Spinal arthritis is a condition that causes pain, stiffness, and inflammation in the spine. It is caused by cartilage breakdown: a smooth, elastic tissue that covers joints and provides the lubrication essential for proper joint function.
While there is no specific cause of osteoarthritis, it may be caused by age, genetics, being overweight, a joint injury, nerve damage, or a lack of physical exercise. Lumbar arthritis can also result from a deeper medical condition such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
Conventional spine arthritis therapy contains risks such as adverse drug reactions and surgical problems. Nonetheless, other treatments can be less hazardous and more effective for certain patients. Let’s discuss these non-surgical advanced therapies in detail below.
Non-Surgical Advanced Therapies
- Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) are an effective treatment for persons who have arthritis of the spine. NSAIDs may decrease pain and inflammation. But, if you haven’t found relief with over-the-counter drugs, consult your doctor about the next step in your spine arthritis treatment.
- Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs)
Unlike NSAIDs, disease-modifying antirheumatic medications (DMARDs) can address the underlying cause of your ailment and help reduce inflammation. DMARD reduces disease progression and alleviates symptoms by protecting joints by reducing inflammation.
Each DMARD functions differently: traditional DMARDs severely limit your immune system. Whereas targeted DMARDs work by blocking specific pathways within immune cells. Each DMARD has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you should discuss any concerns with your doctor before starting with one.
- Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is another advanced treatment for spine arthritis. Therapists can teach you exercises that will help you strengthen the afflicted muscles, increase joint flexibility and range of motion, and decrease discomfort.
Besides, your therapist may use manual treatments such as soft tissue mobilization, spinal manipulation, and joint mobilization to relieve tension in the muscles and joints of the spine. They may also utilize electrotherapy or heat/cold therapies to decrease pain and stiffness in the afflicted joints.
- Occupational Therapy
An occupational therapist (OT) is a professional who assists persons with arthritis, injuries, and other disorders in increasing their capacity to engage in activities safely while improving their quality of life. Occupational therapists teach patients adaptive methods for a successful return to everyday activities.
Minimally Invasive Advanced Therapies
- Epidural Steroid Injections
Advanced treatment for spine arthritis includes using Epidural steroid injections to alleviate inflammation and discomfort around the spinal nerves. The drug is injected into the epidural space to relieve nerve irritation due to arthritis of the spine.
It helps reduce inflammation, discomfort, and general mobility in those with spinal arthritis. In certain circumstances, this might give long-term relief. Spinal headaches from a dural puncture, bleeding, infection, allergic response, and nerve injury or paralysis are all potential dangers of placing the needle (rare).
- Facet Joint Injections
Facet joint injections entail injecting a steroid drug or an anaesthetic into specific spine locations to relieve inflammation and discomfort. The pain relief provided by a facet joint injection is meant to enable a patient to endure a physical therapy program to help him, or her recover from an accident or back issue.
A facet joint injection also comprises the injection of a time-release steroid (cortisone) into the facet joint to decrease inflammation, which can occasionally give longer-term pain relief.
- Radiofrequency Ablation
RFA causes electrical nerve terminals to form in the affected area, which helps suppress the nerve’s pain signal. RFA can relieve pain for six to twelve months and in rare cases, for months. Almost 70% of RFA patients experience pain relief.
- Regenerative Medicine
Regenerative treatments such as stem cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy provide long-lasting non-surgical pain relief because they heal by generating a living, functioning tissue to replace or repair damaged tissue.
Stem cell treatment can potentially improve spinal arthritis repair by restoring damaged or lost cartilage tissue and preventing future tissue deterioration. For patients with arthritis of the spine, this can help decrease inflammation and enhance function.
Surgical Advanced Therapies
- Spinal Fusion
Spinal fusion is an advanced treatment for spine arthritis frequently performed by surgeons in patients with arthritis of the spine. Spinal fusion is a procedure that stabilizes the spine by permanently connecting vertebrae with tiny screws and rods, preventing movement between them. Little chunks of bone, known as grafts, are typically implanted between vertebrae to aid in their fusion.
- Total Disc Replacement
Complete disc replacement surgery is a more complicated surgery in which the whole disc is replaced with an artificial implant in this technique. It is widely used to treat chronic back pain, degenerative disc disease, instability, and other associated problems. Unlike spinal fusion, it does not restrict mobility and can help reduce pain and enhance the range of motion in the affected area.
- Artificial Disc Replacement
Artificial disc replacement, also known as “complete joint replacement” or “arthroplasty,” is a surgical procedure that uses artificial implants to replace one or more injured spinal discs. The procedure replaces the whole disc rather than just the injured areas, allowing for more natural mobility between the vertebrae. This operation is done either by itself or in tandem with spinal fusion.
Conclusion
Advanced treatment for spine arthritis can help relieve some of the pain and inflammation associated with the condition. While they can be beneficial in certain situations, it is critical to carefully balance the potential side effects and advantages before determining which sort of advanced therapy is best for you.
Non-drug therapy is an excellent strategy for managing the pain caused by spinal arthritis. While these treatments do not treat the underlying cause of arthritis, they can significantly enhance a patient’s overall quality of life by increasing comfort and function.Those contemplating therapy for arthritis of the spine should get a second opinion from an orthopedic expert. Before making a diagnosis, the expert should thoroughly assess the patient’s medical history, physical symptoms, laboratory testing, and imaging investigations.