Spinal disease of course affects the spinal cord or column and the spinal nerves within it. It is indeed a larger area of studies since there is large number of diseases that affects the spine. The list of diseases is definitely long so will just tackle the most common diseases of the spine. Read on further to find the types of spinal diseases and its symptoms.
Degenerative Spine Disease
It is the general term for diseases in the spine that is cause by the normal wear and tear and aging of the vertebral column. It does not happen over night but it happens over time. It is a result of aging process of the soft tissues and bones of the spine.
Degenerative Spine diseases are a general term that comprises of various types of spine disorders, some of it occurs simultaneously in one patient. The most common types of degenerative spine disease are the following;
• Herniated Disc. A disc serves as the cushion between vertebrae. When this disc is injured, part of the gel like material will push out of its inner layer causing it to press on the surrounding nerves thus compressing nerves resulting to pain. This condition can happen in any part of the spine but the most common location are the low back which is called lumbar herniated disc and cervical herniated disc which is located in the neck. Rare cases happen in mid back which is the Thoracic herniated disc.
• Spinal Instability. In normal instances, the spine with all its muscular and ligaments supports is stable. But if the spine is affected with severe degenerative spine diseases, it loses its normal stability and results to abnormal weakness in certain parts. This condition is what we call as spinal instability and this can result to pain and injury to the spinal nerves or cord. Instability can also happen as a result of injury or trauma.
• Spinal Stenosis. It is the narrowing of the spinal canal where you can find the spinal cord. Over time it can causes compression of nerves and the spinal cord. This condition often occurs as cervical stenosis and lumbar stenosis. Sometimes it is also referred as Foraminal Stenosis where one or more foramen narrowed.
Typical Symptoms of Degenerative Spine Diseases
The most common signs and symptoms for this condition is pain in the neck, back, arms or legs. It can also cause sensory symptoms like numbness and tingling as well as motor symptoms like muscle wasting, paralysis or weakness, abnormal reflexes and many more.
Traumatic Spine Diseases
This term refers to disease in the spine cause by injury like a fall or vehicle accident. Traumatic spine diseases can include spinal instability, traumatic disc herniation and spinal fractures
Typical Symptoms of Traumatic Spine Disease
Symptoms of traumatic spine diseases depend on the location of the injured spine. If it is the spinal cord that is injured then patient will experience abnormal neurological function in the affected area. This usually includes either motor or sensory symptoms or even both. Sensory symptoms can include pain, tingling or numbness while motor symptoms can include complete paralysis of the muscles or weakness. If it affects the spinal nerve roots then the area that is supplied by that nerve can become dysfunctional and muscle weakness, numbness and pain is experience.
Spinal Tumors
Spinal Tumors often affects the vertebral column or spinal cord. It can be originating in the spinal column or other parts of the body and only spreads in the spine as in the case of metastatic cancer. Common tumors of the spine are Gliomas, schwannomas, ependymomas and meningiomas. Secondary tumors that tend to spread to the spine are breast and lung cancer and many more.
Typical Symptoms of Spinal Tumors
Symptoms vary depending on the kind of tumor and its location. Tumors that affect the spinal cord can cause sensory as well as motor symptoms in the arms or the legs and dysfunction of the bladder and bowel is also common. If tumors affect the nerves then it can present as neurological symptoms which might consists of paralysis or muscle weakness and sensory changes.
Spinal Dysraphisms
It is an abnormality in the spinal cord and is mostly known as neural tube defects. These abnormalities usually occur in the embryonic phase when the nervous system is still developing. These are congenital malformations which mean that patients who have these conditions are born with this defect. Types of Spinal Dysraphisms include Spina Bifida, Spinal Dermal Sinus, Tethered Cord, Spinal Lipoma and Diastematomyelia.
Typical Symptoms of Spinal Dysraphisms
Symptoms of Spinal Dysraphisms varies greatly on the kind of spinal Dysraphisms have as well as the severity of the condition. Some do not even have symptoms but some has. For severe malformations it may affect the functions of the spinal cord and might manifest in neurological dysfunction in the lower extremities and in rare cases the bladder and bowel function. Sometimes it can also manifest physically.