What Is Intervertebral Disk?

MRI of the lumbar spine obtained on 05/19/15 revealed at L2-3, endplate osteophyte formation and disc bulge contribute to a mild degree of spinal canal stenosis and a mild degree of bilateral neural foraminal compromise. At L3-4, a disc bulge eccentric leftward and endplate osteophytes formation are responsible for a mild degree of spinal canal stenosis, a mild degree of right neural foraminal encroachment, and a moderate degree of left neural foraminal encroachment. At L4-5, there is a diffuse disc bulge and endplate osteophyte formation which effaces the ventral aspects of the thecal sac and are responsible for a moderate-to-severe degree of spinal canal stenosis, a mild degree of right neural foraminal encroachment, and a severe degree of left neural foraminal encroachment. At L5-S1, a shallow disc bulge and endplate osteophyte formation contribute to a mild degree of left neural foraminal encroachment, without compromise of the spinal

Axel and skeleton frame injuries are something that are very common in the world of sports. The National Football Ledge(NFL) has a foundation of physical impact and is very strenuous on the axel and skeletal frame. Thoracic disc herniations in the one of the most common injuries the NFL and it requires the greatest amount of time to recover which is 189 days. Thou the injury is very high in football nearly 15 percent of American suffer from Thoracic Disc Herniation. Degeneration the most common cause of Thoracic disc herniation “As a disc's annulus ages, it tends to crack and tear. These injuries are repaired with scar tissue. Over time the annulus weakens, and the nucleus may squeeze (herniate) through the damaged annulus. Spine degeneration

MRI of the lumbar spine dated 12/11/15 reveals disc desiccation with associated loss of disc height at L5-S1; posterior annular tear at L5-S1; hemangioma at L5; and L5-S1 focal right paracentral disc herniation which abuts the thecal sac. Disc measurement is 3.3 mm.

An MRI of the lumbar spine dated 03/23/17 revealed broad-based central 4 mm subligamentous disc protrusion and annular tear at L4-L5. There was a 2.7 mm subligamentous disc protrusion centrally at L5-S1. Neither of these two levels demonstrated compressive discopathy, central canal stenosis or foraminal impingement. There was a mild straightening of the normal lumbar

MRI of the lumbar spine done 07/07/2014 shows evidence of homogenous enhancement of soft tissue nodule at the right paracentral margin of the disc at the L4 to L5 level compatible with granulation tissue. This

MRI scan of the lumbar spine with contrast dated 7/17/2015 showed compression of the descending left L5 nerve root at L5-S1 on the basis of a 6.1mm left paracentral disc extrusion and compression of the descending left L4 nerve root at L3-L4 on the basis of a 6mm left-sided pre-foraminal and foraminal disc extrusion.

The pathogenic mechanisms leading to the development of LBPP remain poorly understood. However, ongoing research is advancing the understanding on the pathophysiology and many explanations have been advocated. Studies suggest that low back pain is commonly caused by disorders of the vertebrae and intervertebral joints, back muscles and ligaments, and spinal mechanics (Porth, 2011). The lower back (lumbar) is made up of five vertebrae (L1-L5) containing fibro cartilaginous discs to prevent the vertebrae from colliding, and protecting the spinal cord. The spine is stabilised by the multifidous muscles and ligaments of the back and abdomen. Additionally, facet joints support and enable spinal movement (Hughes et al., 2012) (Salzberg, 2012). An intervertebral disc consists of a gelatinous core covered by a fibrous ring (Hughes et al., 2012). Normally, the blood vessels and nerves flows outside of the disc, however if the discs loses its ability to manage physical forces, it

MRI of the lumbar spine obtained on 07/15/08 showed post-surgical changes at L4-5 and L5-S1, multilevel degenerative changes, most prominent at L4-5 and L5-S1, and foraminal narrowing at L4-5 and L5-S1.

Some issues are loss of fluids in the discs, tears or cracks in the outer layer (capsule) of the disc and the jelly like material leaks out which may cause the disc to bulge or even rupture which then you have no cushion between the vertebrae. The most common as in my case is repeated heavy lifting or physical work. Also people that are obese tend to have symptoms of DDD.

Low back pain is one of the most common complaints with which patients go to a physician. Low back ache is so common that at least 80% of the population will get it at some point of their lives.(1) Sciatica (Radiating leg pain with or without low back pain) is a common symptom and occurs in approximately 40% of adult population at some point of time but clinically significant sciatica is only 4%-6%.(2) Intervertebral disc prolapse(IVDP) seems to be the most common cause of Sciatica but some patients with features suggesting sciatica won’t show any disc prolapse in MRI or CT scan while some people with no symptoms show disc prolapse making it a paradox.(3) This paradox led to thinking of alternate explanations that prolapsed intervertebral

My patient this week was hospitalized due to back surgery. He has DDD, which stands for degenerative disc disease, and he also has lumbar spinal stenosis. For this paper, I am going to focus on lumbar spinal stenosis. This disease is described as the narrowing of the open spaces within a patient’s spine, which can then put pressure on his/her spinal cord and the nerves that travel through the spine to his/her arms and legs (Spinal Stenosis, 2015). The most common cause of spinal stenosis is arthritis, but degenerative changes also occur in the spine as people age and this disorder often occurs in adults over sixty years of age (AAOS, 2013).

Lumbar intervertebral disc prolapse most commonly occurs at L4 or L5. Disc prolapse involving at much higher level may be associated with a negative straight leg raising test instead there may be a positive femoral stretch test which is tested by making the patient prone and knee of the patient is made to flex with one hand of the examiner at the popliteal fossa, will cause pain radiating along the anterior aspect of the thigh, for which a high lesion should be suspected .In addition, these lesions may occur with a more diffuse neurological complaint without significant localizing neurological signs. Often the neurological signs associated with disc disease vary over time.

Between fifty to eighty percent of the population experience symptoms of lower back pain; and while the reasons for such symptoms are vast, a good majority is due to intervertebral disc degeneration due simply to age. As a primary contributor to stress absorption during movement as well as providing the spine with decent mobility, intervertebral discs are composed of an annulus fibrosus outer and nucleus pulposus inner portion. While the outer annulus fibrosus consists of primarily type I collagen, the nucleus pulposus is a gel-like tissue similar to hyaline cartilage composed mainly of type II collagen. Like most other primarily collagen tissues, intervertebral discs are mostly avascular, meaning they repair injury very slowly, if at all;

Liuke M., Soloviena S., Lamminem A., Luoma K., Leino-Arjas P., Luukkonen R. and Riihimaki H. (2005) Disc degeneration of the lumbar spine in relation to overweight. International Journal of Obesity. 29 (5).p. 903-908.

DOI: 06/23/2004. Patient is a 51-year-old male driver who sustained injuries to his neck and back when he was rear-ended. Patient is diagnosed with lumbar disc disease and lumbar spondylolisthesis.