Herniated (slipped) disc happens when all or only a portion of an intervertebral disc is forced through the weak part of the disc thus exerting pressure to the adjacent nerves or spinal cord. Intrinsic degeneration of the intervertebral disc or extrinsic compression of the neural structures in the spinal canal can cause radicular pain. The loss of disc height, which can alter the mechanics of the axial skeleton, may result to disc degeneration. The said changes might produce in other structures such as the zygapophyseal (facet) joints and may result to spinal stenosis. Radicular pain is defined as pain radiating in the distribution of spinal nerve caused by the irritation of the dorsal root ganglion while discogenic pain is an axial pain originating in a degenerative disc. [39] [40] [41] [45]
Considred to be a critical part of the load-bearing structures of the spinal column, the structural component of the invertebral disc make it capable of changing shape and absorbing shock thus allowing movement. The dysfunction of the intervertebral disc is brought about by multiple factors namely trauma, aging or the degenerative disorders of the spine. [46] The boundary between nucleus and annulus become less evident as a person ages, furthermore as a person grow older the nucleus of the intervertebral disc becomes less gel-like and more fibrotic. Trauma results from activities such as slipping, lifiting while in a flexed position, suppressing a sneeze or falling on the buttocks. Degeneration like in osteoarthritis or ankylosing spondylitis predisposes the misalignment of the vertebral column of the client. [46]
A research on the mechanism of intervertebral disc pointed out several pathophysiologic processes. It includes the changes tha...
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...antial mechanical and composition change in the properties of cartilage. [48] The first structural change happens in the cartilage followed by the soft tissue. The progressive wear and tear of the cartage leads into thinning of the surface of the joint and bone ulceration. Later on, inflammation of the joint, increased in the blood flow and hypertrophy of subchondral bone will occur. Consequently, new cartilage and bone will be formed at joint margins resulting to osteophytosis or bone spurs which cause alteration in the shape and size of the bone. The primary manifestation of osteoarthritis is a long-standing pain in one or more joints that aggravate with weight bearing or joint use. There is also a presence of morning stiffness usually for 30 minutes and bone deformity (osteophyte) or enlargement of the joint. In some cases there are crepitation and effusion. [51]
Spine - Cervical area, Thoracic, Lumbar, Sacrum and Coccyx. This is an area that is affected
The lumbar region of the human spine is a location that is very susceptible to injury and trauma. A majority of the population experience back pain at some time during their life, and although in most cases the pain subsides after a time of rest, there is an enormous need for treatment of this malady. The various types of treatment for lumbar disc herniations include a more conservative method of rest, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory or non-steroidal drugs. A more extreme condition would require surgery to try to alleviate the symptoms. The older, more traditional surgery is a posterior laminotomy, however, newer less invasive microscopic and endoscopic surgeries been implemented to increase success and recovery time as well. Although most of these operations are performed on the posterior, anterior surgeries are also performed, depending upon the nature of the injury. While these surgeries partially remove disc material affecting the spinal cord, another type of surgery is used to remove the disc entirely and replace it with prosthetics. Still, there are alternative treatments including chiropractic care, acupuncture, and physical therapy that are increasing in popularity. Due to the sensitivity and vulnerability of the spinal cord, the diagnosis and treatments have a moderate risk of failure, and force a patient to explore numerous options to relieve pain.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint condition that primarily affects the hands, spine and the ankles and hips. It is known to be associated with aging, and is concerned with the cartilage that protects the joints (the meeting place of two bones). Normal cartilage allows for bones to slide over each other uniformly, acting as a shock absorber to any damage. However cartilage in osteoarthritis, located at the ends of the bones erodes and deteriorates, causing friction and hence pain, swelling and restricted movement. Therefore in osteoarthritic both the composition and appearance of the cartilage alters, while the body attempts to repair this damaged cartilage is broken down faster than it can be built up. A defective repair process can cause bone overgrowth, bone spur/osteocytes to form which can be seen at the ends of the joints. In osteoarthritis the bones come in close contact with each other, and wear away leaving the bone exposed and unprotected.
Tests after tests including MRI’s, X-rays, and experimental procedures were performed to show I had five ruptured disks in the lower lumbar section of my back. Tedious Examination done by a group of doctors concluded I had a crippling disease of the spinal column called spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal that causes compression of the spinal cord. (Lohr,1) If this disease was ignored any longer, it would lead to many other problems affecting other areas of my back to help support this weakness. It was an extremely rare case for an athlete my age.
Given such clinical findings, the claimant was diagnosed with cervical spine radiculopathy, pain in the right shoulder, a strain of the muscle, fascia, and tendon of the long head of the biceps, and right arm, and intervertebral disc degeneration of the lumbosacral spine.
