Glossary Terms

Acute Back Pain:

Acute low back pain generally lasts less than six months. A few cases may resolve without medical attention, although many reoccur.

Chronic Back Pain:

Chronic low back pain generally persists beyond six months. If you are experiencing chronic back pain, you should seek medical attention.

Coccyx:

Also known as the "tailbone". The coccyx are two to four tiny, partially fused vertebrae at the end of the sacrum.

Degenerative Disc Disease:

Degeneration of the disc over time produces low-grade inflammation and irritation and is a major cause of chronic low back pain. Because the discs in the spine do not have a dedicated blood supply, the discs must rely on a process called diffusion to receive their supply of water, nutrients, and oxygen. If the flow of these elements is disrupted, the vertebrael discs can degenerate.

Herniated Disc:

A condition in which part or all of the soft, gelatinous central portion of an intervertebral disc is forced through a weakened part of the disc, resulting in back pain and nerve root irritation.

Lumbar:

The lumbar (L) section of the spine consists of five large bones and intervertebrael discs that support most of the body's weight and absorb large amounts of stress.

Posterior Facet Syndrome:

The facet joints can wear down. In such cases, a nerve can become pinched (impinged) and cause pain.

Processes:

Each vertebra in the spine has a number of bony projections, known as processes. The spinal and transverse processes attach to the muscles in the back and act like little levers, allowing the spine to twist or bend. The particular processes form the joints between the vertebrae themselves, meeting together and interlocking at the facet joints.

Sacrum:

The sacrum is below the lumbar region and is a shield-shaped bony structure that connects with the pelvis at the sacroiliac joints.

Sciatica:

Sciatica refers to a pain felt along the length of the sciatic nerve. The pain is usually felt in the buttock where it radiates down the back of the leg.

Spine:

The spine is a column of small bones, or vertebrae, that provides support and leverage to the entire body.

Spinal Canal:

Each vertebra and its processes surround and protect an arch-shaped central opening. These arches, aligned to run down the spine, form the spinal canal, which encloses the spinal cord.

Spinal Cord:

The spinal cord is the central trunk of nerves that connects the brain with the rest of the body. Each nerve root passes from the spinal column to other parts of the body through small openings bounded on one side by the disc and the other by the facets. When the spinal cord reaches the lumbar region, it splits into four bundled strands of nerve roots called the cauda equina (meaning horsetail in Latin).

Vertebrae:

Vertebrae in the spinal column are separated from each other by small cushions of cartilage known as intervertebral discs. Inside each disc is a jelly-like substance called the nucleus pulposus, which is surrounded by a fibrous structure called the annulus. The disc is 80% water, which makes it very elastic. It has no blood supply of its own, however, but relies on nearby blood vessels to keep it nourished.