Ankylosing Spondylitis
An inflammatory disease of the spine that often leads to painful alterations of the vertebral articulations as well as to stiffness of the spine.

Annulus Fibrosus
The tough multilayered, fibrous outer portion of each intervertebral disk.

Articular Processes
The two superior and two inferior bony processes on the back part of each vertebra that form the facet joints.

Atlas
Another name for the C-1 vertebra of the neck, which lies at the base of the skull.

Axis
Another name for the C-2 vertebra of the neck, which lies just beneath C-1.

Bone Scan
A diagnostic procedure in which radioactive material is injected into the patient’s bloodstream to produce images of the bony skeleton. Used to evaluate if and where there is rapid bone formation due to, for example, a tumor or an infection.

Cauda Equina
The bundle of nerve roots that starts where the true spinal cord ends in the upper lumbar spine, traverses down the spinal canal in the lumbar and sacral regions, and terminates in the lower sacrum.

Cervical Radiculopathy
Compression of the spinal nerve roots in the neck, causing neurological dysfunction such as weakness and reduced sensation, as well as symptoms such as tingling and numbness in the areas served by the nerves.

Fibromyalgia Syndrome
Collection of symptoms including painful tender points, especially in the muscles of the upper neck, shoulders, hips, and lower back.

Free Fragment
A displaced portion of an intervertebral disk that has become detached from the central portion of the disk.

Herniate Disk
Displacement of some portion of the disk out of its normal location; sometimes indicates a ruptured or slipped disk.

Iliopsoas Muscles
Two muscles, each of which is located on and attached to each side of the lumbar vertebrae as well as being attached to the inside of the pelvis and to the thighbone.

Intervertebral Disk
One of the small, energy-absorbing cushions located between the vertebrae of the spine.

Intervertebral Foramen
The opening between vertebrae through which a spinal nerve (nerve root) exits the spinal column (plural – foramina).

Intradiscal Electrothermal Annuloplasty (IDET)
A procedure to relieve the pain of certain disk problems, in which a heated catheter – inserted via a needle placed in the affected disk – sears or cauterizes the nerve fibres along the disk wall.

(more…)