Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain is felt in the low back and buttocks. The pain is caused by damage or injury to the joint between the spine and hip. Sacroiliac pain can mimic other conditions, such as a herniated disc or hip problem. Accurate diagnosis is important to determine the source of pain. Physical therapy, stretching exercises, pain medication, and joint injections are used first to manage the symptoms. Surgery to fuse the joint and stop painful motion may be recommended.
The SI joints are located between the iliac bones and the sacrum, connecting the spine to the hips. The two joints provide support and stability, and play a major role in absorbing impact when walking and lifting. From the back, the SI joints are located below the waist where two dimples are visible. Strong ligaments and muscles support the SI joints. There is a very small amount of motion in the joint for normal body flexibility. As we age our bones become arthritic and ligaments stiffen. When the cartilage wears down, the bones may rub together causing pain. The SI joint is a synovial joint filled with fluid. This type of joint has free nerve endings that can cause chronic pain if the joint degenerates or does not move properly.
Spondylosis is also known as spinal osteoarthritis. It is common and usually not serious, although it can be quite painful. Spondylosis is a degenerative condition that may worsen as a person grows older. It can affect any region of the spine: cervical (neck), thoracic (upper, mid back), lumbar (low back) or lumbosacral (low back/sacrum). Most patients with spondylosis do not require spine surgery.
Defined as a deviation in the alignment of the spinal column of more than 10 degrees when viewed from the front, or a loss in normal curvature when viewed from the side – can have a major impact on quality of life. Symptoms may include significant pain and reduced function. Adult spinal deformity refers to a group of conditions in which the spinal column bends abnormally either to the right or to the left. It is commonly associated with a forward-bending posture and increased hunching of the upper back.
Adjacent segment disease (ASD) is a spinal disorder that may develop after spinal fusion (eg, instrumentation, bone graft). Although ASD is widely known to be a potential complication of spinal fusion, it can also be caused by natural degenerative changes that occur in the spine due to aging. ASD is also known as adjacent segment syndrome, transitional syndrome, and adjacent segment degeneration.
Back pain is one of the most common reasons people self-treat and seek medical care. It will affect approximately three in four adults during their lifetime. When we speak about “back pain” we mean pain that originates in the spine anywhere between the upper and lower back.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve. The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway surrounded by bones and ligaments on the palm side of your hand. When the median nerve is compressed, the symptoms can include numbness, tingling and weakness in the hand and arm.
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a broad term describing excess and prolonged pain and inflammation that follows an injury to an arm or leg. CRPS has acute (recent, short-term) and chronic (lasting greater than six months) forms. CRPS used to be known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) and causalgia.
Chronic daily headache refers to headaches of almost any type that occur very frequently, generally at least 15 days per month for a period of six months or more. Chronic migraine is diagnosed when headache occurs greater than 15 days per month and migraine or pain killer use occurs at least eight of those days. Patients with tension-type headaches and no migraine occurring 15 or more days per month are diagnosed with chronic tension-type headache.
The type of fracture in the spine that is typically caused by osteoporosis is generally referred to as a compression fracture. A compression fracture is usually defined as a vertebral bone in the spine that has decreased at least 15 to 20% in height due to fracture.
Common head injuries include concussions, skull fractures, and scalp wounds. The consequences and treatments vary greatly, depending on what caused your head injuryand how severe it is. Head injuries may be either closed or open. A closed head injury is any injury that doesn't break your skull.
Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is typically associated with aging. As you age, your discs, like other joints in the body, can degenerate (break down) and become problematic: That's a natural part of growing older as your body deals with years of strain, overuse, and maybe even misuse. However, DDD can occur in people as young as 20, so sadly, youth doesn't always protect you from this disc-related spinal condition. In fact, some patients may inherit a prematurely aging spine.
Degenerative disc disease involves the intervertebral discs. Those are the pillow-like cushions between your vertebrae in your spine. They help your back carry weight and allow complex motions of the spine while maintaining stability. As you age, the discs can lose flexibility, elasticity, and shock absorbing characteristics. They also become thinner as they dehydrate. When all that happens, the discs change from a supple state that allows fluid movement to a stiff and rigid state that restricts your movement and causes pain.
Degenerative changes in the spine are often referred to those that cause the loss of normal structure and/or function. Degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) is a disorder that causes the forward motion (slip) of one vertebral body over the one below. The term "spondylolisthesis" is formed from 2 Greek words: "spondylo," which means vertebra, and "olisthesis," which means to slide on an incline. DS is most common in the lumbar spine (L4-L5,) and may cause low back pain.
