Lower Back (Human Anatomy): Image, Function, Diseases, and Treatments

The majority of back discomfort is located in the lower back. The lumbar area is another name for it. It supports a large portion of the upper body's weight and has five vertebrae in the lumbar area. The spaces between the vertebrae are kept open by intervertebral discs, which act as shock absorbers throughout the spinal column to cushion the bones when the body moves.

The muscles are connected to the spinal column via tendons and ligaments, respectively. A total of 31 pairs of nerves attach to the spinal cord and govern and carry messages from the body to the brain.

One of the lumbar spine's roles is to safeguard the spinal cord's exit points in the lower back. These nerves exit the spinal cord and reach the legs and buttocks. The canal formed by the lumbar bones offers protection to the spinal cord and nerves. The latissimus dorsi, the iliopsoas longus, and the paraspinals all attach to the lumbar spine in various places to facilitate movement. The lumbar spine also contributes to the body's ability to bend forward, backward, to the side, and rotate. These actions, which may vary in complexity, are carried out by the strong and flexible muscles connected to the low back.

• Lordosis: A condition when the lower back's spine curls inward excessively. There should be some lordosis. Sway-back is the term for too much of it. It could be inherited or brought on by diseases including dwarfism, muscular dystrophy, or arthritis.
• Discitis: Discitis is an infection of the area between the vertebrae. The intervertebral discs' function is to isolate and protect the various spinal segments from one another. These discs may become inflamed due to an infection, which can be quite painful.
• Osteomyelitis: Osteomyelitis is an infection of the vertebral bone that may be very painful and call for immediate medical intervention.
• Spinal tumours: A tumour is created when cells divide and grow uncontrollably. Tumours, both benign and malignant, may hurt the lower back. They may start in the spine or may metastasis there, which means they have spread from another part of the body.Spasms, sprains, and strains: A strained muscle, tendon, or ligament is the most common reason for back pain. The causes are usually related to excessive usage.
• Degenerative disc: The painful condition is simply called a herniated disc, despite the name's ominous overtones. Discs gradually lose their height and thickness as a result of normal wear and tear. Therefore, they are less effective in preventing damage to the vertebrae and are more easily torn.
• Intervertebral disc herniation: Coverings of intervertebral discs might tear with age. The inner, more delicate disc tissue may then be able to break through the protective covering. A herniated disc, bulging disc, or sliding disc is a disc that has protruded or migrated out of its normal place. A herniation pushing on nerve roots in the area where the nerve supplies may cause symptoms such as pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness.
• Sciatica: Sciatica is a painful condition caused by pressure on or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. This nerve travels from the lower back to the legs via the hips and buttocks. Lower back discomfort that travels down the leg is medically known as sciatica, however your doctor may call it lumbar radiculopathy.
• Spondylolisthesis: When a vertebra slips forward out of place, the spine's alignment is disrupted and sometimes nerve roots are compressed. It may occur anywhere along the spine, but the lumbar area is where it occurs most often. A broken vertebrae or disc degeneration are two common causes of this slippage.
• Spinal stenosis: A herniated disc is the most common cause of spinal stenosis, while bone spurs from spinal osteoarthritis may also cause this narrowing of the interior spaces of the spine. Your spinal nerves may feel uncomfortable pressure as a consequence of this. Anywhere along the spine may experience spinal stenosis, however lumbar spinal stenosis is the most frequent kind.
• Scoliosis: The most prevalent spinal abnormality, scoliosis, is characterised by one or more side-to-side curves to the left or right.
• Cauda equina syndrome: Compression of the lumbar spine nerve bundle that originates below the spinal cord. Cauda equina syndrome is a medical emergency. The fanned-out bundle of nerves that characterises the illness is what gave it its nickname—it looks like the base of a horse's tail.
• Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis causes brittle bones from bone mass reduction. They may shatter suddenly. Compression fractures of the spine are common. Postmenopausal women lose bone mass more quickly than menopausal males and are more at risk for osteoporosis.

