You’ve likely never thought about the thickness of your spinal ligaments. They simply do what they’re supposed to do and you don’t give them much thought—until you start having problems, that is. The spinal ligaments connect the vertebrae to each other in order to stabilize the spine and protect the spinal discs. Problems with the spine can sometimes be linked to thickened spinal ligaments, known as hypertrophy. Let’s explore the causes, implications, and treatments for thickened spinal ligaments.

Causes of Thickened Spinal Ligaments 

The most commonly cited cause of hypertrophy is wear and tear from aging. As we age, our ligaments lose some flexibility and the ability to move freely, and they slowly harden and thicken over time. While you may not feel symptoms specific to this condition, general tightness and limited range of motion in your back are commonly associated with thickened spinal ligaments.

Sometimes, spinal ligament thickening comes about earlier than what is considered normal due to lifestyle habits and other conditions. Some other causes include untreated spinal injuries, being overweight, poor posture, chronic inflammation in and around the spine, and repetitive motions. Spinal injuries that go untreated can cause inflammation, tension, and instability in the nearby surrounding tissues, which leads to long-term problems, including spinal ligament thickening. Additionally, being overweight and having poor posture puts unnecessary stress on the spine and surrounding soft tissues.

Implications of Thickened Spinal Ligaments

If your spinal health is less than ideal, you will likely deal with thickened spinal ligaments at some point. As with anything, it’s best to get ahead of the problem before it even begins, so getting under chiropractic care sooner rather than later is ideal. Once your ligaments have thickened, they can encroach on the spinal cord, disrupt nerve communication, cause spinal misalignments, bring about spinal stenosis, cause pain in the neck and back, and bring about weakness and numbness in the extremities.

Healing and Treatment

Countless issues can arise from this preventable problem, and if you have any sort of back pain, tightness, or discomfort, it’s best to get it checked out by a qualified and experienced chiropractor like Dr. Grant Lisetor. He and his team at Greater Life Chiropractic are located in Charlotte and are committed to improving the health of their community with neurologically-based chiropractic care.

Dr. Grant can help you pinpoint the cause of any pain you’re feeling and get you on the road to healing. It’s important to address pain as soon as it arises, particularly because pain is often one of the latter symptoms of many conditions. It’s also important to maintain an ideal body weight and work to improve your posture as best as you can. You should also do your best to avoid repetitive motions and ensure that you’re stretching and exercising to counteract the concerns associated with them.

Chiropractic care can help your body adapt to any ligament issues and restore proper lubrication to the ligaments and vertebral joints to maximize range of motion and improve healing. Be sure to contact Greater Life Chiropractic today and schedule a consultation to begin your journey today.