Category Archives: Spinal Conditions

Spinal stenosis is a progressive narrowing of the spine that can cause little or no discomfort for many years. Over time, age-related changes affecting the spine may contribute to increasingly noticeable symptoms such as numbness, tingling sensations, and general weakness extending to arms, legs, or other extremities. Some people with spinal stenosis also have difficulty […]

Twenty of the spine’s 31 pairs of nerves are in the mid-back and neck region. Ten pairs are within the lower back area and the very end of the spine (sacrum), and the last set of nerves is in the tailbone (coccygeal nerves). However, all it takes is for one single nerve in any area […]

Thankfully, spinal tumors are a rare occurrence. When abnormal growths do develop, early detection increases the odds of successful treatment. In adults, risk factors for this type of cancer typically include smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, body weight, and lifestyle habits. With children, these long-term contributing factors usually don’t apply or aren’t as impactful. However, there […]

Each level of the spine has bony, hollow archways on either side of each vertebra, referred to as foramina. Two nerve roots run through these openings. If one of these passageways for spinal nerve roots narrows, it’s a condition called spinal foraminal stenosis, also referred to as foraminal narrowing. If the space needed for nerve […]

One of the many remarkable things about the human spine is its resilience. However, it’s an entirely different ballgame if an infection like vertebral osteomyelitis gets into your backbone. Vertebral osteomyelitis a rare type of infection that often develops when bacteria gets into the spine through veins in the lower back (Batson’s plexus) that connect […]

It’s only human nature to assume pain felt in one part of the body is related to something in the same area. However, this isn’t always the case. For instance, a disc pressing on a nerve in the lower back can trigger radiating nerve pain felt in the hips, thighs, or legs. This same concept […]

Made of collagen, tendons are durable connective tissues that play a role in keeping bones and muscles together. In the spine, these strong, fibrous tissues are similar to springs in mattresses because they support weight. They also facilitate movements involving flexing, extending, and stretching. If these fibrous, flexible tissues become inflamed due to injury, overuse, […]

About 3 million new cases of scoliosis are diagnosed each year in the United States, often just prior to puberty in children 10 to 12 years old. Affecting about 2-3 percent of the population, scoliosis is characterized by a sideways curvature of the spine that’s been linked to chronic pain during the adult years. Considered […]

Sciatica can start with something as minor as occasional dull or mild pain in one leg or on one side of the body. However, some of the three million or so Americans affected by this nerve-related condition may experience numbness, tingling sensations, and local or radiating pain that’s more disruptive. The nerve’s length, which runs […]

One of the most common reasons for nerve pain that’s felt elsewhere is irritation of the sciatic nerve. The longest single nerve in the body, it runs from the lower back into the legs and branches off. However, not all radiating pain felt in the lower back, buttocks, thighs, hips, or legs can be blamed […]