What is the cause of spinal degeneration

The spine is an important part of our body. It has a direct relationship with our life. When there are some problems with the spine, it will have a great impact on our health. As we age, our spine also ages. Therefore, in life, we should control smoking and drinking, eat less irritating and greasy food, and pay attention to regular physical exercise when standing or working for a long time.

1. Age factor:

Generally speaking, with the increase of age, the degree and scope of spinal degenerative changes in the spinal bones, joints, ligaments and other tissues will continue to increase, but the degree and scope of degenerative changes may not be the same at the same age, which is mainly related to various acquired factors.

2. Chronic strain :

Degenerative changes in the spine caused by chronic strain include three aspects.

① Chronic strain caused by occupation, type of work, etc. Due to different occupations, the working environment and the nature of the work can cause degenerative changes in the spine earlier or aggravate the degree of degenerative changes. For example, people who engage in head-down labor or desk work for a long time are prone to neck muscle strain and cervical spondylosis; people who engage in lifting or bending work for a long time are prone to degenerative changes in the lumbar spine. Therefore, in a sense, occupation and type of work are also a cause of disease.

② Long-term poor posture. In daily life and work, bad posture and position can gradually destroy body balance. It does not require an obvious history of trauma to cause neck, waist and back pain, which will inevitably lead to premature degenerative changes in the spine.

③ Long-term, high-intensity activities. Since the joint movements of the human body are limited, the same is true for the spinal joints. The movements of the spinal joints are multi-faceted, mainly flexion, extension, lateral bending and rotation. For example, the lumbar spine mainly moves in flexion and extension, and can also lateral bend, with almost no rotation; the thoracic spine mainly moves in lateral flexion and rotation, with less flexion and extension. The range of motion of the spine is greatest in the cervical and upper lumbar vertebrae, especially at the cervical-thoracic and thoracolumbar junctions. Therefore, in daily work and life, we should try our best to avoid activities that are not consistent with spinal physiology. Long-term and excessive physical exercise can also cause premature or accelerated degenerative changes in the spine. For example, artistic gymnasts or acrobats often suffer from degenerative spinal diseases.

3. Trauma:

The spine, especially the cervical and lumbar sections, is one of the most mobile parts of the human body. Compared with other parts, degenerative changes occur earlier or to a more severe degree. If the spine suffers trauma, degenerative changes of the spine can often be advanced or accelerated due to its poor compensatory ability.