Red Flag Signs and Symptoms
(1) Princeton Spine & Joint Center, Princeton, NJ, USA Red flag signs and symptoms in the context of lower back pain are signs and symptoms that should prompt further…
Epidural Steroid Injections: Dispelling Common Myths
(1) Princeton Spine & Joint Center, Princeton, NJ, USA Perhaps there is no source of confusion, contention, obfuscation, and general misunderstandings primarily among patients but also doctors as there…
Spondylolisthesis
(1) Princeton Spine & Joint Center, Princeton, NJ, USA KeywordsDegenerativeIsthmicPars interarticularisSpondylolysisFusionSlip Spondylolisthesis is a condition in which one vertebral body slips in relation to another. There are two common…
Compression Fractures
(1) Princeton Spine & Joint Center, Princeton, NJ, USA Compression fractures may occur in the vertebrae and cause lower back pain. They most commonly occur in patients with osteoporosis….
Spinal Stenosis
(1) Princeton Spine & Joint Center, Princeton, NJ, USA The words spinal stenosis have a Greek origin. The word “stenosis” means “choking.” Spinal, of course, means spine. So spinal…
Piriformis Syndrome
(1) Princeton Spine & Joint Center, Princeton, NJ, USA The function of the piriformis muscle is to externally rotate the hip when the hip is in extension and to…
Spondylolysis
(1) Princeton Spine & Joint Center, Princeton, NJ, USA KeywordsSciaticaRadiculitisNeurologic lossEpiduralTransforaminalInterlaminarCaudalStenosisLeg pain The word spondylolysis is derived from the Greek spondylos (vertebra) and lysis (break). As the name implies,…
Lower Back Pain: An Overview of the Most Common Causes
(1) Princeton Spine & Joint Center, Princeton, NJ, USA KeywordsAcute lower back painChronic lower back painSubacute lower back painDiscogenic lower back painRadiculopathy When discussing the causes of lower back…
Treatment of Acute Lower Back Pain
(1) Princeton Spine & Joint Center, Princeton, NJ, USA KeywordsAcute lower back painIceHeatPhysical therapyTrigger pointMedication Acute lower back by definition is self-limited, lasting less than 4 weeks. While acute…
When Are Imaging Studies Indicated and What Do They Tell Us?
(1) Princeton Spine & Joint Center, Princeton, NJ, USA KeywordsX-rayMRICTImagingObliqueCT myelogram Ordering an X-ray or an MRI can sometimes become reflexive. A patient has lower back pain so an…
