There are a great variety of bone spur causes, some of which we can control and others that we cannot. When most people think of bone spurs, an image of a spiky bone fragment comes to mind, but bone spurs are, in fact, smooth nodules that can form on any bone in the body. They are commonly associated with arthritis and generally form in jointed areas of the body, such as the fingers, knees, hips, feet, and spine. These jointed areas are specially designed to allow the body maximum movement in a variety of directions, and some areas must bear significant bodyweight while maintaining their normal functioning capabilities. If a patient is obese, or of greater than normal body weight, the joints are forced to work harder in order to properly maintain the body's alignment and movements. This excessive stress could lead to bone spur formation in several areas of the body and may lead to the development of additional health problems for the individual.

Why Spinal Bone Spurs Form

Understanding the basic anatomy of the spine can be helpful in order to understand how obesity is one of the more common spinal bone spur causes. The spine is made up of about 24 individual stacked vertebrae, plus several fused vertebrae, which run from the base of the skull to the lower back. Spongy intervertebral discs lie between the individual vertebrae and act as shock-absorbing cushions for the spine. Each vertebra connects to an adjacent vertebra by two sets of facet joints. These articulating joints keep the spine in proper alignment and are lined with cartilage and lubricating fluid to allow the joints to glide smoothly against one another. This allows for an extensive range of motion in many directional planes. Over time, joints begin to suffer from the effects of normal wear and tear. The cartilaginous lining begins to dry out and slowly strips away. As degeneration continues, the ends of a facet joint, stripped of cartilage, grind together, which causes bone spurs to gradually build up. Bone spurs are the body's attempt to halt abnormal joint grinding and to stabilize the spine. In an obese individual, this joint denegation could occur faster, as added body weight makes the facet joints work harder to properly support the upper body.

Additional Spinal Conditions

Obesity could also hasten the onset of other related spinal conditions. Although bone spurs can form in and around degenerative facet joints, they may not be able to completely halt the abnormal spinal movement. Vertebral segment shifting may continue, which could lead to intervertebral disc bulging or herniating, a slipped vertebra (spondylolisthesis), or spinal stenosis (a narrowing of nerve passageways in the spinal column).

A bone spur sometimes causes nerve pain, particularly if the growth compresses the spinal cord or a nearby nerve root. A bone spur that compresses a nerve could cause symptoms of:

• Localized pain surrounding the area of nerve compression
• Pain that travels the length of the affected nerve
• Tingling, or "pins-and-needles" feeling in the arms or legs
• Muscle weakness in the extremities
• Numbness that affects either the upper or lower body

Prevention

While the normal effects of aging and degenerative changes cannot be stopped, individuals can take steps to avoid obesity and live a healthy lifestyle. Many other factors - including excessive tobacco and alcohol use, poor posture, and an unhealthy diet - can all contribute to what eventually causes a bone spur to develop.