Spine is made up of individual bones called vertebraes that are joined together by muscles and ligaments. For separating the vertibrates from one another, flat, soft intervertebral discs are present that also act as a cushion between each vertebra. This also makes the spine flexible and can bendable. Together discs, vertebrae, muscles and ligaments make up vertebral spine. Different regions of spine include cervical spine that refers to neck, thoracic spine that refers to chest and lumbar and sacral spines that refer to the lower back.
Back pain -
The complaints of back pain are common medical conditions. But it can also be among the most difficult problem for patients. Here, the expertise of the doctor lies in understanding the key cause of back pain so that proper treatment can be recommended.
Some of the causes of Back Pain include:
Lumbar Muscle Strain - Among the most common causes of low back pain, these muscle strains can be resolved completely within a few weeks.
Ruptured Disc - Also called herniated disc, its treatment depends on particular individual and situation of the patient.
Discogenic Back Pain - It is the result of damages to intervertabral disc but without disc herniation.
Spinal Stenosis - It is a main reason for back pain in aging population and results due to spinal canal getting constricted because of arthritis and other conditions.
Lumbar Spine Arthritis - Arthritis affects small joints of spine and cause back pain with movement.
Spondylolisthesis - The adjacent vertebra becomes unstable and begins to slip that causes back pain. The most common cause for this is due to degenerative changes that cause loss of normal stabilizing structures of spinal column.
Osteoporosis - It causes weak bones that can lead to fractures. Orthopaedic problems and generalized discomfort are commonly related to compression fractures of vertebra.
Spine Surgery
There are a few emergencies in the areas of back pain that need to be handled through surgical treatment. Spine surgery is considered after there is no improvement in the condition of the patients even after long course of nonsurgical therapies undertaken.
The spine treatment processes include:
Laminectomy -
Laminectomy treatment is undertaken for providing relief to pressure build up on spinal cords. Commonly used for treating spinal stenosis where there is a build up in pressure up around spinal cord and spinal nerves, the laminectomy procedure (depending on amount of bones that require removal) may require spinal fusion that helps in bringing stabilization to the spinal column.
Lumbar Spine Fusion -
Lumbar Spine Fusion is surgery done for eliminating motion between adjacent vertebraes. The process is undertaken for addressing problem related to spondylolisthesis or due to extent of other surgery like laminectomy. The fusion process requires bone to form between adjacent vertebrae and is augmented with metal screws and rods for supporting spine while the healing part of the bone is in process.
Microdiscectomy -
Under micro decompression spine surgery, small portion of bone over nerve root and/or disc material from under nerve root is removed. This is done to relieve neural impingement as well as provide more room for nerves to heal. The microdiscectomy process is typically performed for herniated lumbar disc and is effective for treating leg pain than lower back pain.
Kyphoplasty/Vertebroplasty
Being minimally invasive procedures, Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty is used for treatment of vertebral compression fractures of vertebral bodies that are part of the spinal column. The vertebral body fracturing results due to the compression of usual rectangular shape of bone that causes pain. The compression fractures may also involve collapse of one/more vertebrae in spine and is a condition that occurs commonly due to osteoporosis. Other than this, Vertebrae may also be weakened by cancer.
In vertebroplasty process, Surgeon uses image guidance for injecting cement mixture into fractured bone through hollow needle. Whereas in kyphohplasty, a balloon is first inserted into fractured bone through hollow needle for creating a cavity or space and then the cement is injected into this cavity after which the balloon is removed.
Nucleoplasty
Nucleoplasty process is undertaken to provide disc decompression by removing tissue in nucleus pulposus of disc.
Spinal Infections
Bacteria/fungal organisms may also be the cause of infections in:
· Vertebral column
· Intervertebral discs
· Dural sac
· Space around the spinal cord
The most likely time of the development of spinal infections may be between three days to three months of post surgery period. Other than this, some of the other reasons include patients with certain inherent risk factors like:
· Immune suppression
· Poor nutrition
· HIV infection
· Diabetes
· Obesity
· Cancer
Back pain -
The complaints of back pain are common medical conditions. But it can also be among the most difficult problem for patients. Here, the expertise of the doctor lies in understanding the key cause of back pain so that proper treatment can be recommended.
Some of the causes of Back Pain include:
Lumbar Muscle Strain - Among the most common causes of low back pain, these muscle strains can be resolved completely within a few weeks.
Ruptured Disc - Also called herniated disc, its treatment depends on particular individual and situation of the patient.
Discogenic Back Pain - It is the result of damages to intervertabral disc but without disc herniation.
Spinal Stenosis - It is a main reason for back pain in aging population and results due to spinal canal getting constricted because of arthritis and other conditions.
Lumbar Spine Arthritis - Arthritis affects small joints of spine and cause back pain with movement.
Spondylolisthesis - The adjacent vertebra becomes unstable and begins to slip that causes back pain. The most common cause for this is due to degenerative changes that cause loss of normal stabilizing structures of spinal column.
Osteoporosis - It causes weak bones that can lead to fractures. Orthopaedic problems and generalized discomfort are commonly related to compression fractures of vertebra.
Spine Surgery
There are a few emergencies in the areas of back pain that need to be handled through surgical treatment. Spine surgery is considered after there is no improvement in the condition of the patients even after long course of nonsurgical therapies undertaken.
The spine treatment processes include:
Laminectomy -
Laminectomy treatment is undertaken for providing relief to pressure build up on spinal cords. Commonly used for treating spinal stenosis where there is a build up in pressure up around spinal cord and spinal nerves, the laminectomy procedure (depending on amount of bones that require removal) may require spinal fusion that helps in bringing stabilization to the spinal column.
Lumbar Spine Fusion -
Lumbar Spine Fusion is surgery done for eliminating motion between adjacent vertebraes. The process is undertaken for addressing problem related to spondylolisthesis or due to extent of other surgery like laminectomy. The fusion process requires bone to form between adjacent vertebrae and is augmented with metal screws and rods for supporting spine while the healing part of the bone is in process.
Microdiscectomy -
Under micro decompression spine surgery, small portion of bone over nerve root and/or disc material from under nerve root is removed. This is done to relieve neural impingement as well as provide more room for nerves to heal. The microdiscectomy process is typically performed for herniated lumbar disc and is effective for treating leg pain than lower back pain.
Kyphoplasty/Vertebroplasty
Being minimally invasive procedures, Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty is used for treatment of vertebral compression fractures of vertebral bodies that are part of the spinal column. The vertebral body fracturing results due to the compression of usual rectangular shape of bone that causes pain. The compression fractures may also involve collapse of one/more vertebrae in spine and is a condition that occurs commonly due to osteoporosis. Other than this, Vertebrae may also be weakened by cancer.
In vertebroplasty process, Surgeon uses image guidance for injecting cement mixture into fractured bone through hollow needle. Whereas in kyphohplasty, a balloon is first inserted into fractured bone through hollow needle for creating a cavity or space and then the cement is injected into this cavity after which the balloon is removed.
Nucleoplasty
Nucleoplasty process is undertaken to provide disc decompression by removing tissue in nucleus pulposus of disc.
Spinal Infections
Bacteria/fungal organisms may also be the cause of infections in:
· Vertebral column
· Intervertebral discs
· Dural sac
· Space around the spinal cord
The most likely time of the development of spinal infections may be between three days to three months of post surgery period. Other than this, some of the other reasons include patients with certain inherent risk factors like:
· Immune suppression
· Poor nutrition
· HIV infection
· Diabetes
· Obesity
· Cancer