondylosis

A study in the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery Research showed a correlation between loss of low back curve  and spinal degeneration. (3)

Study 4 Meta Analysis, Low back pain and Spondylosis.         

This research paper demonstrated the strong link between low back pain and a reduced low back curve, called a lordosis. The authors commented on how disc herniation or degeneration was shown to be substantially associated with the loss of normal low back curve. (4)

What is Spondylitis?

Spondylitis is inflammation of the spinal joints. Arthritis of the spine can cause inflammatory episodes, where it can be termed as spondylitis. There are many causes of inflammation in the spine, here are a few:

  • Ankylosing Spondylitis
  • Juvenile arthritis
  • Psoriatic arthritis
  • Infections

The Solution:

The sooner altered spinal curves and poor postures are addressed the less stress is placed on the spine and nervous system. Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) is a highly researched curve corrective technique and provides a system of care, that includes:

  • mirror image® adjustments
  • Neuromuscular rehabilitation exercises
  • Home traction with a Denneroll
  • In office traction with Denneroll table or other CBP traction systems

To find your local CBP certified doctor, go to the ideal spine website. 

References:

1.Correlation between kinematic sagittal parameters of the cervical lordosis or head posture and disc degeneration in patients with posterior neck pain - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33585691/ 

2.Deed et al, Sagittal spinal curves and health www.idealspine.com
3.Wei et al, J Ortho Surg Res Correlations between the sagittal plane parameters of the spine and pelvis and lumbar disc degeneration 2018 Jun 4;13(1):137. doi: 10.1186/s13018-018-0838-6.4. Chun S W et al The Spine Journal Vol 17, issue 8, P1180-1191, Aug,2-17 The relationships between low back pain and lumbar lordosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

If you haven’t checked in with your neck mobility then CLICK HERE to check out how you can do that.  Find out how a Cervical Denneroll can help the neck curve, CLICK HERE.

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Lisa, director

Categories Chiro BioPhysics, Posture, Research
 
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