THE SPINE

Lumbar Spine Conditions

• Sciatica - This is a low back disorder typified by mild to intense leg pain, caused when the sciatic nerve or related nerve roots in the low back are compressed, often by a herniated disc. Usually, it affects only one side of the lower body and symptoms may be constant, varying from mild to severely disabling, making sitting, standing or walking difficult.
• Low Back Pain - Often experienced as a sudden, sharp, persistent, or dull pain felt below the waist, this is most commonly caused by muscle strain, whether from heavy physical work, lifting or forceful movement, bending or twisting, awkward positions, or standing in one position too long. Other conditions that can cause low back pain include spinal stenosis, arthritis (osteoarthritis), spinal infection (osteomyelitis), spinal tumors (benign and malignant), spondylolisthesis, and vertebral fractures (e.g. burst fracture).
• Lumbar Disc disease (slipped disc) - Herniated or slipped discs don't actually slip but rather the disc splits or ruptures causing the inner gel-like substance (nucleus pulposus) to leak out. The elasticity and water content of the nucleus pulposus decreases with age, leading first to disc degeneration then prolapse as a slight bulge or protrusion begins to form, which might begin to crowd the spinal cord. Later stages are the extrusion of nucleus pulposus through the tyre-like wall of the annulus fibrosis, and then actually breaking through this wall into the spinal canal
• Lumbar Canal Spinal Stenosis - This is a narrowing of the spinal canal, which places pressure on the spinal cord. The condition may be inherited and evident at birth or later in life, typically after age 50. With aging, the ligaments of the spine can thicken and harden (called calcification). Bones and joints may also enlarge, and bone spurs (called osteophytes) may form. Slipped discs or Spondylolisthesis can also lead to compression in the spinal area, causing narrowing of the spinal canal and pressure on the spinal nerve. Patients with lumbar spinal stenosis may feel pain, weakness, or numbness in the legs, calves or buttocks. In the lumbar spine, symptoms often increase when walking short distances and decrease when the patient sits, bends forward or lies down.
• Lumbar Spinal Fractures - These very often result from high energy trauma such as car or sports accidents, frequently with some serious degree of neurological injury. There may be wedging (compression), bursting or dislocation of the fracture, with varying degrees of associated damage to the spinal cord.