10 Lumbosacral Spine
10 Lumbosacral Spine
10 Lumbosacral Spine
1. Normally, the thoracic spine, being one of the primary curves, exhibits a mild kyphosis; the cervical
and lumbar sections, being secondary curves, exhibit a mild lordosis.
2. Because the spine and ribs protect vital organs (e.g., heart, lungs, and viscera), it is important that
the examiner be able to differentiate problems with the vital organs from mechanical problems.
3. The costovertebral joints are synovial plane joints located between the ribs and the vertebral bodies,
and radiate ligament stabilize the joint.
Ribs 1, 10, 11, and 12 articulate with a single vertebra.
For ribs 10, 11, and 12, it attaches only to the adjacent vertebral body.
4. The costotransverse joints are synovial joints found between the ribs and the transverse processes
of the vertebra of the same level for ribs 1 through 10.
5. The superior facets face up, back, and slightly laterally; the inferior facets face down, forward, and
slightly medially changing from a 45° to 90° inclination.
→ The facet joints limit flexion and anterior translation and facilitate rotation.
6. The spinous processes of these vertebrae face obliquely downward.
7. The ribs help to stiffen the thoracic spine and articulate with the demifacets on vertebrae T2 to T9.
⚫ Functional anatomy of lumbar spine
1. The superior facets, or articular processes, face medially and backward and in general are concave;
the inferior facets face laterally and forward and are convex.
2. These posterior facet joints direct the movement that occurs in the lumbar spine (flexion, extension).
3. The iliolumbar ligament, which connects the transverse process of L5 to the posterior ilium helps to
stabilize L5 with the ilium and to prevent anterior displacement of L5.
4. The intervertebral discs make up approximately 20% to 25% of the total length of the vertebral
column.
5. With age, the percentage of spinal length attributable to the discs decreases as a result of disc
degeneration and loss of hydrophilic action in the disc.
2. Abdominal muscles
3. Erector spine muscles
4. Multifidus
5. Muscles of pelvic area
⚫ Spinal nerve
1. Spinal cord 只到 L1 而已,其餘的部分會形成 cauda equina,因此容易壓到,且症狀很複雜
2. Dermatome, myotome, deep tendon reflex.
⚫ Movement of thoracic and lumbar spine
Common Disorder of Thoracolumbar Spine
⚫ Muscle conditions
1. Muscle guarding and intrinsic muscle spasm
Symptoms and signs
A. Tension and tenderness of the muscles.
B. Prolonged spasm tends to spread and aggravate symptoms.
Evaluation
A. Observation, palpation, etc.
B. Find the primary disorder.
Treatment
A. Reduce the pain and spasm.
B. Treatment primary disorder.
2. Muscle strains and contusions
Mechanism of injury: trauma history.
Symptoms and sign:
A. Movement aggravate.
B. Rest relieve but stiffness.
Evaluation
A. Palpation.
B. Active and passive movement.
C. Resisted isometric contraction.
Treatment: the same principle of muscle strain.
⚫ Joint conditions
1. Facet joint impingement
Mechanism of injury
A. Sudden
B. Unguarded movement involving backward bending, side bending, and/or rotation with little
or no trauma.
Symptoms and signs
A. Certain specific passive and active movements.
B. Resisted and painful.
Evaluation
A. Position change.
B. Loss of mobility in specific pattern.
Treatment
A. Mobilization.
B. Traction.
2. Facet joint sprain
Mechanism of injury: trauma history.
Symptoms and signs
A. Joint sprain with effusion in and around the joint.
B. More generally movement restricted and involved more than one specific unilateral segment.
Treatment
A. Rest.
B. Modalities.
C. Pain free movement.
D. Same principle of sprain management.
3. Joint hypomobility
Symptoms and signs
A. Prolonged immobilization usually secondary to injury or poor posture.
Evaluation
A. Limit active and passive movement.
B. Observation.
C. Spring test.
Treatment
A. Mobilization.
B. Stretch exercise.
C. Traction.
D. Modalities.
4. Joint hypermobility
Joint instability caused by
A. Prolonged posture problem.
B. Congenital defect.
C. Severe trauma.
Hypermobility can develop adjacent to a hypomobile segment.
