What complaints can occur?

Possible complaints or symptoms that occur in the vertebral arch can usually not be directly attributed to it. Rather, patients report back pain that affects the entire spine or only individual sections. Pain can result from an injury to the vertebra or from damage to nerves.

An example of this would be trauma to the vertebral arch, which constricts the spinal cord in the spinal canal too much. Especially the legs are affected by the neurological abnormalities. These then hurt and tingling.

Consequently, long distances can no longer be walked. In addition, affected persons state that the legs feel heavy and are numb. The cause of complaints of the vertebral arch may be an injury caused by an accident or age-related wear and tear of the bones, or a congenital malformation of the vertebral arch.

Degeneration can lead to osteoarthritis or, among other things, to the formation of bone attachments, which can ultimately constrict the nerve exit points and the spinal canal more and more. The following articles may also be of interest to you:

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The vertebral arch can be fractured, especially if the spine is bent, stretched or rotated around its own axis. Depending on the extent and location of the fracture, there is a risk that the vertebral body is no longer sufficiently anchored in the spinal column, resulting in instability.

In addition, one of the nerves that pass between the vertebral arches from the spinal cord can be damaged in the event of a fracture. If the vertebral arch is not closed, one speaks of “spina bifida“. There are different degrees of spina bifida.In “spina bifida occulta”, in principle only the vertebral arch has not been completely closed during the development of the embryo, the spinal cord with the spinal membranes and the skin over the spinal column are normally closed.

Since this form usually causes no symptoms and cannot be seen from the outside, it is usually diagnosed by chance and can be considered relatively harmless. Treatment is not necessary. On the other hand, in “spina bifida aperta”, the spinal meninges, skin over the spine and the spinal cord itself are affected to varying degrees and, in the worst case, are completely exposed.

Surgical treatment should be carried out as soon as possible to avoid damage to the spinal cord and infections. This form of the non-closed vertebral arch can be operated on while still in the womb. In “spondylolysis”, a gap is formed in the vertebral arch at the “pars interarticularis”, which lies between the upper and lower joint processes.

In most cases, however, the gap does not only form on one side, but on both sides. The lumbar vertebrae four or five are most frequently affected. The consequence of the formation of the gap is that the affected vertebra is no longer sufficiently fixed in the structure of the spinal column and then in some cases slips forwards, i.e. towards the abdomen, bit by bit.

However, this gap in the vertebral arch only rarely causes complaints in the form of back pain. But much more often it remains undetected. If pain still occurs and spondylolysis is suspected, it can be radiologically visualized.

The goal of therapy in the early stages would be to stabilize the spine so that the vertebral body does not slip off. The diagnosis is made on the basis of the circumstances under which symptoms have occurred, a physical examination especially of the back and the legs and arms, and an imaging examination such as an x-ray or MRI scan. Therapy of a damaged vertebral body is considered especially if associated symptoms occur, such as nerve damage.

The aim is then to restore the initial situation as best as possible or at least to relieve the strain on the spinal cord and nerves. The prognosis is to be assessed differently depending on the extent of the damage or degeneration of the vertebral arch. In some cases, neurological abnormalities may persist despite therapy.