I am a 72-year old man with two back problems. I have spinal stenosis and disc degeneration. The exercises for stenosis cause my disc problem to flare up. Is there anything that will treat one without making the other worse?

Doctors often use antiinflammatories to treat these two conditions. If pressure from swelling or fluid in the area can be removed, pain can be controlled. Combining the drugs with exercise seems to help many people. Working with a physical therapist to find the right exercises is important. Doing the wrong exercises or doing them improperly can add to your problems.

Sometimes, surgery is advised. The doctor can remove bone that is putting pressure on the spinal cord or spinal nerves. A new, less invasive operation is also possible. This involves putting an implant between the spinous processes of the backbone.

The implant keeps the bone in a slightly forward bent position. It also decreases pressure on the disc at that level. Discs above and below the level of the implant aren’t affected.