Try to picture this... The weight of the body is borne on your spine: The vertebra are the main weight-bearing structures, but there are bones on the back portion of each vertebrae, and these posts meet with the posts of the vertebra above & below and support part of the your weight, and are called facet joints... Your spinal nerves run down the posterior (back) portion in the tunnel caused by the way these bony structures meet. The individual nerves that have to exit the spinal column do so between the vertebra and these posterior posts, then run to the part of the body they affect. When you run your fingers down the middle of someone's back, you will feel structures called the posterior spinous process: these help make up the roof over the spinal cord area. These are connected to the posts These facets are actually joints and help support you as you twist, turn, bend, and reach upward. As joints they are subject to Arthritis, which is where the body will begin adding extra bone to make these facet-joints stronger, but also larger. As the spinal disks (shock-absorbers between veterbrae) flatten over the years this begins to cause more of a 'bone-on-bone' pressure of the edges of each vertebrae, which in turn, begins causing the body to treat these 'bone-on-bone' areas like arthritis, leading to bone growth at the edges of each vetebrae. When this happens enough, primarily in the lumbar area, this bony growth of arthritis actually begins to bulge into the spinal cord area, making this smaller, which can begin to press on the spinal cord. If there is osteoporosis involved ( softening of the vertebral bones) the vertebra can collapse (like stepping on a marshmellow), causing even more bone to put pressure on the spinal cord. If this narrowing of the spinal cord area becomes great enough, the pressure can build up to the point that once it becomes greater than your blood pressure, your spinal cord nerves can begin to malfunction because they are not getting enough blood and oxygen, and you can lose total --or partial-- use of the nerves involved; if operated on early enough, the person recovers completely. If not, permanent damage will be present in various degrees. Thankfully, only 1-3% of people are allowed to get to this point. How to fix it? The orthopedic --or neurosurgeon-- removes a part of the back part of the involved vertebras, thus releasing the pressure on the spinal cord nerves. This is surgery called a laminectomy. Approximately 20% of people with this problem ever need surgery.
right exiting l3 and left exiting l5 nerve root impingment at the ls-4 and l5-s1 levels respectively
Spinal stenosis is not back pain, but it can be a cause of back pain. Stenosis implies narrowing of the spinal canal because of thickened pedicles, or hypertrophied ligaments, or a disk bulge, or a tumor, etc. Sometimes this can cause pain if it aggravates pain-generating structures within or around the spinal canal.
At C2-3, a broad-based disk bulge. Spinal canal and formina are patent
There's a bulge pushing through the ring holding the vertebral disk between L4 and L5. The bulge is narrowing the opening for the spinal cord somewhat, and is also touching both sides of the nerves coming off the spinal cord at L5.
Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the passage around the spinal cord in the back. It is caused by various damages to the back including arthritis or injury. Treatments include medicine for pain, physical therapy and exercise, and surgery.
Ventral means in front. Thecal sac means the sac that contain the spinal cord and cerebro spinal fluid. Effacement of the ventral thecal sac means pressure is upon the front of the sac (producing a flattening effect) most likely from a disc protrusion. Foramen means hole (where the nerve comes out of from the spinal cord). Stenosis means narrowing (usually from bony degeneration or disc herniation/protrusion/or bulge). Left foraminal stenosis means narrowing of the passageway where the nerve comes through.
It's a big disk bulge that is pressing on the spinal cord. In addition the spinal canal, which is the space where the cord runs through, is narrowed. It's generally not a good situation and can require surgery if conservative treatment fails.
It is called a ganglion.
Lumbar Enlargement
what is poateria osteophyte and spinal theca
what is 1 mild bilateral foraminal stenosis 2 Clinical correlation 3 moderate to severe bilateral
Was just diagnosed with a broad based central disc bulge first presenting symptom of this was thigh pain which progressed into radiating pain to my toes and tingling and numbness in my whole leg. I'm no Dr. but they are telling me the pain and numbness is being caused by the bulge pushing into my nerve root.This maybe something to ask your Dr. to check it was very visible in my MRI.
This means that there is a build up of calcium that has attached to the spine. This result is pressure being placed on any soft tissue in the area. The pressure to the disc ("disc bulge") (This tells the location on the spinal column that the bone spur has formed "effacing the ventral aspect of the thecal sac" is causing pressure to the spinal cord resulting in partial flattening to the cord. This is more common than formerly thought. The term most commonly used is "bone spur". They form anywhere there is bone. If the pain is severe, or the condition is disabling, surgery is recommended to remove the build up of the bone spur.