On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Images
• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Your backbone, or spine, is made up of 26 bone discs called vertebrae. The vertebrae protect your spinal cord and allow you to stand and bend. A number of problems can change the structure of the spine or damage the vertebrae and surrounding tissue. They include:

• Infections
• Injuries
• Tumors
• Conditions, such as ankylosing spondylitis and scoliosis
• Bone changes that come with age, such as spinal stenosis and herniated disks

Spinal diseases often cause pain when bone changes put pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. They can also limit movement. Treatments differ by disease, but sometimes they include back braces and surgery.

Start Here

• Understanding Spinal Cord Disease (Department of Veterans Affairs)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Electromyography (EMG) and Nerve Conduction Studies (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Lumbar and Cervical Discography (North American Spine Society)
• Spine CT (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Spine MRI (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Getting It Straight: Improve Your Posture for Better Health (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• About Neurointerventions (Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery)
• Artificial Disc Replacement (ADR) (North American Spine Society)
• Back Surgery: When Is It a Good Idea? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Chiropractic: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Epidural Injections (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Laparoscopic Spine Surgery (Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons)
• Lumbar (Open) Microscopic Discectomy (North American Spine Society)
• Vertebroplasty for Spine Fracture Pain (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Spine Rehabilitation Exercises (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

Related Issues

• Degenerative Changes in the Spine: Is This Arthritis? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Depression and Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders (SCI/D) (Department of Veterans Affairs)

Specifics

• Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (Forestier Disease) (Arthritis Foundation)
• Fractures of the Thoracic and Lumbar Spine (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - PDF
• Kyphosis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Spinal Cord Tumor (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Spinal Infections (North American Spine Society)
• Spondylolysis and Spondylolysthesis (North American Spine Society)
• Whiplash and Whiplash Associated Disorder (WAS) (North American Spine Society)

Genetics

• Intervertebral disc disease: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Spondylocostal dysostosis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Spondylothoracic dysostosis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Images

• Lumbar spinal surgery - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Spinal fusion - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Vertebroplasty - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

• Prevention: Strengthening (North American Spine Society)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Fractures, Compression (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Kyphosis (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Spinal Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Spinal Fractures (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Spinal Injuries (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Spondylolisthesis (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Exploring BMI categories and their association with fragility fractures in Thai...
• Article: Atherogenic index of plasma is associated with vertebral fracture: a longitudinal...
• Article: Treatment of thoracolumbar fractures with severe collapse of the anterior and...
• Spine Injuries and Disorders -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Definitions (North American Spine Society)

Find an Expert

• Find a Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician (American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
• Find a Physical Therapist Near You (American Physical Therapy Association)
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish

Children

• Halo Brace (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Halo-Gravity Traction (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Kyphosis (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Compression fractures of the back (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Foraminotomy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Kyphosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Laminectomy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Lordosis - lumbar (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Spinal fusion (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Spine surgery - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Spondylolisthesis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish