Non operative management of spinal intervertebral disc

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to evaluate the incoming interrelations between chronic low back pain and biomechanical changes of the lumbar spine, using an MRI-compatible axial-loading device mimicking the standing position. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty consecutive patients (28 males and 22 females), with both chronic low pack pain and recurrent painful blockages, were selected and studied using a 1.5 T Gyroscan Intera Philips MRI unit (Philips, Best, Holland) and a dedicated axial loading apparatus (MIKAI manufacturing, Genoa, Italy)...

Up to 20% of all patients with pectoral symptoms have an underlying orthopedic problem. The most common orthopedic conditions that may mimic chest pain radiating into the left arm include slipped disc, cervicothoracic tension syndrome, blockage of intervertebral or rib joints, and intercostal neuralgia. Less common causes of such pain are arthrosis of the shoulder, spondylocystitis, osteoporotic fractures or tumors of the bone. Management is oriented to the underlying cause, and treatment extends from physiotherapeutic measures (rest, heat treatment) via medication (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, myotonolytic agents) to operative interventions...

Forty-six patients with lumbar spondylolysis and mild isthmic spondylolisthesis were managed with direct repair of the defect with or without facet joint fusion in the affected segment. There were 24 males and 22 females, ranging in age from 15 to 56 years (average, 38.2 years). These patients had experienced clinical symptoms due to spondylolysis for between 4 months and 20 years (average, 5.3 years). Of 46 patients, 28 had no spondylolisthesis, 11 had Meyerding grade I vertebral slippage and 7 had grade II...

The neurosurgical management in a rare case of vertical axis fracture is presented along with discussion of the supposed pathogenetic mechanisms and the biomechanics underlying this type of cervical spine injury. Comprehensive neuroradiological investigation prior to surgery clearly demonstrated the dislocation of the anterior part of the axis body with concomitant C 2/C 3-disk injury. Therefore, the unstable fracture had to be managed by a one-time combined ventrodorsal approach using anterior C 2-C 3 locking plate fusion and C 2 bilateral dorsal transpedicular screw fixation...

The results for sixty-two patients who had had a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus and lumbar disc disease or spinal stenosis and had been managed with a posterior decompressive procedure were compared, in a retrospective study, with those for sixty-two age and sex-matched non-diabetic (control) patients who had had similar operative procedures. Forty-four of the sixty-two diabetic patients and fifty-five of the non-diabetic patients were available for long-term follow-up (mean, five and seven years, respectively)...

Non-surgical treatments of back pain may have prolonged and lasting benefit. Epidural steroid injections is one of the non-operative managements of back pain. These injections are recommended in patients with signs and symptoms of nerve root irritation. Relief of pain is attributed to the anti-inflammatory effect of the steroid. Patients with acute radiculopathy have better response compared to patients with chronic symptoms. Improvement may not be noted until 6 days after the injection. The depression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis lasts 3 weeks...

Painful disorders of the low back may arise from a large variety of mechanisms and there is no simple, single solution to them. They have a great social and economic cost in industrialized countries. The major syndromes of low back pain and sciatica are reviewed, including myofascial pain syndromes, disc herniations, radiculopathies, spinal stenosis and facet syndromes. Non-operative management is reviewed, including bed rest, medications, traction, manipulation, external supports, physical modalities, therapeutic exercise, trigger point injection and chemonucleolysis...