Top 5 Anti-Aging Secrets for a Healthy Spine

An unexpected injury can certainly cause back and neck problems, but did you know that the natural actually the leading cause of the majority of spinal conditions and their resulting symptoms? Over time, your spinal anatomy – including the joints, cartilage, bone, and discs – gradually degenerate due to normal wear and tear. This natural deterioration can result in a number of different spinal conditions, such as:

• Foraminal stenosis – the narrowing of the spaces between your vertebrae through which nerves exit the spine
• Spinal arthritis – the degradation of spinal joints
• Bone spurs – excess bone growths that result from vertebral bone-on-bone contact
• Degenerative disc disease – the deterioration of intervertebral discs over time

For those who experience pain or numbness that persists or worsens after prescription medication and/or conservative treatment, surgery may be the best option.  Primarily, two types of surgical options are available to patients – traditional open spine surgery and minimally invasive procedures.  Traditional open spine procedures generally involve large incisions and hospitalization, in addition to a painful and extensive recovery period.  Endoscopic laser spine procedures are typically performed in an outpatient setting and utilize significantly smaller incisions, resulting in a less painful and shorter recovery period.

If we don't have chronic back and neck pain, we can't possibly imagine what it feels like.  At Laser Spine Institute (LSI), we talk to hundreds of patients that describe to our doctors how unbearable back and neck pain can be.   When you can barely walk and have to crawl from your bed all the way to daily routines, we are just referring to the tip of the iceberg in the ongoing misery experienced by back and neck pain sufferers.