The Ageing Spine

Understanding More About Lumbar Spondylosis

Growing older is a natural part of life. In Singapore, we have a rapidly ageing population, where 17.3% of our population are over 65 years old and there is a decline in the old-age support ratio to 3.7 as of 2023. Taken together, this simply means that as Singapore continues to have a larger greying population, we also have fewer younger people to rely on for support in our golden years. Thus, it is important for us to remain healthy and age gracefully.

Many physical changes occur when we progress to middle and old age. This is due to the accumulation of loading and stress on our joints, ligaments and muscles. In our joints, there is a gradual loss of the smooth cartilaginous surface, while the ligaments start to lose elasticity, and our muscles gradually lose strength and volume. With these degenerative changes, one starts to experience stiffness, clicking in joints, a gradual loss of flexibility, and a decrease in muscular strength. We may experience fatigue and pain, with a loss of endurance strength and an inability to partake in prolonged activities.

LUMBAR SPONDYLOSIS

Lower back pain is one of the common complaints in the older population, often due to lumbar spondylosis. Other causes can include abnormal spinal alignment or poor sagittal balance. However, there are certain types of back pain that require greater attention. They include:

• Persistent pain with increasing frequency or intensity.

• Pain that disturbs sleep and/or is accompanied by other symptoms like loss of appetite, loss of weight or fever.

• Associated history of injury/ trauma.

• Neurological symptoms like numbness, weakness, pins and needles, or electric/burning sensations.

• Any bladder and bowel disturbances.