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Spine Injuries & Conditions

Spine Injuries & Conditions

We understand that when you have neck or back pain, you want answers that will lead you back to living a pain free life. Regardless of the type of injury, treatment options are available that can help relieve pain and restore mobility.

Back and neck pain or injuries don’t automatically mean you’ll need surgery. Many non-surgical treatment options are available to treat spine injuries such as degenerative spine disease and spine fractures. Keep reading and learn more about treatment options available for your back and neck injury.

Degenerative Spine Disease

Degenerative spine disease, otherwise known as degenerative disk disease, is a condition in which the cushions, or disks, between your vertebrae break down. When this occurs, the bones within your spine may rub together. This condition is more common in older adults since the spinal disks wear down overtime.

Signs of degenerative disk pain include:

  • Neck pain
  • Lower back pain
  • Pain extending into the arms and hands and/or buttock and legs
  • Pain that starts and stops and can range in severity
  • Pain that progresses over time

Other medical issues that can develop as a result of degenerative spine disease include scoliosis, herniated disks, spinal stenosis, and spondylolisthesis.

Symptoms

Symptoms of degenerative spine disease include:

  • Neck and back pain
  • Pain that starts and stops
  • Pain that extends into the buttocks and/or legs
  • Arm and/or legs numbness and tingling
  • Progression in pain due to bending, sitting, and/or lifting

Treatments

Your doctor may recommend conservative treatments, such as:

  • At-home exercises
  • Hot/cold therapy
  • Stretching
  • Physical therapy
  • Medications
  • Steroid injections

Most patients won’t need surgery, unless pain persists, conservative treatments do not improve their condition, or the condition is severe. If your condition requires surgery, your surgeon will talk to you about options and help you choose the best one for your specific injury.

The spine is made up of vertebrae and disks. Vertebrae are the bones within the spine and disks are the cushions that sit between each of the vertebrae. In the center of the spinal disks lie the nucleus, which is surrounded and protected by an exterior layer called the annulus.

A disk herniation, or a herniated disk, will occur when there is a tear within the annulus and the nucleus is pushed outside of the exterior layer through the tear. A herniated disk most commonly happens in the lower part of the spine.

Symptoms

Symptoms depend on the severity of the herniated disk. If the nucleus that has pushed through a tear within the annulus is pressing up against a nerve, then patients can experience different symptoms compared to if it is not pressed up against a nerve. 

Symptoms include:

  • Arm or leg pain
  • Numbness and/or tingling
  • Weakness

Depending on the location of the herniated disk (neck or back) one may experience pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness in either their arm and shoulder or buttocks, leg, and even foot.

Treatments

Treatment options for herniated disks can include conservative options like medications and physical therapy. However, depending on the severity of the herniated disk, and if symptoms are not improving with conservative treatment, surgery may be required.

Most patients with herniated disks are able to treat their condition with conservative treatments, avoiding surgery all together.

Spinal stenosis is a condition in which the space within the spine is compressed, causing the spinal cord or nerves within the spine to be pinched. This condition can be similarly compared to a pinched nerve. 

Pressure on the spinal cord or a nerve, which can cause spinal stenosis, can be from:

  • Bone spurs caused from arthritis
  • Herniated disks
  • Tumors
  • Thick ligaments

Symptoms

Spinal stenosis can occur within the neck or lower back causing different symptoms. However, in many cases, symptoms are not present.

Spinal stenosis of the lower back can cause:

  • Back or leg pain
  • Cramping in one or both legs

Spinal stenosis of the neck can cause:

  • Neck pain
  • Numbness, tingling, and or weakness in ones’ hand, leg, foot, and/or arm
  • Difficulty walking or balancing
  • Bowel and/or bladder issues

Treatments

Depending on the severity, spinal stenosis can be treated conservatively through medications, physical therapy, and steroid injections.

If the spinal stenosis is more severe, or conservative treatments are not causing improvement, surgery may be suggested. The goal of surgery would be to create more space within the spine to relieve pressure.

Spondylolisthesis, or spine instability, is a condition in which the vertebrae within the spine slip out of alignment. When a vertebra is out of place, it will rest on the bone below it and may put pressure on a nerve causing pain.

There are different types of spondylolisthesis, which are caused by different factors.

The most common form of spondylolisthesis is degenerative spondylolisthesis, which occurs overtime due to aging. With degenerative spondylolisthesis, the vertebrae slip out of place due to the cushions, or disks between the vertebrae, thinning from losing water over time.

