DISEASE AND CONDITIONS

disease and conditions

• Spinal Epidural Abscess (SPE): It is a severe condition caused by an infection within the spine. The infection, due to bacteria, causes swelling and irritation in the cord and could lead to neurological defects, compression, cause permanent, severe paralysis, and nerve loss and could even be fatal. If the abscess is not drained properly, it could return and cause further damage to the spine.
• Spinal Tumours: It is an abnormal growth of a mass of tissue on the spine. The cells grow and multiply within the spinal cord or surrounding the spinal column. The cells multiply uncontrollably and could be cancerous or non-cancerous. 
• Spinal Stenosis: When the space between the spine discs gets narrow and creates pressure on the cord and nerve roots, it is referred to as Spinal Stenosis or even Lumbar Spinal Stenosis. This is the resultant effect of standing or walking long hours causing severe pain or cramps in the leg(s). 
• Herniated Discs: When the soft, jelly-like, or rubber-like cushions between the spinal discs undergo severe damage and some nucleus pushes out through the tear in the annulus it causes a ruptured disc or herniated disc. Cervical radiculopathy could either be a dull or shooting pain in the neck or between the shoulder blades and sometimes radiate down to the hand fingers or cause numbness or tingling sensation to the shoulder or arm. 
• Vertebral Compression Fractures (VCF): This commonly occurs in the thoracic spine or the middle or lower middle portion of the spine. VCF is also commonly seen in people with weak or brittle bones and could happen even while they do simple, usual daily activities such as sneezing forcefully, lifting slightly heavy objects, and so on. However, even those with healthy bones and spine could suffer from VCF if they undergo severe trauma such as sports injuries, hard falls or automobile accidents, etc.
• Degenerative Disc Disease: Degenerative Disc Disease often happens when the spinal discs that actually act as shock absorbers between vertebrates wear down as a part of the normal aging process or due to certain diseases. Certain factors such as acute injuries such as hard falls, obesity, smoking, and engaging in physically demanding jobs could further increase the risk of developing degenerative disc diseases. Apart from this, the discs could lose most of the fluid, and develop cracks due to minor injuries too which could be really painful.