Don’t hang up dancing shoes just yet, Robbie

ROBBIE WILLIAMS, left, has admitted that his dancing on stage has become curtailed by painful arthritis in the back. He’s only 42 and is young to suffer with arthritis. We often think of this as an agerelated disease but it’s a common scenario for me to see because it is also related to over-use, so would be seen in younger people who work their joints hard, for example athletes or performers, such as Robbie. With arthritis in the back, the cartilage that covers the spinal bones – the vertebrae – gets worn away in what are known as the facet joints. Movement of the spine irritates these joints, causing further damage and new outgrowths of bones called spurs, which cause trouble as they press on the nerves, causing tremendous pain. But Robbie mustn’t stop completely: for back pain and arthritis, exercise is important to reduce stiffness and ease joint movement. Dancing, albeit gently, may actually be just what Robbie needs.