Degenerative Spine

Lower Back Pain Can Be An Indication Of Degenerative Spine

The spine comprises of bones, discs, muscles and ligaments which protect the nerves in the spinal cord and root canals. With age, the process of change occurs in the discs, joints and ligaments of the spine. The discs in the spinal cord are made up of cartilage, fibrous tissue, and water. Once a human being cross 30, the discs get thinner or become bulging disk and their ability to absorb shocks also starts decreasing. They may even get break down or herniated. As a result, the space between the two vertebrae also reduces. Moreover, the disc can develop some bony growth around it which puts extra pressure on the spine. Then the person develops numbers of problems like back pain, neck pain, strain in muscles, numbness in legs and arms, etc. which are called degenerative spine disorders.

Degenerative spinal disorders refer to such problems of spine that begin with the impairment to the disc and gradually have an effect on the entire spine. Such disorders occur due to continuous stressful tasks, laborious manual activities and minor injuries. Mostly the degenerative spine disease occurs in the lumbar or cervical spine and seldom in thoracic region of the spine. Spinal stenosis, narrowing of a portion of the spinal canal, cause pressure on the spinal cord and nerve roots. As a result, entire spine area gets affected, but mostly in the neck causing cervical spinal stenosis and in the lower back causing lumbar stenosis. If the vertebrae of spine are dislocated or slip over the other, it will cause degenerative spondylolisthesis. If the person is suffering from cervical lordosis, he has a deeper curvature in the neck from the back to the front.

The symptoms for cervical spinal stenosis begin with the lot of strain in the nerves of the neck and there is continuous pain in the arms accompanied with balance and coordination problems. In lumbar stenosis, the person experiences strain in the nerves of the lower back with constant pain in the buttock and legs. Low back pain, severe numbness, tingling and weakness in the legs are the common symptoms in degenerative spondylolisthesis. The diagnosis of these disorders commences with the physical examination of the person. The doctor will assess the history of the problem and try to rule out the problem with non-surgical techniques like oral pain medication, bed rest, and physical therapy. If there is a loss of bladder and bowel function, then the doctor has to follow the surgical procedures. He will perform either cervical spine surgery, spinal stenosis surgery or lumbar pain surgery. But before that, he needs to get some diagnostic tests done like x-ray of the back, CAT scan or MRI scan.

Apart from these disorders, there are other disorders that occur in children at the time of birth or at the later stages of childhood. Congenital scoliosis, curvature of the spine, is one such disorder that is inborn in children. Juvenile scoliosis occurs in children at the age of 3 to 10 years with high risk of deformity. They require either braces or surgery which is very risky, if it has to be done before the maturity of the skeletal system.