Just like the entire concept of life itself, you can't get prepared enough for aging. From gray hairs to uninvited wrinkles or forgetting where you put your car keys, you get this rush of wacky experiences as a senior citizen. One of the most persistent things you start to notice as you age is that nagging back pain. Even when it's moderate, it could seriously undermine your quality of life.
Alexis Tingan, the CMD at Penn Medicine explains that most people start to notice back pain between the ages of 40 and 60. However, it isn't entirely bad. According to him, research has proven that upward of 85% of people will have the familiar creaky or stabbing pain as they age. Another research states that 8 percent of all adults do experience chronic back pain and that the condition is the sixth most costly in the US.
Symptoms of age-related back or neck pain
Lower back pain in older adults could present in different forms. Sometimes, it interrupts sleep. In many other cases, it results in pain while leaping and engaging in physical activities. In certain situations, it comes as pale leg pain and an overall state of weakness. The most common symptoms or complaints of age-related back pain are:
- Sudden onset of back pain
- Nagging neck pain
- Pain aggravated by standing or walking
- Pain less intense by lying on one's back.
- Loss of height
- Deformity and disability
- Disrupted spinal flexibility
Causes of age-related back pain
Discs
Your spine is an array of 24 bones that stretches to your tailbone just from your skull. These bones (or vertebrae) are linked together by tiny joints, and in between these joints (facets) are the discs.
Your discs contain a gel-like substance that enables them to act as cushions. They maintain the curvature of your spine and ensure your back stretches and bends. These functions are particularly important as you walk or run, discs absorb trauma.
As you grow older, the discs dry out and turn less spongy and liable. This increases your risk of developing a herniated disc.
Spinal stenosis
When one or more sections of your spine narrow, it is called spinal stenosis. The constriction compresses the spinal cord or nerves, resulting in numbers, pain, or cramping. A spine pain primarily in the neck is due to cervical spondylosis. This is caused as a result of abnormal wear and tear of the bones and cartilages.
Arthritis
Osteoarthritis also causes back or neck pain. As you age, the cartilages in your vertebrae deteriorate and lose their functions. This puts more pressure on the joints thereby causing inflammation and severe pain.
How to relieve age-related back pain
You can try any of these methods to relieve age-related back pain.
- Physical activity: When you become more physically active, you feel better and you're likelier to bounce back from back pain episodes.
- Physical therapy: A back-healthy exercise program could strengthen your core, that is, your back and abdominal muscles, and make your spine more resilient. This helps you to build balance and improve flexibility and balance.
- Medications: Physicians may prescribe certain Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin. These medications reduce inflammatory pain and help to manage the condition better.
- Cold application: Applying ice (20 minutes on, 20 minutes off) to severe inflammation or muscular spasm can help relieve the pain.
- Heat application: You could use a heating pad, take warm showers, or lay momentarily beneath a heat lam after two or three days. This relaxes your back muscles while also increasing blood flow to the area. You have to be careful not to overdo the heat application though so you don't get burned.
- Rest: Our ability to recuperate from injuries slows as we become older. If your back "gives out," however, gentle stretching is preferable to bed rest. Bed rest for more than 48 hours might prolong and intensify back discomfort while also slowing your recovery.
- Other techniques you could explore are massage, acupuncture, and osteopathic manipulation.
How do massagers relieve age-related back pain?
A great massage helps to relax your muscles, increase circulation, increase your endorphins level, and relieve stress.
There are two main types of these back massagers: Vibrational and shiatsu.
A vibrational massager works by sending fast vibration signal to your brain. This signal outruns aches and makes it difficult for your brain to register an uncomfortable sensation.
Shiatsu, on the other hand, emphasizes deep kneading while focusing on pressure points on the body. Shiatsu is excellent for specific pain locations, such as a knot in your shoulders or an aching middle back.
How does Cordbit aid age-related pain?
Cordbit is super-useful for loosening tight muscles and relieving tension in the neck and back. It eases the circulation of blood flow.
It has rollers that are excellent in loosening neck, shoulder, and individual back areas with its surface.
