Adults, and particularly the elderly, may find that they experience sharp and sudden back pain stemming from arthritis when they try to stand up from a seated position. Sometimes it goes away and then pain returns, but the pain can also be excruciating depending on the type of arthritis that affects you, and spinal stenosis is a particularly painful condition. If you suffer from back pain caused by degenerative spinal stenosis, exercises are designed to slow the disease and improve spinal flexibility.

Slowing Progression Of Your Arthritic Spinal Back Pain

There is no cure for any type of arthritis including spinal stenosis. Your physician's goal is to try and slow down progression of your arthritic spinal condition that causes you so much pain. That's achieved by first assessing the degree of arthritis pain you're experiencing and measure it up with your age and overall health, since arthritis back pain worsens as a degenerative disease. A treatment plan that begins with exercise is then designed for your specific condition.

Maintaining Spinal Flexibility With Specific Exercises

Arthritic degeneration cannot be reversed, so our physician will design a comprehensive treatment plan that is likely to ease your discomfort. Your type of degenerative arthritis is generally cause by a loss of cartilage that protects your joints. That cartilage can never be regrown. Your treatment plan is then to maintain and improve spinal flexibility. This can be gained through specific exercises and other options.

Exercises Designed By Your Physical Therapist

Your physician might refer you to a physical therapist for an evaluation. That evaluation could result in your being taught to perform low-impact exercise and stretching that helps you to lose excess weight. Losing weight prevents strain on your spine. Those exercises are also designed to strengthen muscles that support your neck and back. The exercises also serves\ to place less stress on your spinal joints.

Lifestyle Adjustments You Must Make

Your spine specialist may also recommend that you practice eating a healthy diet to rid your body of overall excess weight. You could be asked to decrease the amount of alcohol you consume and to improve your posture as well. The habit of smoking fuels many diseases, and you can expect to be asked to stop smoking by your physician as a means of improving your condition.

Alternative Medicine

Some physicians may not approve your use of alternative approaches to help heal your condition. So if you're planning to sneak in deep tissue massage or acupuncture, discuss this thoroughly with your physician before beginning any alternative treatments. However, some physical therapists use deep tissue massage, and physical therapists are licensed professionals who can make that decision and use it on your back pain condition.