IW was diagnosed with severe degenerative disc disease and spondylosis plus disc protrusions and stenosis of the cervical spine at C4-5, C5-6 and C6-7, left shoulder subacromial impingement syndrome, degeneration of cervical intervertebral disc, cervical spondylosis without myelopathy, displacement of cervical intervertebral disc without myelopathy, spinal stenosis of cervical region, brachial neuritis, postsurgical arthrodesis status, other specified disorders of bursae and tendons in shoulder region, osteoarthrosis of the shoulder region, traumatic arthropathy involving shoulder region, rotator cuff (capsule) sprain, and benign essential
Osteoarthritis can be called osteoarthrosis or degenerative joint disease; it is the most common arthritis and is a major cause of disability in adults in the United States. The joints have something called articular cartilage, sometimes called hyaline cartilage. Articular cartilage is composed of 65% to 80% water, along with proteoglycans, collage, and chondrocytes, which form a matrix. As you age the enzymes break down the articular matrix. Normally your cartilage is a bluish white, translucent color, but in the early stages of osteoarthritis it changes to an opaque and yellowish brown color. As the arthritis continues to get worse the bone beneath the cartilage begins to wear away leaving narrowed joint spaces where bone spurs can occur. As osteoarthritis progresses the cartilage will thin and inflammatory cytokines increase the corrosion. The rapid corrosion is too much for the body’s normal repair process to keep up with. Ultimately pieces of bone and cartilage break off and begin to float in the arthritic joint causing pain and stiffness and eventually lead to reduced mobility and muscle atrophy. (Ignatavicius & Workman,
DOI: 5/26/2011. This a case of a 71 year-old male forklift driver who sustained a work-related injury to the lower back when he was stuck by another co-worker in the forklift. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with lumbar disc syndrome, spondylosis protrusion, multilevel, lumbar; annular phisher at the lumbar level, chronic lumbar pain, and chronic pain syndrome. MRI of the lumbar spine dated 03/26/2015 revealed mild to moderate multilevel degenerative changes of the lumbar spine most severe at the L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels. X-ray of the Lumbar spine dated 03/29/15 revealed mild to moderate multilevel degenerative disc disease but no fracture. As per physical therapy note dated 03/30/15, the patient completed 12 physical therapy visits. He
Now that I have shared a brief overview of the spinal cord and some statistics about spinal cord injuries, we will look at the past research that h...
A herniated disc can be caused by trauma to the disc, but more often it occurs because of chronic deterioration, typically characterized by poor posture. Poor posture adds extra weight to the front of the intervertebral disc, forcing the nucleus pulposus out toward the spinal cord and nerve fibers.
MRI of the lumbar spine on 11/20/12 shows a 1.0 mm broad-based posterior disc bulge at L3-4. There is also a 2.5 mm broad-based posterior disc at L4-5 that caused indentation of the anterior thecal sac. At L5-S1 level, there is hypertrophy of the bilateral facet joints, causing mild bilateral foraminal narrowing.
Zhang Y, Wang X. (1994). 56 cases of disturbance in small articulations of the lumbar vertebrae treated by puncturing the effective points- a new system of acupunctue.Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 14(2), 115-20.
Herniated discs are one of the most common spinal conditions that can affect a person's’ life. Although herniated discs typically cause pain in the lower back, the potential for pain to be transferred to other parts of the body as well is possible since a herniated disc is the pinching of nerves within the spinal cord region. In laymen’s terms, herniated discs are not a laughing matter or a back pain to be overlooked.
The spine is one of the most integral parts of our bodies. Not only does it house the components of our central nervous system (i.e. the spinal cord), protects vital internal organs, but it also helps to support our movements and other daily functions. The spine holds us upright and provides the framework for our entire bodies. Since it plays such an important role, damage or deformities in this area are not to be taken lightly. Scoliosis is defined as side-to-side spinal curvature (“What is scoliosis? 2011), and it affects between 3-5 people out of every 1,000. It can have vast implications on every day life including, back pain, and in more serious cases, lung function.
There is suggested evidence that a number of anatomical structures such as, bones, intervertebral discs, muscles, ligaments, joints and neural structures cause back pain (Hoy, Brooks, Blyth & Buchbinder, 2010). Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) is a condition that is believed to cause chronic back pain (Weiner & Nordin, 2010). It occurs when there is an extrusion of disc material into the surrounding tissue (Weiner & Nordin, 2010). It is also suggested that abnormal stress of the ligaments, muscles and mechanoreceptors contribute to back pain (Weiner & Nordin, 2010). The main cause of chronic back pain has not been identified, but there are many suggested issues that are believed to contribute to chronic back pain.