Upper Back Pain Conditions

In general, osteoarthritis is a condition in which the protective cartilage that cushions the tops of bones degenerates, or wears down. This causes swelling and pain. It may also cause the development of osteophytes, or bone spurs.

In general, osteoarthritis happens as people get older. As we age, the disks in the spine lose height and begin to bulge. They also lose water content and begin to dry out and weaken. This problem causes settling, or collapse, of the disk spaces and loss of disk space height.

As the facet joints experience increased pressure, they also begin to degenerate and develop arthritis, similar to what may occur in the hip or knee joint. The smooth, slippery articular cartilage that covers and protects the joints wears away.

A compression fracture is a type of fracture or break in your vertebrae. The vertebrae are the bones in your back that are stacked on top of each other to make your spine. Your spine supports your weight, allows you to move, and protects your spinal cord and the nerves that go from it to the rest of your body.

A compression fracture is the general term for the type of fracture in the spine caused by osteoporosis.

Degenerative disk disease is one of the most common causes of low back and neck pain, and also one of the most misunderstood.

Simply put, degenerative disk disease refers to symptoms of back or neck pain caused by wear-and-tear on a spinal disk. In some cases, degenerative disk disease also causes weakness, numbness, and hot, shooting pains in the arms or legs (radicular pain). Degenerative disk disease typically consists of a low-level chronic pain with intermittent episodes of more severe pain.

One of the more unfortunate aspects of getting older is that your joints begin to wear out, oftentimes for no good reason. This wear and tear of the joints is not only common in the knees and the hips but also in the spine. The exact reason why the joints of the spine begin to wear out is not known and may be a combination of factors, such as doing a lot of lifting, having a family history of spine problems or having an injury to the spine. This wear and tear is a form of arthritis, which is where the cartilage in the spine joints begins to wear out.

Sometimes patients, despite having had back surgery, still have persistent pain after surgery-it is a very generalized term that is often used to describe the condition of patients who have not had a successful result with back surgery or spine surgery and have experienced continued pain after surgery. There are many reasons that a back surgery may or may not work, and even with the best surgeon and for the best indications, spine surgery is no more than 95% predictive of a successful result. Some people experience persistent disabling back pain after cervical spine surgery.

The common factors that cause pain after a surgery include pressure on a nerve persisting after operation, recurrent or residual disc herniation, spinal muscular reconditioning, altered joint mobility, and joint hypermobility with instability. Sometimes the daily tasks you may have to take after the operation put too much pressure on the recovering tissue and nerve, re-opening painful areas.

Inflammation of one or both SI joints is called sacroiliac joint dysfunction, or sacroiliitis. With this condition you may experience a sharp, stabbing pain that radiates from your hips and pelvis, up to the lower back, and down to the thighs. Sometimes it may feel numb or tingly, or as if your legs are about to buckle.

Causes of SI joint pain include:

• Osteoarthritis
• Injury
• Pregnancy
• Gout

Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spaces within your spine, which can put pressure on the nerves that travel through the spine. Spinal stenosis occurs most often in the lower back and the neck.

Some people with spinal stenosis may not have symptoms. Others may experience pain, tingling, numbness and muscle weakness. Symptoms can worsen over time.

Causes of spinal stenosis may include:

• Overgrowth of bone. Wear and tear damage from osteoarthritis on your spinal bones can prompt the formation of bone spurs, which can grow into the spinal canal. Paget’s disease, a bone disease that usually affects adults, also can cause bone overgrowth in the spine.
• Herniated disks. The soft cushions that act as shock absorbers between your vertebrae tend to dry out with age. Cracks in a disk’s exterior may allow some of the soft inner material to escape and press on the spinal cord or nerves.
• Thickened ligaments. The tough cords that help hold the bones of your spine together can become stiff and thickened over time. These thickened ligaments can bulge into the spinal canal.
• Tumors. Abnormal growths can form inside the spinal cord, within the membranes that cover the spinal cord or in the space between the spinal cord and vertebrae. These are uncommon and identifiable on spine imaging with an MRI or CT.
• Spinal injuries. Car accidents and other trauma can cause dislocations or fractures of one or more vertebrae. Displaced bone from a spinal fracture may damage the contents of the spinal canal. Swelling of nearby tissue immediately after back surgery also can put pressure on the spinal cord or nerves.

Your spinal column is made up of a series of bones (vertebrae) stacked onto each other. These bones are cushioned by disks. The disks protect the bones by absorbing the shocks from daily activities like walking, lifting, and twisting.

Each disk has two parts: a soft, gelatinous inner portion and a tough outer ring. A herniated disk is a disk that ruptures. This allows the jelly-like center of the disk to leak, irritating the nearby nerves. This can cause sciatica or back pain.

As you age, the disks in your spine weaken and become flatter (less cushiony). If a disk becomes too weak, the outer part may tear. The inside part of the disk then pushes through the tear and presses on the nerves beside it. You could be at higher risk of getting a herniated disk if you:

• Are middle-aged or older.
• Lift heavy objects.
• Are overweight.
• Do repetitive actions involving bending or twisting.
• Sit in the same position for a long time regularly.
• Live an inactive lifestyle.
• Smoke.