Bone Spurs Information Resources
Resources
information about sciatica and how it affects the sciatic nerve causing the painful symptoms in the buttocks and legs.
Find out how degenerative disc disease slowly develops over an extended period of time, eventually contributing to a multitude of back conditions.
Information about how a bulging disc in your spine occurs and how the proper treatment methods, including surgery if needed, can correct this condition and get you back to living.
Classic signs and symptoms of a herniated disc and how you can go about finding treatment for this pain in the back
Information on how a ruptured disc develops, the warning signs and symptoms, and treatment methods available
Treatments
After a local anesthetic is administered, a small incision is made and a round Depuy tube is put into the incision. A series of tubes of increasing size are placed over this first tube, one at a time, to slowly create a small opening to the spine.
A percutaneous endoscopic laser discectomy is done when the patient's history, physical examination and imaging (such as CT scan or MRI) indicates herniated or bulging disc and the material inside the disc has not ruptured into the spinal canal.
A laminotomy is also a procedure used to remove the ligamentum flavum, a ligament in the spinal canal that can thicken to the point where it is actually compressing on the spinal cord, attributing to spinal stenosis.
The facet joints are the joint structures that connect the vertebrae to one another. Thermal ablation refers to the laser eradication of the effected nerve.
When you fuse an area of the spine you lose mobility in that particular region. The spine is very mobile and fusing vertebrae together causes extreme wear and tear on the vertebrae (and discs) above and below the area of the fusion because they are trying to compensate for the area that is now immobile.
Symptoms
If a bone spur cuts off the flow of blood and nutrients from a nerve, pain may be felt in the legs, dependent on that nerve.
If a bone spur is impinging on a nerve it may cause symptoms such as headaches, shoulder pain and pain into the arms.
Back pain can be a result of a bone spur aggravating another condition in the back.
If a bone spur pinches the blood supply from a nerve, it can cause that nerve to malfunction and send confusing singles to a muscle causing a loss of coordination.
As a result of a bone spur pinching a nerve, pins and needles may be felt in the affected extremity.
Causes
One of the leading contributing factors for the development of bone spurs is facet joint arthritis.
As we age our body will react to injuries with its own healing process which increases your chances of developing bone spurs.
Some people are genetically predisposed to developing bone spurs. If you parents developed bone spurs naturally, you may want to start taking preventative measures to help slow the onset of bone spurs.