Spondylitis

Terms you should know

Paralysis : Nerves are responsible for stimulating muscles and thus help in movement when nerves are affected due to any cause like injury or cutting off blood supply – muscles supplied by that nerve cannot function and that part of the body or limb is ‘paralysed’.
Vertigo : When any organ of balance, like brain, spinal cord, ear of eye is affected we get a feeling of things going around or a feeling of giddiness which is called ‘Vergigo’

What is Spondylitis?

Spondylitis is a condition associated with ageing which all of us will undergo to a greater or lesser extent. Changes in spondylitis are due t repeated stress that our spine is subjected to. These can be enumerated here:

· The disc between the vertebrae becomes thin and weak and intervertebral space reduces. Sometimes, the disc may even prolapse outwards or inwards, thus pressing on the spinal nerves or even the cord · Bony outgrowths may occur leading to pressure on nerves. 

It tends to affect the cervical ( neck) and lumbar (lower back) more than the rest of the spine since these parts are more mobile and hence subjected to more stress. If we neglect it, these changes can progress more rapidly. Now, let us see what happens to our spine in spondylitis. 

All these changes lead to various complaints like pain, tingling, numbness, and if the cord is affected, even paralysis. Since spinal cord is an organ of balance, and in case it is affected imbalance and giddiness ( vertigo) may be caused, and sometimes when a nerve root is compressed, the patient may be gripped in a vice – like grip of pain around the trunk called root pain.

What is Spondylosis?

This is a condition where there are no structural changes as in spondylitis but the patient has complaints like in spondylitis. It is probably due to muscle tensing or ‘spasm’ that is temporary and responds to simple anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants. 

How do we Investigate a Case of Back Pain and Spondylitis?

X-Ray

It can reveal narrowing of joint space indicating disc degeneration; extra bone growths called osteophytes may be seen. Changes like rotation or twisting of spine to one side, and muscle spasm may be revealed on the X-ray. 

Myelography

In this method, a dye is injected in the spine inside the covering layer of the spinal cord, and X-ray images are taken to reveal any disc changes. Since the discovery of the most sophisticated imaging techniques like CT Scan and MRI, it is no longer popular because of its cumbersome procedure. 

CT Scan and MRI

CT Scan and MRI investigation techniques are increasingly being used, when the X-ray image is inconclusive. Through these techniques, specially MRI, a clear picture of all the changes is obtained. The patient is not subjected to any discomfort except while performing MRI, where the patient is exposed to a lot of noise which is made tolerable by the use of ear-plugs. Newer machines make less noise. 

How do We Manage Spondylitis?

Spondylitis can be managed in the following ways:

· Immobilization with collar, belts, etc., Collars and belts should be custom-made. They   should be used for a short duration only and not continued lifelong. 
· Drugs for pain, swelling and giddiness should be consumed again only for a short    time. 
· Some other methods of relieving pain like deep-rays treatment, by using electric currents called short wave diathermy, etc., can be adopted.
· Physiotherapy and traction options are also part of the managing spondylitis. 
· Surgery, in certain cases is imminent.

There are various surgical techniques which help in spondylitis Read more…..

Get more information about Spondylitis in our Resources