After age 50, back pain isn’t always about what you did, or overdid, yesterday. More often, it’s about what your spine has experienced over the past several decades. Years and years of lifting your kids, carrying groceries, or working long hours can catch up with your spine.
Age-related changes can make certain back conditions more common, but that doesn’t mean pain is something you simply have to accept. In fact, low back pain cases peak around age 50-55.
This month, our team of interventional pain management specialists at Pain Medicine Group discusses five things that change when you consider low back pain treatment after age 50.
When you’re younger, back pain is often linked to muscle strains, sports injuries, or overdoing it at the gym. For example, weightlifters and other active adults may develop acute injuries such as muscle strains or herniated discs.
While acute back injuries can happen at any age, people over 50 are more likely to develop chronic, age-related spinal conditions as well. Years of everyday wear and tear can affect your discs, joints, and spinal bones.
Whether your pain stems from an acute injury, a chronic condition, or a combination of both can help determine which treatments are most effective. After 50, you may be experiencing age-related conditions such as:
In many cases, chronic back pain isn’t caused by a single issue. For example, you may have degenerative disc disease and a bulging disc that both contribute to your symptoms.
When you visit the experienced team at Pain Medicine Group, we take the time to identify every source of pain before getting started with treatments.
In your 20s, recovering from a strained muscle might simply mean a few days of rest. At 55 or 65, the conversation is bigger than that. Your treatment goal isn’t solely to reduce pain, although that’s absolutely part of it.
Another element of your low back pain management plan after 50 is focusing on treatments that allow you to keep doing the things you love, whether that’s traveling, golfing, gardening, chasing your grandchildren, or simply moving comfortably throughout your day.
That’s why our approach to treatment often focuses on both symptom relief and maintaining your ability to simply move.
When your back hurts, your first instinct may be to stay on the couch. But too much rest can make many types of chronic back pain worse.
Movement helps maintain spinal flexibility, strength, and joint mobility — and it’s good for your circulation in general. That’s why physical therapy and low-impact activities are usually par for the course when it comes to low back pain.
Many people are surprised to learn how much pain management has changed over the past few decades: Pain medication isn’t your only option.
Depending on the cause of your symptoms, we may recommend treatment options like:
These minimally invasive treatments can often reduce pain and improve function without surgery. Even better, interventional treatments like these complement physical therapy and rehabilitation programs.
This may be the most important point. Many people delay treatment because they assume back pain is simply part of aging. While age-related changes are common, chronic pain isn’t something you have to accept.
Persistent pain, worsening stiffness, numbness, weakness, or pain that interferes with your daily activities deserves a check-in with our team at Pain Medicine Group. The sooner we identify the cause of your pain, the sooner you can begin exploring pain management options.
Whether your back pain started yesterday or it’s been bothering you for years, Pain Medicine Group can help you find the relief you need. From conservative therapies and medication management to advanced interventional pain treatments, we have what you need under one roof.
No matter your age, you don’t have to accept chronic low back pain as part of getting older. Schedule an appointment in Oviedo or Sarasota, Florida, to get started. We want to help you stay active, mobile, and independent at every stage of life.