Symptom and signs:
A. General soreness or pain (因為肌肉要一直收縮來維持穩定,因此容易 fatigue).
B. Cannot maintain any position too long.
C. Pain is worse following activity.
Evaluation
A. Observation.
B. Palpation.
C. Spring test.
Treatments
A. Muscle strengthening.
B. Support.
C. Surgical stabilization (severe case).
⚫ Degenerative joint / disc disease (DJD/DDD)
1. Mechanism of injury
Facet osteoarthritis.
Intervertebral joint spondylosis.
A chronic and commonly progressive degeneration of facet joints and/or intervertebral disc.
Frequently an associated osteophytosis of the adjacent vertebrae.
2. Causes
Natural process of aging and is often symptom free joints continually exposed to trauma.
Develops as the result of hypomobility or hypermobility.
The size of intervertebral foramen decreasing,
3. Symptoms and signs
Morning stiffness.
Pain with movement (especially in extension)
Hypomobility (more commonly) or hypermobility.
Pain with or without radiculopathy and neurological sign.
4. Evaluation
Tender to palpate joints.
Movement test: extension more pain.
SLR test
Neurological sign test: dermatome, myotome, DTR.
X ray findings.
5. Treatments
Mobilization
Manual or mechanical traction.
Exercise for flexibility, strengthening, stabilization.
Modalities.
No loading.
⚫ Disc herniation (herniation intervertebral disc, HIVD)
1. Mechanism of injury
A displacement of nuclear material beyond the normal confines of the annulus there is a bulge in
the annulus, but no material escapes through the annular fibers.
Posterior or posterolateral protrusions are most common.
2. Herniation severity
With protrusion without or with spinal nerve root involvement.
With extrusion or sequestration.
A. Herniation of the L4–L5 disc compresses the fifth lumbar root.
B. Massive central sequestration of the L4–L5 disc involves all of the nerve roots in the cauda
equina and may result in bowel and bladder paralysis.
6. Treatments
Patient education.
Increase lumbar lordosis.
Correct lateral shift.
Extension exercise.
Traction.
Corset.
Modality.
Operation.
⚫ Osteoporosis and compression fracture
Osteoporosis
➢ 2005-2008 年國民營養調查報告指出 50 歲以上男女骨鬆症盛行率分別為 23.9%及 38.3%
➢ 依 2006 年台灣平均壽命女性為 80.8 歲及男性 74.6 歲推估 而言,大約三分之一的台灣婦
女在一生中會發生一次脊椎體、髖部或腕部之骨折;男性也約有五分之一的風險
➢ 骨質疏鬆症的篩檢
1. 個人生活習慣與家族史、個人疾病史與藥物史 (明顯之風險因子)
2. 現在身高以及年輕時身高 (差 3 公分以上)
3. 體重資料(過輕 BMI<18.5 或 過重)
4. 頭枕部與牆間距(wall-occiput distance, WOD>3 cm)
5. 肋骨下緣與骨盆間距 (rib-pelvis distance, RPD<2 cm)
➢ 危險因子
1. 過去骨折史
2. 吸菸、喝酒
3. 類固醇
4. 類風濕性關節炎
1. The clinical definition of osteoporosis is based on bone densitometry with dual X-ray
absorptiometry (DXA).
Between 1.0 and -1.0 standard deviation (SD) is normal bone density.
Between -1.0 to -2.5 SD is osteopenia.
Below -2.5 SD is osteoporosis.
2. Male: female = 2 : 8.
Most common areas: proximal femur, vertebrae, distal forearm, proximal humerus, pelvic.
3. Mechanism of injury: common in senile or postmenopausal.
4. Compression fracture areas: lower thoracic and high lumbar region.