necessary that the root cause is well understood before picking up any treatment for any kind of pain or ache. There are different treatments available like lumbar spondylolisthesis treatment for lumbar spine.
Let’s know lumbar spine first. The lumbar spineusually termed as low back by lay man is the third major region of the spine. It is below the cervical spine and thoracic spine. Most of the people have five bones or vertebrae in the lumbar spine. Each vertebra is systematically stacked on top of the other and between each vertebra there is a gel-like cushion which is called an intervertebral disc. These discs help to absorb pressure and distribute stress and it also keep the vertebrae from grinding against each other. The spine has joints that are similar to knees, elbows, and other joints and these spinal joints are called facet joints. These facet joints help the spine in flexibility and ability to lean forward or backward.
Spondylolisthesis is a condition in which one bone or vertebra in the back slides forward over the bone which is below it. It usually occurs in the lower spine also known as lumbosacral area. It can lead the spinal cord to squeeze causing back pain and numbness or weakness in legs. One can also lose control on gall bladder or bowels in extreme cases. At times, there can be no symptoms at all till many years but the vertebra has actually slipped. Pain in low back and weakness in muscles is a common symptom.
Now the question is what causes this slip of vertebra. There can be number of reasons or accidents leading to spondylolisthesis. It could be by birth or can also occur through trauma or accident. Arthritis, infection or with age, even over use of stress fractured vertebra can also call for this. Arthritis osteoarthritis treatment can be taken for arthritis. Over use of back bones can also occur in sportsperson in games like gymnastics or weight lifting.
Spondylolisthesis can be diagnosed with the help of X-ray, CT scan or MRI. The doctor will understand through these reports whether any vertebra has cracks or has slipped out of place and then the treatment begins. Treatment for spondylolisthesis begins with stopping any physical activity that may have led to vertebrae damage. To help relieve pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be used. Physical therapy can begin.
By Scott Dhupar
