Spondylolisthesis Essay

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Spondylolisthesis Spondylolisthesis is any forward slipping of one vertebrae on the one below it. Spondylo means “spine,” listhesis means “slippage.” Spondylolisthesis is a fancy way of saying “slipped vertebrae,” but not the same as “slipped disk”. The vertebrae are the bones that make up your spine. Most people have 33 vertebrae in their spinal column. Spondylolisthesis usually occurs toward the base of your spine in the lumbar area. Tangential and angular are two kinds of slipping in spondylolisthesis. Tangential means one vertebrae slides forward on another while angular means there is a kyphosis increasing the deformity. Spondylolisthesis is most often associated with adolescents, at least in the time that the condition appears. It is believed that they may affect between five and six percent of the population, and they can lead to chronic back pain. Management of spondylolysis is relatively simple through its diagnosis may not be. However, that diagnosis is worth pursuing because it can lead to spondylolithesis, which can require surgery to connect. In most instances, nonsurgical treatment is effective. Intractable pain and neurological trial of no operative treatment are the principal indications for surgery. Conservative treatment includes 2 or 3 days of bed rest, restriction of activities causing stress to the lumbar spine (heavy lifting or stooping), physical therapy, anti-inflammatory and pain reducing medications, and/or a corset or brace. The severity of a spondylolisthesis is graded on a scale from one to five. Grade I is a forward slip between 1-25%. Grade II is 25-49% slip. Grade III is 50-74% slip. Grade IV is 75-99% slip and Grade V is for a vertebra that has fallen off the vertebra below it. (That’s an extreme case of spondylolisthesis that has its own name: spondyloptosis.) Surgical treatment may be needed if

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