Symptoms

Many patients do not experience symptoms from spondylolisthesis. However, in instances where patients have symptoms, they experience:

  • Lower back pain, which can spread into the buttock and/or thighs
  • Muscle spasms in the back of the thighs
  • Foot weakness, numbness, or tingling
  • Complications with walking or standing
  • Discomfort while bending over
  • Back stiffness

Treatments

Surgery is typically not required for less severe, or low-grade cases of spondylolisthesis. Conservative treatments for low-grade cases include:

  • Rest
  • Medication
  • Injections
  • Physical Therapy
  • Bracing

Surgery may be required for more severe, or high-grade cases of spondylolisthesis, especially if conservative treatments do not improve the patient’s condition. The goal of surgery would be to improve quality of life by relieving pain, restoring function, and stabilizing the spine to prevent further slippage.

A spinal fracture, or a broken back, is when any of the vertebrae or bones within the spine are broken.

A spinal fracture can occur in the cervical (neck), thoracic (upper back), or lumbar (lower back) segment of the spine. Types of spinal fractures include:

  • Compression fractures can be caused by osteoporosis or trauma. This is when the vertebrae have cracks or breaks within them.
  • Burst fractures occur when the vertebrae break from being compressed by a strong force.
  • Chance fractures occur when the vertebrae break from being pulled away from one another.

The severity of a fractured spine is categorized as either a stable fracture or an unstable fracture. A stable fracture is when the broken vertebrae remain in its location of the spine, whereas an unstable fracture is when the vertebrae move out of place in the spine. Stable fractures are less severe than an unstable fracture.

Symptoms

Spine fractures can go unnoticed if caused by osteoporosis. However, if one experiences trauma to the spine, symptoms may include:

  • Back pain
  • Swelling, tenderness, tingling, and/or numbness
  • Changes to height and/or posture
  • Incontinence

Treatments

Most broken backs can heal without surgery. Nonsurgical treatment may include bracing, physical therapy or even treating osteoporosis.

If conservative treatments are not improving the pain or condition of the spine, or if the break is severe and has the potential to cause additional damage to the spine or back, surgery may be required for treatment.

Scoliosis is a condition in which the spine is curved sideways. In addition to the spine curving, the spine may also rotate or twist.

There are a few different types of scoliosis, some more common than others. Depending on the type, scoliosis may be caused by:

  • Hereditary factors
  • Birth defects
  • Neuromuscular conditions
  • Spinal injuries or infections
  • Spinal cord abnormalities

Symptoms

Symptoms of scoliosis are visible and include:

  • Uneven shoulders, hip, and/or waist
  • Prominence in one shoulder blade, one side of the rib cage, and/or on one side of the back

In addition to your appearance being visibly uneven, someone with scoliosis may also experience issues with their back or even breathing. 

Treatments

Typically, mild to moderate scoliosis will be treated conservatively with a brace during adolescence to prevent the spinal curve from worsening overtime. Once the vertebrae are no longer growing, the brace may stop being worn.

In severe cases of scoliosis, to straighten out the spine or prevent the spinal curve from worsening, surgery may be suggested or required.

 

Spinal infections can take place in the vertebral column (spine), intervertebral disks, spinal canal, or adjacent soft tissues.

The most common spine infection is vertebral osteomyelitis. This infection occurs when an infection in another part of the body spreads to the spine through the blood stream.

Symptoms

Different spinal infections call for different symptoms, however, if one is experiencing pain, it will be located at infection site.

Symptoms of Vertebral Osteomyelitis include:

  • Severe back pain
  • Muscle spasms
  • Fever and chills
  • Weight loss
  • Pain while urinating
  • Incontinence
  • Weakness and/or numbness in arms and/or legs

Treatments

The first step to treating a spinal infection is through antibiotics, as surgery is used as a last resort. Surgery depends on the severity of the infection and if it has caused neurological damage and/or the spine itself is damaged.

If surgery is required, the goal would be to:

  • Completely remove the infection
  • Promote healing with proper blood flow
  • Stabilize the spine
  • Restore spinal function as best as possible

A growth or mass of tissue on the spinal cord or vertebrae is known as either a spinal cord tumor or vertebral tumor.

The cause of spinal cord or vertebral tumors are mostly unknown but can be caused by other tumors metastasizing or genetic defects.

Symptoms

Symptoms of a spinal cord or vertebral tumor can include:

  • Back pain, which can spread to the hips, legs, feet and/or arms
  • Pain worsens at night
  • Pain caused at the site of the tumor
  • Sensitivity loss to pain, heat, and/or cold
  • Incontinence
  • Instability
  • Muscle weakness

In addition to causing pain, spinal cord and vertebral tumors can lead to neurological issues and even paralysis causing permanent damage. This condition can be life-threatening.

Treatments

The first step of treatment starts with monitoring the spinal cord or vertebral tumor to see if any growth occurs or symptoms develop.

If a patient is experiencing symptoms and the tumor appears to be growing, surgery may be performed. The goal of surgery is to completely remove the tumor to avoid further damage, complications, or issues from developing.

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