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What is Lumbar Spondylitis?

Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as lumbar spondylitis – and yet it continues to be a popular Internet search. More than likely, people who mistakenly search for information pertaining to lumbar spondylitis actually are looking for information about lumbar spondylosis. A brief overview of both terms follows below.

Clarification of Terms

The term spondylitis refers to a group of inflammatory arthritic diseases that primarily affect the spine, causing inflammation in the spinal joints, stiffness and pain in the back, and other complications (up to and including bone fusion). These conditions are hereditary and there is no cure for any of them. While many people believe spondylitis begins in the lumbar spine, spondylitis actually presents at a lower point in the spine, the sacrum, which is where the spine meets the pelvis. As a matter of fact, the sacroiliac joint (at the base of the spine) is normally one of the first areas affected by most types of spondylitis – most notably ankylosing spondylitis.

Spondylosis, on the other hand, is a common age-related form of osteoarthritis that can affect any and all spinal joints via the deterioration of spinal cartilage. As the cartilage breaks down, it can cause compression of nerve roots or grinding of bone – both of which can be extremely painful but tend to respond well to conservative treatments.

Spondylosis Symptoms and Treatment

The common symptoms of spondylosis include:?

• Stiffness and pain in the neck or back
• Tingling or numbness in the extremities
• Loss of coordination or normal reflexes
• Lack of physical control, such as difficulty walking

Click Here to see how you can get your life back in 5 days

If you have been diagnosed with spondylosis and your doctor believes that surgery is the best way to address it, contact Laser Spine Institute (LSI). We are the worldwide leaders in groundbreaking laser-assisted surgical procedures that enable our surgeons to access your spine’s trouble spots in the most minimally invasive manner possible. The outpatient endoscopic treatments we perform at LSI can have you walking out the door and back to your life in much less time and with much less recovery than is the case with traditional back surgery.

Contact LSI today to arrange a free review of your MRI or CT scan.

Please note: Laser Spine Institute currently does not perform endoscopic procedures on the thoracic spine.