Pain doesn’t have to be a normal part of aging

by Amandeep Bhalla, M.D.

MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center

As people age, it’s common for them to experience a gradual loss of normal structure and function of the spine. In fact, about 90 percent of patients who undergo surgery at the Spine Center at Long Beach Medical Center suffer from degenerative spine conditions, leading to pain that effects their quality of life.

There are a variety of degenerative spine disorders, but two of the most common that occur as people age are spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis.

Spinal stenosis: The spinal canal is the passageway where the spinal cord and nerve roots reside. Spinal stenosis results when the canal is narrowed. This is common with age and may cause pressure on the nerves, swelling, pain, numbness or weakness. Degenerative changes of the spine are seen in up to 95 percent of people by the age of 50. Spinal stenosis most often occurs in adults older than 60, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Spondylolisthesis: Thisoccurs when one vertebral body slides forward relative to the one below it. Degenerative spondylolisthesis may result from physical stresses to the spine from physical activity, trauma, and general wear and tear. Women are more likely than men to have degenerative spondylolisthesis, and it’s more common in patients over the age of 50, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

While no one can reverse the clock, there are several things that can be done to address back pain before surgery is needed. Maintaining a healthy weight, diet and doing low-impact physical activities all support spine health. Swimming and yoga are low-impact, aerobic exercises that keepaperson’scoreandlowerback strong. Nerve block injections also can suppress pain for a few months, and medication can be used to ease the pain.

What about spine surgery? There are two things I jointly evaluate with my patients who are considering such surgery: The severity of back pain and/ or arm or leg pain. If the pain is not alleviated by non-surgical treatments and has continued for weeks or months, it may be time to see a spine surgeon.

Functional ability. If the patient is unable to complete activities of daily living or the things they love anymore, spine surgery may be an option. The goal of surgery is to improve the level of function and quality of life and sometimes to lower the risk of it worsening over time.

Amandeep Bhalla, M.D., is the medical director of Long Beach Medical Center’s Spine Center ( memorialcare.org/SpineSurgery, 800-MEMORIAL). The boardcertified orthopaedic spine surgeon received his medical degree and residency training at UCLA and completed his fellowship in spine surgery at Harvard Medical School.