7 Common Signs of a Misaligned Spine

Your back aches as you sit up in bed. You’re frustrated with the pain and tired of not getting enough sleep because of it. Your problem may be a misaligned spine.

Research shows that a misaligned spine, called spondylolisthesis, occurs in four to six percent of adults. A misaligned spine is a condition where your spine’s bones (vertebrae) move too much. This puts pressure on your nerves, leading to leg or lower back pain.

How do you know if your spine is misaligned? Let’s explore seven common signs of a misaligned spine and how surgery can help.

1. Misaligned Spine Signs Include Fatigue

A common sign of a misaligned spine is severe fatigue and exhaustion. Performing your daily duties can be challenging when your body’s not in proper working order. You may constantly feel tired and unable to do everything on your to-do list.

Patients with spondylolisthesis may experience tiredness since it hampers their nerve function. This prevents the body from operating optimally, which may include not balancing the hormones.

A hormonal imbalance may lead to exhaustion and sleep problems. Chronic tiredness can lead to headaches, depression, and weight gain or loss.

2. Knee, Hip, and Neck Pain

Discomfort in your knees, hips, and neck is another common symptom of a misaligned spine. Spine misalignment can cause hip pain, which may radiate to another area of the body, like your knees. This is called referred pain.

You may also feel pain on one or both sides of your neck. That’s because your spine stretches from your lower back through the neck to your skull’s base.

A misaligned spine can cause your knee, hip, and neck muscles to become tense. The tension could lead to pain, which may interfere with your daily activities. Even sitting might feel like work due to your stiffness and pain.

3. Restless Leg Syndrome

Restless leg syndrome is another common sign of a misaligned spine. It’s a disorder where you feel the need to constantly move your legs or arms due to an agonizing sensation.

This feeling can cause you to struggle to fall or stay asleep. The chronic exhaustion this causes may make it seem impossible to enjoy activities you used to like.

4. Back Pain

Another misaligned spine is back pain. That’s because spine misalignment may cause you to become inactive, which may make your core muscles weaker.

5. Severe Headaches

Spine misalignment may lead to severe and chronic headaches. Your headache might not disappear even with traditional treatments like Advil and Tylenol. A misaligned spine can lead to headaches since it may cause pressure on nerve roots, leading to pain.

6. Tingling and Numbness

Have you lost feeling in your extremities, including your legs and arms? Do you feel a numb or tingling sensation? These are signs of a misaligned spine.

Tingling and numbness may occur on just one side of the body. Sometimes it’s hard to tell which side of the body is being affected, though. Another spine alignment symptom is a shooting pain down your leg or arm.

7. Poor Posture

Do you have trouble maintaining proper posture? This is another sign your spine is misaligned.

Muscle contractions may prevent spine alignment or place pressure on your joints, leading to subpar posture. Indicators of poor posture include slouching shoulders.

Maintaining your posture is critical, especially as you age. Poor posture can worsen your spine’s alignment over time and cause the body’s structure to change permanently. It may also lead to chronic pain.

How Surgery May Help Spine Misalignment

Laser surgery may be an excellent solution for spine misalignment. This surgery approach often results in long-term pain relief and better outcomes for patients with debilitating neck and back pain.

Doctors and patients like laser surgery since it’s minimally invasive. It allows for less scarring and smaller incisions. A laser procedure can also be completed in one day and lead to quicker recovery times.

How Laser Surgery Works

This surgery involves using a heat-producing light to remove or shrink bone that is putting pressure on your nerves, causing pain. The laser can also remove damaged nerves, leading to lasting discomfort relief.

Precise instruments and tubing are used to treat a patient’s affected tissues in a targeted way with laser surgery. Surrounding tissues and muscles are not harmed during the procedure.

Lower Bleeding Risk

Laser spine surgery patients don’t experience the blood loss associated with traditional surgery. That’s because a laser can seal your blood vessels near your surgery site. Sealing the vessels prevents blood from leaking, lowering your risk of needing a blood transfusion.

A laser may also seal your lymph vessels and nerve endings. Your lymph vessels are tubes that take fluid from your tissues to your blood. Sealing them can decrease swelling and pain after surgery.

Lower Infection Risk

Another benefit of laser surgery is that it reduces the patient’s risk of post-operative infection. That’s because bacteria are less likely to enter your surgical wound, causing inflammation.

Laser surgery seals the blood vessels, limiting your wound’s exposure to the medical center’s environment. This reduces your chances of experiencing an infection.

A laser might also vaporize your scar tissue, which might harbor bacteria. It’s an excellent way to eliminate possible infection sources and enhance healing following spine misalignment surgery.

Signs You’re a Candidate for Spine Surgery

Your doctor may recommend that you undergo spine surgery if conservative treatments haven’t eliminated the pain from your misaligned spine. Conservative treatments might include stretching and exercise.

Other treatments to try first include physical therapy and muscle relaxants. Steroid injections may temporarily reduce irritation and swelling in some patients.

How We Can Help Your Spine

A misaligned spine has several symptoms. These include fatigue and pain in your knees, hips, and neck. Other signs of a misaligned spine include RLS, back pain, severe headaches, tingling, numbness, and poor posture.

Our spinal surgery experts at New York City Spine can help you relieve your pain due to spine misalignment. We’ll evaluate your spine’s condition and determine if surgery is the best option for your situation. Schedule a consultation today!