Most people suffering from chronic spinal pain and arthritis-in-neck discomfort have heard the terms disc degeneration, joint degeneration, or spinal arthritis.

Even though it sounds scary, terms like "joint degeneration" and "spinal arthritis" really do not tell us much besides the fact that the spine is deteriorating. The number one question is why is it degenerating, and can that process be stopped? Joint degeneration or arthritis is a natural process the body endures as we age. However, we want to slow that process down as much as possible.

There are a few situations that will advance the degenerative process of arthritis in neck and spine at an increased rate. One is obviously trauma. Any acute trauma to the spine will speed up the joint degeneration process if the spinal segment affected is not properly treated and normal joint motion is not regained. Another is repetitive stress or repetitive micro trauma. Any joint that is chronically stressed beyond normal functions will naturally degenerate at a faster rate than normal. Finally, the number one cause of joint or disc degeneration is abnormal joint motion. Like I mentioned before, abnormal joint motion is similar to the front end of your car being out of alignment and the tires wearing abnormally. The same thing happens in a joint with abnormal motion or alignment. The joint will wear abnormally and become arthritic.

The key to determining if joint or disc arthritis is due to age or external factors, is best determined by radiographic examination. Basically, if every joint is in the same phase of degeneration or arthritis, then it is considered an aging process. If only a select few joints or discs are degenerated when compared to the entire structure, such as the experience of arthritis in neck not evident lower in the spine, then those degenerated segments are a result of something other than age.