Patient-education pages, one condition at a time.

Canal Stenosis

Narrowing of the spinal canal. Symptoms are typically dynamic — worse with standing and walking, eased by sitting or bending forward.

Disc HerniationCommonly called a slipped disc

The soft centre of an intervertebral disc protrudes through its outer layer and can compress a nearby spinal nerve. The commonest cause of sciatica.

Osteoporosis

Reduced bone density that raises fracture risk. Vertebral compression fractures are a commonly under-diagnosed presentation, particularly in post-menopausal women.

Spinal TraumaFractures and injuries of the spine

Injury to the spinal column — the bones, discs, ligaments, or spinal cord — as a result of a fall, road traffic accident, or other acute event. Ranges from stable vertebral fractures that heal with bracing to unstable injuries that need urgent surgical stabilisation.

Spinal TuberculosisKoch's spine

Tuberculous infection of the spine. Still prevalent in India. Often presents insidiously as slowly-worsening back pain rather than the classical fever-and-weight-loss picture.

Spondylodiscitis

Bacterial infection of an intervertebral disc and adjacent vertebrae. Uncommon but important — needs prompt diagnosis and prolonged antibiotic therapy.

Spondylolisthesis

One vertebra slips forward on the one below. Ranges from an incidental radiological finding to severe mechanical low back pain.

Spondylosis

Age-related wear of the spine's discs, joints and ligaments. Prevalence rises significantly after age 50, but imaging findings do not always correlate with symptoms.