- Anatomy of The Spine
- Back Pain in Children
- Caring for your Spine
- Emerging Spinecare Trends
- Evaluation of Spinal Disorders
- Exercise and The Spine
- Intervention - Spinal Disorders
- Intervertebral Disc
- Non Surgical Options
- Nutrition and Spinecare
- Options for Spine Treatments
- Pregnancy and Back Pain
- Prevalence of Spine Disorders
- Sleep and the Spine
- Spinecare Introduction
- Spinehealth and Disease
- Surgical Interventions
- Treatment with Medications
- Understanding Back Pain
Spinecare Topics
Spinehealth and Disease
Types of Spinal Injury
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Types of Spinal Injury
What Complications May Arise from Osteoporosis?
Spine surgery may be required to return support and stability to an area of the spine compromised by osteoporosis and compression fractures. Generalized thinning of the bone renders any stabilization approach challenging. For example, surgical placement of wires and screws in the spine have to be anchored successfully. There may be inadequate capacity for anchoring these elements into thinned bone. Even the most experienced spine surgeon may have difficulty adequately placing and securing instruments. A spine surgical patient requiring fusion or fixation of the spine may need extra amounts of instrumentation and external bracing. If there is adequate time prior to scheduling a spinal surgical procedure, the patient with osteoporosis may benefit from aggressive therapeutic intervention in an attempt to improve bone density. This approach may include the use of calcium, vitamin D, and special medication, which will help to increase the calcium density within the bone.
Vertebral collapse secondary to osteoporosis can result in the development of abnormal spinal curvatures or scoliosis that can lead to physical deformity and chronic pain. A compression fracture could also lead to bone migration into the central or lateral spinal canal (neuroforamen) resulting in spinal cord and/or spinal nerve damage.
Dynamic Narrowing (Stenosis) of the Spine
The dimensions of the spinal canal and opening about the side of the spine neuroforamen are dynamic dependant upon spinal positions and patterns of movement. The amount of space around the nerve root changes with spinal movement. Extension and rotation of the spine reduces the size of the opening (neuroforamen). Surgically fused or degenerative hypomobile spinal (vertebral) segments increase the risk for excessive movement at adjacent spinal levels. If there is degenerative narrowing of the spinal canals, certain spinal movements may increase the risk for nerve compromise.
Immobilization Degeneration:
The term immobilization degeneration (ID) refers to the characteristic degenerative changes that occur with a loss of mobility. The examination findings associated with ID include varying levels of stiffness, structural degenerative changes, spinal segment hypomobility (hypomobility), muscular spasm, scar tissue (fibrosis), contractures, and bony ankylosis. Prolonged spinal joint immobilization contributes to decreased flexibility and extensibility of the fascia, ligaments, muscle, and connective tissues.
There are many detrimental consequences of joint immobilization, particularly when involving one or more segments of the spine. Specialized connective tissues help hold adjacent vertebrae together. Connective tissues lose extensibility when joints are immobilized. Muscles surrounding a joint with limited movement become tight and short. Joint immobilization has been associated with increased stiffness, surrounding muscle atrophy, loss of bone density (disuse osteoporosis), trabecular (bone) failure and chronic swelling (edema). Normal tissue movement and cyclic loading promotes spine health. Normal movement and related stress promotes tissue strength and extensibility. Immobilized tissues and the presence of inflammation favor the development scar tissue/adhesions.
Spine surgery may be required to return support and stability to an area of the spine compromised by osteoporosis and compression fractures. Generalized thinning of the bone renders any stabilization approach challenging. For example, surgical placement of wires and screws in the spine have to be anchored successfully. There may be inadequate capacity for anchoring these elements into thinned bone. Even the most experienced spine surgeon may have difficulty adequately placing and securing instruments. A spine surgical patient requiring fusion or fixation of the spine may need extra amounts of instrumentation and external bracing. If there is adequate time prior to scheduling a spinal surgical procedure, the patient with osteoporosis may benefit from aggressive therapeutic intervention in an attempt to improve bone density. This approach may include the use of calcium, vitamin D, and special medication, which will help to increase the calcium density within the bone.
Vertebral collapse secondary to osteoporosis can result in the development of abnormal spinal curvatures or scoliosis that can lead to physical deformity and chronic pain. A compression fracture could also lead to bone migration into the central or lateral spinal canal (neuroforamen) resulting in spinal cord and/or spinal nerve damage.
Dynamic Narrowing (Stenosis) of the Spine
The dimensions of the spinal canal and opening about the side of the spine neuroforamen are dynamic dependant upon spinal positions and patterns of movement. The amount of space around the nerve root changes with spinal movement. Extension and rotation of the spine reduces the size of the opening (neuroforamen). Surgically fused or degenerative hypomobile spinal (vertebral) segments increase the risk for excessive movement at adjacent spinal levels. If there is degenerative narrowing of the spinal canals, certain spinal movements may increase the risk for nerve compromise.
Immobilization Degeneration:
The term immobilization degeneration (ID) refers to the characteristic degenerative changes that occur with a loss of mobility. The examination findings associated with ID include varying levels of stiffness, structural degenerative changes, spinal segment hypomobility (hypomobility), muscular spasm, scar tissue (fibrosis), contractures, and bony ankylosis. Prolonged spinal joint immobilization contributes to decreased flexibility and extensibility of the fascia, ligaments, muscle, and connective tissues.
There are many detrimental consequences of joint immobilization, particularly when involving one or more segments of the spine. Specialized connective tissues help hold adjacent vertebrae together. Connective tissues lose extensibility when joints are immobilized. Muscles surrounding a joint with limited movement become tight and short. Joint immobilization has been associated with increased stiffness, surrounding muscle atrophy, loss of bone density (disuse osteoporosis), trabecular (bone) failure and chronic swelling (edema). Normal tissue movement and cyclic loading promotes spine health. Normal movement and related stress promotes tissue strength and extensibility. Immobilized tissues and the presence of inflammation favor the development scar tissue/adhesions.
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