Back Complaints
Back Pain
Back pain is a very common complaint among people of all age groups. It is, however, more commonplace among people in their thirties and onwards. Back pain can be disabling and places a huge burden on the world economy because of work-days that are lost and health care costs.
Kyphoplasty
Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure to mainly, but not exclusively, treat osteoporotic and metastatic vertebral compression fractures of the spine and sacrum. These procedures are performed to stabilise the bodies of the collapsed (fractured) vertebrae and restore the height of the vertebrae.
Lower Back Pain
Low back pain is one of the main reasons Americans visit their doctor. For adults over 40, it ranks third as a cause for doctor visits, after heart disease and arthritis.
Eighty percent of people will have low back pain at some point in their lives. And nearly everyone who has low back pain once will have it again.
Lumbar Decompression
A lumbar decompression is performed for trapped nerves. The aim of the operation is to remove the compressive elements that are compressing the nerves of the spine. This may be caused by bone, ligaments or even parts of discs. The patient usually presents with progressive pain on standing and activity which improves with rest. They will also have progressive weakness and a feeling of their legs giving way under them. This is because the compression of the nerves leads to dysfunction of these nerves.
Lumbar Fusion
Sometimes it is necessary to perform a lumbar spinal fusion. This is done to create a bony union between two or more lumbar vertebrae, in order to stabilise the spine. It is usually done for instability which may arise from an injury or from wear and tear changes. It may also be secondary to extensive decompressive surgery or may be made necessary by a gradual dislocation from an inborn abnormality. Other causes are infection, tumour or a previous fusion that has failed to unite.
Lumbar Slipped Disc
The spine consists of a series of vertebrae that are stacked on top of one another from the neck to the pelvis. These vertebrae are connected and kept in the correct position by the discs that are between the vertebrae and also the facet joints that interlock with one another. There are also supporting ligaments and tendons. The discs between the two adjacent vertebrae are composed of a central, soft, jelly-like substance, called the nucleus pulposus, and an outer, tougher fibrous part, called the annulus fibrosus. In some cases the tough annulus fibrosus becomes damaged and tears, leaving a defect in the strong outer layer.