Recognize signs of spinal degeneration

Early stage spinal degeneration causes the body to lose balance and physiological curves; second stage causes pain, stress, fatigue...

According to Dr. Paul D'Alfonso, Director of Maple Healthcare Chiropractic Center, spinal degeneration is a very common disease today and patients tend to be younger.

The disease progresses through four stages. The longer it is left untreated, the more severe the degeneration becomes, causing more damage to the spine and overall health.

Image simulating the stages of spinal degeneration.

Phase One

In the early stages of spinal degeneration, the patient’s body begins to gradually lose its inherent balance. The body’s natural physiological curve is also altered, increasing pressure on the parts surrounding the spine, such as discs, joints, nerves, etc., causing them to age faster. However, because the body has a self-regulating mechanism to adapt, the patient will not feel pain or other symptoms.

If detected and treated early at this stage, spinal degeneration will be maximally improved or reversed.

Phase two

At this time, the patient may experience pain, aches, stress and fatigue. The spine develops more problems such as spinal spurs and narrowing of the discs. Posture changes markedly due to loss of range of motion of the joints. Height loss and narrowing of the spinal canal may also occur. This condition is common in 80% of men and 76% of women in their 40s.

At this stage, conservative treatment methods such as chiropractic, physical therapy, etc. are still effective. Therefore, patients need to pay attention to recognizing symptoms for timely treatment.

Degenerative spine appears to compress the nerve.

Phase three

For spinal degeneration to progress to this stage, it shows that you have not cared for your spinal health well for many years. The consequences are a lack of energy in the body, reduced height, and severe damage to the nervous system. Patients also have limited movement, abnormal physiological curves, imbalanced posture, permanent scar tissue formation, and severe bone deformities.

At this stage, conservative treatment is no longer effective, mainly to reduce pain symptoms.

Phase four

This is the final stage of degeneration, accompanied by severe imbalance and limited movement. Most of the problems that have arisen in the previous stages will become permanent damage.

Some cases of muscle atrophy due to long-term nerve compression, ankylosing spondylitis, spinal deformity require surgical intervention. The advantage of surgery is that it improves the condition quickly, the pain will be resolved immediately. However, it is accompanied by the risk of postoperative complications, a significant recurrence rate and high costs.

To accurately diagnose degenerative spine conditions, patients need to undergo some X-ray or MRI imaging tests. X-rays can help doctors "see" the entire structure of your spine and detect problems such as spinal stenosis, bone spurs, bone deformities or osteoarthritis.

Although MRI is more expensive, it is more effective than X-ray because it can also capture soft tissues, thereby accurately identifying serious problems such as disc bulges and disc herniations. MRI images also help doctors see the effects of degeneration on the nerves. From there, it is easy to assess the level of compression of the nerves and spinal cord by herniated discs or bone spurs.

If nerve damage is suspected due to degenerative changes in the patient's spine, the doctor may order a special test called electromyography (EMG) to measure the speed of nerve response.

According to VNE