Low Back Pain

Low back pain originates from any of four major structures:

Bone (degenerative joint disease, spinal stenosis, facet arthropathy, metastatic malignancy)

 

Lumbar disk (herniated nucleus pulposus, degenerated and bulging disc)

 

Musculoskeletal system (muscles and ligaments strain, muscular spasm)

 

Nerves (neuropatic pain)

 

One of the most difficult types of pain to treat is post-surgical arachnoiditis (failed back surgery syndrome).

 

Up to 85% of patients with low back pain cannot be given a definitive diagnosis because of the poor association among symptoms, pathologic findings and imaging results.