These are the two most common conditions that you will often see people visiting a physiotherapy clinic for! Many people come to us complaining that they have cervical or lumbar spondylitis and it’s causing a lot of pain. Often these unfortunate people are frightened into believing by their doctors that having spondylitis is a bad thing.
No one can escape spondylitis! As our body ages, the wear and tear in our spinal joints also increase. This is a result of collective repetitive stress injuries that it endures every day throughout its life. Our spinal column is designed to take that stress and spondylitis is a normal aging process. The wear and tear of the spinal column can be controlled and progression slowed down tremendously but it cannot be halted.
So does that mean having ‘spondylitis’ pain is normal?
Of Course not! Usually, people claiming to have spondylitis pain have certain biomechanical issues in the joints because of bad posture, nerve root entrapment, and weak & tight musculature. These usually are a result of faulty ergonomics ( posture while doing their normal work )
A person coming for Cervical spondylitis treatment usually has tight upper trapezius muscles and a forward neck posture due to weakness of other neck musculature. It is the dysfunction in that muscle, which has persisted for months to years, that has led to the formation of ‘that’ pain.
When you relieve & heal those muscles, pull the neck bones back into alignment and then strengthen the muscles and follow proper ergonomics, the pain miraculously vanishes! without treating cervical spondylitis. Similar is the line of action in the case of lumbar ( low back ) as well.
Fixing muscular dysfunction, relieving the compression of nerves, and improving posture is the only way to get them fixed. No medicines are required at all. Electrotherapeutics in Physiotherapy helps reduce pain, and Ayurvedic spinal massages can be done to maintain spinal health in the long run.