Can a person have spurs in back? my brother has pains when he walk, he initially was told he needed hip replacement. after further tests, his doctor said he had some spurs on in his back which was causing pain.

Yes : Yes a person can have spurs on the bones that make up the spine (vertebrae). Another name for bone spurs is osteophytes. Bone spurs are enlargements of an area of the bone. They can cause pain when they push against other tissue and structures in the body.

As : As the spine wears out, the disk, joints, ligaments and capsules weaken and develop increased movement called instability. As a response to instability, the body thickens ligaments and forms bone spurs to decrease abnormal movements. The bone spurs can pinch the nerves going to the leg causing leg pain. Initial treatment is usually physical therapy and steroid injections. If this does not help then surgery would be the next consideration. Surgery involves removal of the bone spurs to take the pressure off the nerves. Please see my health guide on bone spurs for more information. Good luck!