Seminar H - Back Pain Flashcards
Common Conditions 0-15
Osteochondritis, Scoliosis
Common Conditions 15-30
Prolapsed intervertebral disc Trauma Fractures Ankylosing spondylitis Spondylolisthesis Pregnancy
Common Conditions 30-50
Prolapsed intervertebral disc
Carcinoma (lung, breast, prostate, thyroid and kidney)
Degenerative disease
Common Conditions 50 yrs +
Degenerative Osteoporosis Paget’s disease Carcinoma Myeloma
Spondylosis → Definitions
Intervertebral dis generation, instability osteoarthritis (OA) of the facets joints within any part of the spine but more commonly the cervical and lumbar regions.
Cervical region → cervical spondylosis
Spondylosis → Intervertebral dis generation is a
Normal, active, age related process involving both genetic, biomechanical and environmental factors which cause disruption of the chemical constituents of the cartilaginous annulus fibrosis and inner gel like nucleus pulposus
Spondylosis → Resulting process
Micro tears in the AF, escape of the NP a decreased disc space, reduced shock absorption and flexibility.
The vertebra and the synovial joints then develop compensatory degenerative changes typical of the changes of osteoarthritis namely osteophytes, loss of joint space, subchondral sclerosis and subchondral cysts3.
Spondylosis → Presentation
Chronic and intermittent back pain typically following physical activity, which is progressive and is often associated with acute exacerbations and diminished spinal mobility, stiffness and muscles spaces.
Spondylosis → Sondylosis knock on effects leading to
Simple Low Back Pain
Nerve root compressions
→ Intervetebral disc prolapse
Development of spinal stenosis
Sondylolithesis
Neurological features of nerve root irritiaion results because
Impingement by the prolapses disc, inflamed synovial joints of degenreat efacet joints and the osteophytes that result from the osteoarthritis of the facet joint degeneration
Xray presentaion
- Disc space narrowing
- Sclerosis
- Deformity
- Marginal osteophytes
Treatment
Simple analgesics NSAIDS Corsets for support MDT Surgery (Severe cases – spinal fusions and spinal decompression)
Simple Low Back Pain → implies no nerve root irritation or serious spinal injury.
Characterised by
- Onset 20-55 yrs
- Presence of lumbrosacral, buttock and thing pain
- Mechanical in nature, varying with physical activity anf with time
- Patient is otherwise well with no systemic features
- Clinical features resolve within six weeks
- Pain may persist or relapse over time
Simple Low Back Pain → implies no nerve root irritation or serious spinal injury.Xray (not usually needed) may show
Simple degenerate change or OA
Osteoarthritis X-Ray features →
- Traction spurs
- Spondyliolisthesis
- Disc space narrowing
Facet joint OA that is characterised by →
- Joint space narrowing
- Subchondral sclerosis
- Osteophytes
- Subchondral cysts
- Root canal stenosis
Nerve Root Pain Presents with usually
with leg pain rather than back pain. It is often helpful to ask the % of back pain versus leg pain when eliciting the symptoms from the patient. The pain is often in a nerve root distribution.
Nerve Root Pain Symptoms characterised by
- Unilateral leg pain which is worse than low back pain.
- Pain which radiates to the calf foot or toes.
- Numbness and paraesthesia present in the same direction.
- Clinical signs of nerve root irritation
- Straight leg raise reproduces leg pain below knee
- Bow String sign
- Lasegue’s sign
- Cross leg pain
- Localised neurological signs Power/Reflexes/Sensory loss
Serious Spinal Pathology → characterized by
- Onset in individuals who are aged less than 20 or greater than 55 years.
- Constant, progressive, unrelenting, non-mechanical pain.
- Thoracic pain.
- A past medical history of carcinoma.
- Drug misuse, steroid therapy, HIV.
- Violent trauma in the young e.g. an RTA . Trauma in the elderly osteoporosis.
- Constitutional features - fever, fatigue, malaise and weight loss.
- The presence of neurological features.
- Structural deformity.
- Severe persistent restriction of lumbar flexion.
Intervertebral Disc Prolapse →Definition
Very simply, each intervertebral disc, which is located between each vertebra, is composed of an outer ring of cartilaginous annulus fibrosis (red arrow) and an inner centre of gelatinous nucleus pulposus (green Arrow).
When an intervertebral disc prolapses, as has occurred in the adjacent diagram, the central nucleus pulposus is forced or extruded posterolaterally causing the annulus fibrosis to bulge, a complete prolapse occurs when the nucleus pulposus extends beyond the annulus fibrosis.
Intervertebral Disc Prolapse → Clinical features produced when
Extrusion impinges on the spinal nerve roots and spinal cord.
Severity and pattern of the symptoms and signs depend on the site of the prolapsed intervertebral disc.
Intervertebral Disc Prolapse →Note:
No correlation between the size of prolapse and the symptoms which appear to be related to the amount of inflammation involving the dorsal root ganglion of the compromised nerve root
Intervertebral Disc Prolapse → Clinical features
- A sudden or insidious onset of severe low back pain
- Muscle spasm
- Localised tenderness
- Diminished lumbar spinal movements A visible scoliosis.