What causes back pain in the elderly?

Back pain is a very common disease in life. The elderly are the most susceptible to back pain. As they age, their body functions slowly degenerate, and they are very susceptible to diseases. Most back pain in the elderly is caused by lumbar or spinal diseases. Back pain in the elderly must be taken seriously and treated in time to avoid missing the best treatment time.

Causes of back pain in the elderly

1. Back pain caused by cervical spondylosis

Cervical spondylosis occurs in the cervical spine, how does it cause back pain? Little do people know that the posterior rami of the spinal nerves from the fourth, fifth, and sixth cervical vertebrae extend toward the back and innervate the skin and muscles of the upper back. When degenerative changes occur in the cervical spine, if the posterior branches of the spinal nerves of the fourth, fifth, and sixth cervical vertebrae are pulled, back pain will occur. In fact, neck and back pain, upper limb weakness, numbness of fingers, dizziness, nausea, and even blurred vision and difficulty swallowing are all symptoms of cervical spondylosis.

2. Back pain caused by neck sprain and stiff neck

Due to improper neck movement or bad sleeping position, local muscles are sprained and the pain involves the back muscles. The medical history is short, the tenderness point is fixed and located at the injured muscle site, which is more common in the upper inner part of the scapula, and is accompanied by muscle spasm. Obviously tender cord-like spasmodic muscle bundles can be felt, and the movement of the neck and back is obviously limited.

3. Back pain caused by rheumatism

Rheumatism is mostly an autoimmune disease with a hidden and slow onset and a long course. It invades the joints, bones, muscles, blood vessels and related soft tissues, and can cause a certain degree of back pain. The back pain will be aggravated in cool, windy and damp weather.

4. Back pain caused by shingles

Shingles may also cause back pain in older people. Some middle-aged and elderly patients, people with low immunity, tumor patients, diabetic patients, etc. are prone to postherpetic neuralgia. The probability of persistent pain in patients over 50 years old is about 25%, and in those over 70 years old it is about 50%. Pain is a sequela of shingles. It is because shingles is not treated in time, the virus damages the nerves, and the damaged nerves cannot be repaired, so the pain persists. If pain treatment is taken seriously at an early stage, it can not only reduce pain and shorten the course of the disease, but also reduce the chance of leaving behind sequelae of shingles, significantly improve the patient's quality of life, reduce complications and increase the cure rate.

5. Back pain caused by frozen shoulder

Frozen shoulder can cause shoulder joint pain. As the disease progresses, the pain range will continue to increase, and some patients will experience back pain.

6. Back pain caused by ankylosing spondylitis

Patients with ankylosing spondylitis will experience chronic generalized or persistent low back pain, tenderness over the spinous processes, stiffness in the back and waist after waking up in the morning, aggravated pain in the back and waist when leaning back, improvement after activity, and easy fatigue after standing or walking for a long time. Patients often present with limited movement of the lower back and waist. Physical examination may reveal tenderness of the lumbar spinous processes and paraspinal muscle spasms. In the later stages, muscle atrophy and even hunchback deformity may occur.

What to do if the elderly have back pain?

Once the elderly experience back pain, they must not ignore the symptoms, thinking that it will go away after a while. This may lead to worsening of the disease. If elderly people experience back pain, it is best to seek medical attention in a timely manner and receive active treatment under the guidance of a doctor. You should also pay attention to your daily routine and eating habits to avoid bad living habits that affect your recovery from the disease.