About Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolisthesis is a spinal condition characterized by a slipped vertebra or vertebrae. In this disorder a vertebra (bone of the spine) slips out from its place onto the vertebra below it. When this dislocation becomes too much, the vertebra presses on the nerves and the patient suffers from back pain.
The most common types of spondylolisthesis are:
- Congenital spondylolisthesis – This type of condition is from birth due to abnormal formation of the bone.
- Isthmic Spondylolisthesis – This type of spondylolisthesis is caused by the spinal condition called spondylolysis- stress fractures in vertebrae
- Degenerative Spondylolisthesis – One of the most common types of spondylolisthesis and is associated with the process of aging. With age, the spinal discs that acts as the cushion of the vertebral bones start losing water and become dry and weak which in turn cause the vertebrae to slip over one another
The less common type of spondylolisthesis includes:
- Traumatic Spondylolisthesis
- Pathological Spondylolisthesis
Symptoms of Spondylolisthesis
Most of the time spondylolisthesis do not have any glaring symptoms; in fact many of these people do not even know that they suffer from this condition. If and when symptoms do occur they include:
- Back pain
- Spreading pain through the lower back that feels like a muscle strain
- If the slipped vertebra starts pinching the nerve then pain trickles down to the leg and the person may also feel tingling and numbness in the foot
Treatment of Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolisthesis treatment usually includes conservative options and surgery is limited to severe spondylolisthesis cases that show no improvement with non-surgical treatment options. These non-surgical alternatives to surgery include:
Medications
- Physical therapy
- Chiropractic Care
- Epidural Injections
- Heat and Ice Therapy
Spine surgery for scoliosis includes:
- Decompressive laminectomy – Removal of the part of the bone pinching the nerve
- Spinal fusion – Stabilizing the spine by fusing two bones together
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