The term discogenic pain means one or more intervertebral discs are the pain source. Gradual changes affect the spine's structures, notably the intervertebral discs. Early disc degeneration may not cause severe pain or other symptoms, but when the degeneration becomes advanced low back pain may occur. Typically, discogenic pain is associated with activities that increase the pressure within the intervertebral disc (called intradiscal pressure).
Simply put, failed back surgery means you have persistent back or neck pain after spine surgery. In other words, your and your surgeon’s expected surgery outcome—that your spine pain would be minimized or eliminated—didn’t happen.
In addition to chronic back pain, other symptoms of failed back surgery include neurological symptoms (eg, numbness, weakness, tingling sensations), leg pain, and radicular pain (pain that spreads from one area of the body to another, such as from your neck down to your arm).
Herniated disc is a relatively common condition that can occur anywhere along the spine, but most often affects the lower back or neck region. Also known as a slipped disc or ruptured disc, a herniated disc develops when one of the cushion-like pads between the vertebrae moves out of position and presses on adjacent nerves.
Lumbar radiculopathy refers to pain in the lower extremities in a dermatomal pattern. A dermatome is a specific area in the lower extremity that has nerves going to it from a specific lumbar nerve. This pain is caused by compression of the roots of the spinal nerves in the lumbar region of the spine. Diagnosing leg and lower back pain begins with a detailed patient history and examination
Lumbar spinal stenosis is a common cause of low back, buttock and leg pain in adults 50 years and older. This condition is caused by nerve compression and symptoms may include tingling, numbness and weakness. Leg symptoms are sometimes described as sciatica or lumbar radiculopathy.
Tumors that spread to the brain from a primary neoplasm located in other organs of the body are referred to as metastatic brain tumors.
What is neck pain (cervical pain)? The cervical spine is a marvelous and complex structure. It is capable of supporting a head weighing 15 or more pounds while moving in several directions. No other region of the spine has such freedom of movement. This combination however, complexity and mobility, make the neck susceptible to pain and injury.
Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a brain disorder in which excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulates in the brain's ventricles, causing thinking and reasoning problems, difficulty walking, and loss of bladder control.
Primary brain tumors include any tumor that starts in the brain. Primary brain tumors can start from brain cells, the membranes around the brain (meninges), nerves, or glands.Tumors can directly destroy brain cells. They can also damage cells by producing inflammation, placing pressure on other parts of the brain, and increasing pressure within the skull.
Pseudotumor cerebri is a condition in which the pressure around your brain increases, causing headaches and vision problems. The name means “false brain tumor” because its symptoms are similar to those caused by brain tumors. It's also known as idiopathic intracranial hypertension.
Sciatica is pain that radiates from the lower back along the sciatica nerve. Sciatica is a type of lumbar radiculopathy; a condition described as pain and/or sensations (eg numbness, tingling) that travels downward into one or both legs. Pain is the hallmark sciatic symptom and classic sciatica radiates below the knee.
Typically, sciatica causes pain, numbness and/or tingling in one side of the lower back and the associated left or right leg. The sciatic nerve has several smaller nerves that branch off from the main nerve and enable movement and feeling (motor and sensory functions) in the thighs, knees, calves, ankles, feet, and toes.
A spinal fracture is when you break a bone in your spine—that's the basic definition. Your spinal column is made up of vertebra stacked one on top of each other. (You'll learn more about this in the Anatomy of Spinal Fractures article.) The vertebrae—the bones in your spine—can break, just like other bones in your body. However, spinal fractures can be more severe than breaking other bones in your body because a spinal fracture can cause trauma to the spinal cord.
Spinal infections can be caused by either a bacterial or a fungal infection in another part of the body that has been carried into the spine through the bloodstream.
A spinal tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue. The tumor’s cells may multiple slowly or very quickly. Tumors in the spine are either malignant (cancerous) or benign (non-cancerous). Furthermore, tumors can develop anywhere in the spine: cervical (neck), thoracic (mid back), lumbar (low back), and/or sacral (sacrum).
Spinal instability, also known as lumbar instability, describes a greater-than-normal range of motion between two vertebrae, resulting from a disc degenerating to the point that it becomes unable to support the weight of the body through that portion of the spine. It can increase the risk of spinal arthritis and the development of bone spurs.
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