Spondylosis
Strictly speaking, the term spondylosis is a collective term that summarizes a series of bony changes in the spine.These are irregularities such as bony extensions, bulges or serrations, which are particularly easy to detect in an X-ray or computer tomography of the spine. Very different diseases can lead to the diagnosis of spondylosis. Frequent examples are arthrosis of the spine, degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs or chronic inflammatory systemic diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis (ankylosing spondylitis).
Facet syndrome Spondylosis is often accompanied by complaints, especially back pain. It is not unusual for pain to radiate into the arms or legs. The cervical and lumbar spine are particularly affected by the changes. The focus of therapy for spondylosis is pain therapy based on drugs such as ibuprofen or diclofenac. Often, intensive physiotherapy can help to alleviate the symptoms in the long term.
Facet Arthrosis
One speaks of facet arthrosis when certain joints of the spine are affected by a degenerative disease. The facet joints, also known as intervertebral joints, are the connection of the articular processes between two adjacent vertebrae. Among other things, the facet joints ensure free and supple mobility of the spine.
If a degeneration of these joints occurs in the course of life, back pain is the focus of the complaints. With the help of an X-ray or computer tomography, arthrosis can be detected and diagnosed. It is a common disease which mainly affects older people.
Risk factors can include poor posture, long-term overstrain and overweight. The therapy of a facet arthrosis is mainly based on the intake of pain-reducing medication and intensive physiotherapy. Physiotherapy can build up the muscles of the back and thus relieve the spine.
Spinal diseases in childhood
In addition to the collection of the patient’s medical history (anamnesis) and a careful physical examination, imaging procedures have a special significance in the diagnosis of spinal disease. Through the different diagnostic procedures, one wants to and can draw extensive information with regard to therapeutic measures to be taken. In principle, x-rays of the spine can be described as basic imaging diagnostics.
The x-rays provide the treating physician with an insight into the spinal column posture. In addition, bony changes (calcium salt reduction, spinal curvature, a vertebral fracture, vertebral joint arthrosis, vertebral body attachments) and disc degeneration can be detected. A sectional image diagnosis (CT and MRI, either with or without contrast medium) also makes it possible to assign the pain to a specific nerve or spinal segment.
With the help of a CT (computed tomography) examination, more detailed questions regarding the bony structure in particular can be answered (e.g. spinal canal stenosis, vertebral body fracture). MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), on the other hand, is even more valuable in spinal diagnostics. In addition to the bony structures, it is much better than CT and also shows the soft tissue structures (intervertebral discs, nerve roots, ligaments).
All of the above-mentioned diseases can be detected with MRI and assigned to a specific spinal column section. In the case of vertebral body fractures as a spinal disease, it is possible to distinguish between fresh and old fractures with the help of the MRI of the respective region (e.g. MRI of the lumbar spine), which can have immediate therapeutic consequences (see kyphoplasty). Myelography describes an examination in which the patient is injected with contrast medium into the dural sac.
The dural sac surrounds the spinal cord and, in the area of the lower lumbar spine, is the area surrounding the beginning of a nerve before it leaves the spinal canal. By mixing nerve fluid and contrast medium, specific questions regarding the spinal cord can be answered. After the contrast medium has been injected, functional images of the spinal column are usually taken (in flexion and extension) to detect nerve pressure in a functional position.
At the same time, spinal diseases are often followed by a CT examination, which is more meaningful for certain questions due to the contrast medium applied. In order to exclude nerve damage or to determine the degree of any nerve damage, extended examinations must be performed in the case of spinal column disease. This can be done by a neurological examination and the collection of neurophysiological parameters (e.g. nerve conduction velocity). 2. cervical vertebral bodies 3. cervical vertebral bodies 4. cervical vertebral bodies 5. cervical vertebral bodies 6. cervical vertebral bodies 7. cervical vertebral bodies 8. cervical spine disc herniation 9. spinal cord
