Degenerative Spondylolisthesis is an extremely common spinal condition that causes back pain along with hip, buttock, and leg pain. The term “spondy” means spine and “listhesis” means slip. From degenerative arthritis occurring, one vertebral body ends up shifting on the one below it, and this can cause pain from either:
- Spinal arthritis
- Spinal instability
- Pinching nerves from the slip (spinal stenosis)
The spinal canal has a typical cross sectional area that allows nerve roots to get out just fine normally. However if one vertebra slips and the result is its position shifts relative to the level below, that cross sectional area decreases. You have bones that are shifting, but the surrounding soft tissues end up shifting as a result too.
This can pull traction on nerve roots that were previously very happy with the amount of space they had to exit from the spinal canal. With the slippage, those nerve roots may get pinched at one of 3 places:
- Pinched nerve in the area where they come off of the spinal cord (dura)
- The area as they enter the exit hole (foramen) from the spinal canal called the lateral recess
- The exiting hole from the spinal canal, called the foramen
Either place of compression can produce symptoms of hip, buttock, and/or leg pain called spinal stenosis. Stenosis in this instance refers to a constriction of the anatomic circumference. If instability exists when a person moves, so that the vertebra shifts when a person stands and walks and then the vertebra reduces upon sitting, this can create intermittent back pain and/or spinal stenosis.
Unfortunately once spondylolisthesis results, it becomes a mechanical problem. We do not have a special powder or injection material that will fix it. Having said that, degenerative spondylolisthesis is obviously not a fatal diagnosis, and it will not cause paralysis.
So the back pain or pinched nerve can be treated conservatively with many options including:
- Phoenix physical therapy
- Pain Management injections from a arizona pain doctor
- Pain Medication
- Phoenix Chiropractor Treatment
- Spinal Decompression Treatment
If these options fail, then surgery can work very well but should be considered as a last resort.
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