Lumbar Lecture Flashcards
How much of the population will eventually experience low back pain?
80%
What are café-au-lait spots?
Pigmented birth marks
What are Lipomata?
Begnine tumor composed mostly of fat
What is the cause of Neurofibromatosis?
Heradiatiry dominate disorder.
What does neurofibromatosis look like?
large (more than .5cm in size at first and can be as big as 1.5cm) bumbs and nodules along nerve sheaths
(pigmented spots, and pedunculated soft-tissue nodules clustered along nerve sheaths)
When do neurofibromatosis begin to appear?
during childhood
Your patient has neurofibromatosis. What else do you expect to see?
- café-au-lait spots over the trunk, pelvis, and flexor patches of the elbows.
- skeletale deformities that may lead to scoliossis
- Vertebral body scalloping,
- Fibrous dysplasia
- Tibial Pseudoarthrosis,
- Sphenoid bone deformity,
- Mental impairment,
- seizures
- hearing loss,
- exopht halmosis,
- decreased visual acuity
- GI bleeding
Your patient has low back pain, and standing with their weight shifted to one side. What do you want to look for?
Herniated disc (which may be causing scatic scoliosis)
True or False: scatic soliosis is a non-structural deformatity
True: it is caused by by lumbar disk herniation and uni- lateral spasm of the back muscle. The convexity is usually toward the symtomatic side.
What is gibbus deformity?
Hyperkyphosis of the lower throacic area. Will effect the lumbar kyphosis.
What interspinous space is associated with the top of the iliac crest?
L4 L5 interspace
What palpable findings does a spondyloslisthesis produce?
One SP clearly more visible or palpable than its neighbors
A palpable or visible step-off from one process to another
spondyloslisthesis vs spondylolysis vs Spondylolytic Spondyloslisthesis
spondyloslisthesis: anterior or posterior displacement of a vertebrae on the adjacent lower vertebrae
spondylolysis: Defect of the PARS (Need an xray to ID)
Spondylolytic Spondyloslisthesis: The combination of the 2 = A unilateral or bilateral defect in the pars interarticularis with anterior or posterior displacement of a vertebrae on the adjacent lower vertebra.
What scale is used to measure Spondylolisthesis?
Meyerding’s Scale
Ranges from 1-4 and measures how far L5 has moved passed the sacral base in 25% increments.
How many joints exist between the vertebrae of the lumbar spine?
3
1 between the bodies + the IVD
2 between the arcticular processes (one on each side) these are the z joints or apopheseal joints
What verteral level does the umbilicus lie at?
L3 L4 Disc space
What anatomically important thing happens at the L3 L4 disc space?
The aorta divides into the common illiacs
What vertebrae can be palpated anteriorly?
L4, L5, S1 (now that the abdominal aorta is out of the way)
What is the primary function of the Zygapophyseal joints in the lumbar spine?
To protect the segment that is moving from
- sheering forces (anteriomedial part does this)
- excessive rotation (the C or J shape makes almost all rotation impossible)
- excessive flexion
What 2 ligaments are here, and super important, and also everywhere else in the body?
ALL - narrows as it assends
PLL - connects to posterior bodies and discs
What ligament connects 2 consecutive lamina?
Ligamentum flava
What ligament connects 2 consecutive spinouses?
interspinous ligament
what does the supraspinous ligament connect?
tip of SP to tip of SP
What does the iliolumbar ligament connect?
L5 to S1
What is the function of the iliolumbar ligament?
to restrict motion at the iliolumbar juntion.
Specifically restricts flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and axial rotation (so everything)
What do the psudoligaments do?
Nothing mechanical!
seperate paravertebral compartements
What are the psudoligaments in the lumbar spine?
intertransverse
transforaminal
mamillo-accessory
Quadratus Lumborum: OINAB
O: lateral lip of iliac crest and iliolumbar ligament
I: post/inf 12th rib and L1-L4 TP
N: Ventral Rami of L1-L4
A: stabilizes/depresses 12th rib. stabilizes with contralateral flexion
B: lumbar artery, subcostal artery
Lumbar multifidus: OINAB
O: mamilary processes I: SPs of segements 2-4 spaces above N: dorsal rami of spinal nerves A: contralateral rotation and lateral flexion (truns you to opposite side) B: muscular branch of abdominal aorta
What makes the QL important clinically in the lumbar region?
funtion as a lumbar spine stabilizer
What makes the multifidus important clinically in the lumbar region?
its ability to control lumbar segmental stability through its ability to provide segmental stiffness and control motion
What muscles make up the erector group?
iliocostalis lumborum
longissimus
spinalis (not seen in the lumbars)
Iliocostalis: OINAB
O: common tendon of the sacrum, iliac crest, and lumbar SPs
I: lower borders of the 6-12th ribs
N: dorsal rami of spinal nerves
A: ipsilateral bending and rotation (move to the side being contracted)
B: muscular branches of the aorta