The word arthritis means inflammation of the joints. It is a term that refers or describes different kinds of diseases which cause stiffness, tenderness, pain, swelling of the joints and abnormalities in different soft tissues of the body. Arthritis is the most common cause of physical disabilities of people these days. In fact almost fifty million Americans suffer different types of arthritis.
According to Laser Spine Institute, about 90% of people who are fifty-five years old and above suffers some kind of arthritis and further estimated that by year 2020 over sixty million people will suffer from this condition.
One type of arthritis is the Spinal Arthritis. This type of arthritis affects the joints in the spine. Usually it affects or occurs in the facet joints or also known as vertebral joints. These joints are the one responsible of keeping the vertebrae together and are situated at the rear part of the spine. It is the one responsible for movement of the spine like stretching, twisting and bending. Over time these joints can harden and thicken with age which results to arthritis.
If you are diagnose to have arthritis in the spine then it means that there is a cartilage breakdown in the facet joints which is the one causing mild to severe pain. This pain can spread to other parts of the body like the upper thighs or buttocks. It can make the facet joints inflamed which in turn can cause pain which can lessen flexibility and back motion when walking, sitting or even standing.
Spinal arthritis symptoms are many and it depends on the severity of your arthritis as well as the kind of spinal arthritis you have. One kind of spinal arthritis is called Osteoarthritis is known as the “wear-and-tear arthritis”. Symptoms of osteoarthritis includes tingling and radiating pain; numbness and weakness in the extremities; locking of joints, lessens flexibility, Sciatica, stiffness, throbbing, neck and back pain that are short lived and limited movement.
Another kind of spinal arthritis is the spinal rheumatoid arthritis which is distinguished by acute inflammation of the facet joints in the spine. This condition is an autoimmune disorder. Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms includes fatigue, loss of coordination and trouble walking, abnormal joint stiffness, deformity of spine, pain at the base of the skull, joint inflammation, warm pain and tingling, weakness and numbness sensation.
Treatments depend on the kind of arthritis you have. Consult your doctor if you start to experience any of the symptoms above so as to have your condition properly diagnose and initial treatment can be started.