Which condition listed is a rheumatic back pain condition of the elderly?

Which condition listed is a rheumatic back pain condition of the elderly?

• A. Osteoarthritis
• B. Spondylolisthesis
• C. Neurogenic claudication from canal stenosis
• D. Spinal canal stenosis

Answer: (A)

Osteoarthritis of the spine is a common rheumatic back pain condition in older adults, arising from facet joint degeneration and spinal spondylosis that produce axial back pain. It typically presents as mechanical pain that worsens with activity and improves with rest, with brief morning stiffness. Imaging often shows osteophytes, facet joint degeneration, and disc space narrowing. The other options describe non-rheumatic structural or neurogenic problems: spondylolisthesis involves vertebral slippage and instability; neurogenic claudication from canal stenosis and spinal canal stenosis refer to nerve compression symptoms rather than a primary rheumatic process. Therefore, osteoarthritis best fits the elderly rheumatic back pain pattern.

Osteoarthritis of the spine is a common rheumatic back pain condition in older adults, arising from facet joint degeneration and spinal spondylosis that produce axial back pain. It typically presents as mechanical pain that worsens with activity and improves with rest, with brief morning stiffness. Imaging often shows osteophytes, facet joint degeneration, and disc space narrowing. The other options describe non-rheumatic structural or neurogenic problems: spondylolisthesis involves vertebral slippage and instability; neurogenic claudication from canal stenosis and spinal canal stenosis refer to nerve compression symptoms rather than a primary rheumatic process. Therefore, osteoarthritis best fits the elderly rheumatic back pain pattern.