Spinal degeneration is an inevitable part of the aging process for most individuals.  It may be associated with intermittent and/or persistent signs and/or symptoms. For some, it will significantly compromise the quality of their life and diminish their ability to adequately perform activities of daily living.  A growing body of evidence shows that maintaining an active lifestyle, improving posture and exercising on a regular basis can be very helpful in reducing the symptom presentation associated with age-related degenerative changes.  Spinal tissues remodel and repair in response to stresses placed upon them.  Subsequently, efficient posture and regular exercise positively impact the tissue remodeling and conditioning process.

There is an interrelationship between aging, degeneration and deconditioning, however, they are not one and the same. The spine specialist may find the distinguishing features between deconditioning, degeneration, and aging somewhat challenging.   The spine specialist may become preoccupied with the disease state and overlook the problems related to aging and deconditioning. 

The benefits of exercise for age-related muscle atrophy are well documented.  The active individual can the slow the aging process and often reduce back pain-related syndromes. 

For some elderly people, a severe declination of motor or muscle function results in institutionalization and the loss of independence.  There are other disease processes commonly associated with ageing such osteoporosis, cardiovascular, and osteoarthritis, which further contribute to degeneration of the spine in elderly decline.  Because of the rapid growth of the ageing population there will be an increased demand placed on spine specialists for recognizing, preventing, and treating age-related disorders.