Term
| abnormal dilation > 3 cm below the level of the origin of the renal arteries due to weakening of the arterial wall caused by atherosclerosis; may be asymptomatic or may present with low back pain and a pulsatile mass in the epigastric region of the abdomen; ultrasound of the abdomen will confirm the presence of the aneurysm. |
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Definition
| Abdominal aortic aneurysm: |
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Term
| Chronic inflammatory condition involving the sacroiliac joints and the axial skeleton marked by bone formation at ligament and tendon attachments, 90% are HLA B27 positive, presents with low backache > 3 months duration, better with exercise not with rest, limitation of lumbar spine movement in sagittal and coronal planes, bilateral sacroiliac tenderness and decreased chest expansion with inspiration, x-rays may show blurring of the SI joints, shiny corners, marginal syndesmophytes, dagger sign and bamboo spine; ESR and alkaline phosphatase may be elevated in the active phase. |
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Definition
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Term
| compression of the cauda equine by an intrathecal mass; presents with low back pain, problems with bladder or bowel control and loss of sensation over the perianal region-saddle anesthesia; CT scan and MRI will confirm the presence of a mass in the lumbar spinal canal. |
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Definition
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Term
| mental disorder which affects the body and the mood; presents with low back pain which is associated with persistent sadness, insomnia, change in appetite, poor concentration and lack of energy for more than two weeks; lab tests such as CBC, CMP and Thyroid Function Tests are normal. |
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Definition
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Term
| irritation of the zygapophyseal joint due to injury or degeneration; presents with back pain which is worse on lateral bending and extension, Kemp’s test will be positive and the pain will be localized and should not radiate below the knee; x-ray may show facet umbrication. |
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Definition
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Term
| posterolateral disc bulge causing irritation or pressure on one of the spinal nerves that make up the sciatic nerve [L4-S1]; pain radiates into the back of the thigh and into the leg; SLR and WLR tests will be positive. |
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Definition
| Lumbar disc herniation with sciatica: |
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Term
| neoplastic plasma cell disease, more common in older men; presents with low back pain which is worse at night, fatigue; x-ray may show generalized osteopenia or multiple lytic lesions, skull x-ray has a rain-drops appearance, serum electrophoresis will show an M spike due to increased IgG levels, Bence Jones proteins will be found in the urine, hypercalcemia and a reversed albumin/globulin ratio will be present. |
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Definition
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Term
| fracture seen in patients with osteoporosis, affects more females over the age of 70 years; present with back pain or wrist/hip pain if the radius and femur are fractured; x-ray will show few accentuated trabeculae with a compressive fracture usually in the thoracic spine or a break in the neck of the femur or distal wrist, serum calcium and phosphate are normal. |
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Definition
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Term
| metabolic bone disease characterized by repeated episodes of osteolysis and excessive by inefficient osteoblastc activity; presents with bone pain, increased hat size, visual and hearing deficits or radicular pain; x-ray will show cotton wool appearance in the skull, the brim sign in the pelvis, shepherd’s crook and flame sign in the femur; hypercalcemia is present. |
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Definition
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Term
| spread of prostate cancer to the lumbar vertebrae via the prostatic veins and the vertebral venous plexus; presents with back pain which may be worse at night; hypercalcemia and raised alkaline phosphatase and elevated prostatic specific antigen; x-ray of the spine often shows osteoblastic lesions in vertebral bodies. |
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Definition
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Term
| ascending kidney infection; E. coli is most common; presents with chills, fever, nausea, vomiting and flank pain with costovertebral tenderness; leukocytosis and elevated neutrophils are present, there will be many white blood cells and white blood cell casts along with bacteria in the urine. |
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Definition
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Term
| joint pain originating from the SI joint, may be inflammatory, traumatic or degenerative; presents with low back pain, Gaenslen, Partick and Erichsen tests may be positive; x-ray of the SI joint may show blurring or degeneration. |
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Definition
| Sacroiliac joint dysfunction: |
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Term
| narrowing of the spinal canal due to degenerative joint disease or intrathecal mass; presents with intermittent leg claudication made better by bending forwards, peripheral pulses are normal; x-ray, CT scan or MRI will confirm the narrowing and the cause of the stenosis. |
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Definition
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Term
| anterior movement of one vertebra on the one below; may be congenital or acquired, may be related to stress fractures or degeneration in females over the age of 40 years and is more common in the 4th lumbar vertebra; presents with low back pain; x-ray is necessary to confirm the diagnosis and to determine the degree of slippage using the Meyerding grading method. |
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Definition
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