• MRI: MRI scans may provide clinicians a picture of both bone issues and soft-tissue damage, unlike X-rays. Herniated discs, as well as issues with the muscles, nerves, ligaments, and more, may be revealed by them.
• CT scans: An X-ray would have missed any back fractures, but a CT scan may. Soft tissue injuries and blood vessel damage are also easier to observe on CT images. This technique creates cross-sectional slices of the internal organs of the body using X-rays taken at various angles.Bone density test: A bone density test, sometimes called a DXA test, evaluates the patient's bone mineral density to ascertain if they have osteoporosis or are at risk of developing it.
• X-ray: Invisible electromagnetic energy beams are used in X-rays to create pictures of inside organs, bones, and tissues on film. Standard X-rays are used for a variety of purposes. These include making a tumour or bone injury diagnosis. X-rays of the spine may be taken to assess any part of it (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, or coccygeal). Additional similar techniques that might be used to identify spine, back, or neck issues
• Blood testing: In certain circumstances, blood tests may assist in determining if an infection or inflammatory arthritis may be the source of the discomfort.

• Physical Therapy (PT): Physical therapy (PT) for chronic low back pain consists of both active and passive therapies designed to strengthen the patient's core, increase spinal flexibility and range of motion, improve the patient's posture, and more.
• Stem Cells: The doctor will inject your hip-derived stem cells directly into the intervertebral disc or discs that are triggering your discomfort. In theory, this should reduce pain and age-related decline, but similar to PRP, additional study is needed before stem cells for lower back pain become the gold standard.
• Injections: When lower back discomfort results in sciatica symptoms like leg pain, an epidural steroid injection or a selective nerve block may give temporary relief.
• Spinal Fusion: Fusion of two or more vertebrae permanently restricts mobility between the joined bones. Your surgeon may use bone, bone-like material, screws, plates, or rods to stabilise the vertebrae while they recover into a single unit. In severe cases of spinal osteoarthritis or ruptured discs, spinal fusion may be performed to repair spinal abnormalities or to promote spinal stability.
• Laminectomy and Laminotomy: When performing a laminectomy, your surgeon will remove the posterior aspect of one or more vertebrae to make room for the spinal cord and other nerves. Bone spurs in the spinal canal can develop large enough to push on the spinal cord, restricting movement and causing discomfort in persons with severe arthritis. The lamina is a little portion of bone removed from the back of a vertebra in a procedure termed laminotomy.
• Acupuncture: In acupuncture, very thin needles are inserted into the skin at strategic places. It's possible that this might trigger the body's own pain-relieving chemicals to be released.
• Chiropractic Care: More than half of those experiencing sudden, severe back pain seek out chiropractic therapy, which focuses on manipulating the spine. Find one that bases its decisions on solid empirical data.
• Discectomy and Microdiscectomy: It is possible that your surgeon will remove a section of the herniated disc from your lower back if the pain or numbness you're experiencing from the condition is severe. A discectomy is a procedure in which the surgeon removes a disc from the patient's spine using relatively small incisions in the Lower Back. A microdiscectomy is a type of discectomy performed with a minimally invasive approach involving very tiny incisions. Due to the safety, efficacy, convenience, and low risk of complications brought about by microdiscectomy, discectomies are now seldom performed.
• Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP): PRP therapy uses a little amount of your own blood, which contains a high concentration of platelets. Your doctor will then inject the PRP into the afflicted disc. Injecting your own blood plasma into injured tendons, ligaments, muscles, and joints is thought to hasten rehabilitation.

Steroids for reducing inflammation of Lower back: When the lower back muscles are affected by a specific kind of myositis, doctors may give cortisone-like medicines such as prednisone, betamethasone, or dexamethasone.Analgesics for pain in Lower back: Analgesics, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, diclofenac sodium, and acetaminophen, can help alleviate some of the discomfort felt by the muscles of the lower back and the spine. Naproxen and paracetamol are two other common types of analgesics.

Muscle relaxants for stiffness in Lower back: When it comes to back pain, lower back cramps are some of the worst there are. Conditions as varied as pregnancy, dehydration, and others may all have a role in the onset and persistence of these cramps.

Nutritional supplements for reducing pain in Lower back: physicians provide nutritional supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin to decrease the pain of the person and boosten the healing process in joints of the lower spine also termed as lumbar spine.

Supplements for promotion of growth at the time of fracture of Lower back: Lack of the vitamins in the B group has been linked to the development of pain in lower back muscles and bones and also their growth retardation. In order to address this illness, vitamin B pills are typically taken.