Health series: Spondylolithesis

Greetings to everyone, and a warm welcome to another week of health series on steemit. Over the month, I've churned out great episodes on some vital health conditions and how to manage them effectively, you can read more about them on my blog

Today, I'll be writing about a very important health issue, one that is associated with old age but can as well affect the younger people, especially those into sporting activities like gymnastics. This condition is called spondylolithesis

What is spondylolithesis

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Spondylolithesis is a health condition in which one of the lower vertebrae (spinal bones) slips forwards, overlapping the vertebrae below it, this causes the nerves linking the spinal cord to the sacral region to be stretched, resulting in lower back pain and leg pain.

This condition can manifest at any age and to any gender, however, older women are more prone to this spinal disorder, this is due to their increased likelihood of developing osteopenia which can make the bones become fragile, hence, susceptible to fracturing and twisting.

Spondylolithesis can degenerate to paralysis if not diagnosed early, this is because the continuous compression of the spinal nerve can affect the lower limbs, hence causing paralysis.

Causes

There are many causes of this spinal condition, some of which are idiopathic.

The causes includes;

• An Injury to the vertebrae, either through an accident or an heavy fall.
• Narrowing of the vertebral disc mainly due to low calcification.
• Congenital spondylolithesis is also a common occurrence in new born caused by a defective vertebrae.
• pathological conditions like cancer and diabetes can also play a role in the onset of this disorder.
• post surgical spondylolithesis can also occur after a surgical operation on the spinal cord.
• Consistent sporting activities like gymnastics and weight lifting can also cause overstretching of the lower back bone leading to spondylolithesis.

Symptoms

The symptoms of spondylolithesis varies between individuals, sometimes, the symptoms appears after the nerves had been damaged. Generally, the most likely symptoms for this disorder includes;

• severe waist pain that spreads to the legs
• muscle tightness
• low back pain
• difficulty walking or standing
• stooping forward while walking
• Pains in the buttocks
• tight hamstring.

Diagnosis

In diagnosing spondolithesis, physical examination is first carried out by the doctor on the patient, this include raising of the patient's forelimbs to analyse the movement.

Lumbo sacral xray is the confirmatory diagnosis for this disorder, this will help the doctor determine the rate of damage on the spinal bone. CT scan can also be done to see clear networks of nerves and the point of displacement.

management

The management of spondylolithesis is not an easy one, most times, all available alternatives are always employed in the management of this disorder. However, in very severe cases where the vertebral bone is broken, surgery becomes the only alternative.

Over the counter (OTC) pain relievers like diclofenac, Ibuprofen and tylenol can be employed for the symptomatic relieve of the muscular pains. Steroids can also be administered in cases of spinal inflammation.

Conclusion

Spondylolithesis is a very chronic disorder that can paralyse one if left untreated. Most treatment measures are designed to include physiotherapy where the patient can be given proper massage to aid the healing process.

Any time you start experiencing symptoms of spondylolithesis like severe pains in your lower back, I suggest you immediately go for an xray to determine the underlining cause and possibly commence treatment.
Thanks for reading
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