what diseases and disorders affect your lumbar spine?

• Lower back pain. Lower back pain is a common symptom of many different injuries and medical conditions. Common causes include degenerative conditions (osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, spinal stenosis, herniated disk, pinched nerve), back strains and sprains, spinal fractures, growths (tumors, cysts, bone spurs) and spondylolisthesis.

• Lumbar stenosis. Stenosis is a narrowing of the space around your spinal cord. In your lumbar spine, this means less space for the nerves that branch off of your spinal cord. A tightened space can cause your spinal cord or nerves to become irritated, compressed or pinched. The symptoms of lumbar stenosis include pain, numbness or weakness in your legs, groin, hips, buttocks and lower back. Symptoms usually worsen when walking or standing and might decrease when lying down, sitting or leaning slightly forward.

• Spondylolisthesis. This condition happens when a lumbar vertebra slips out of place relative to the vertebra below it. This can cause pressure on a nerve, which can cause lower back pain or leg pain.

• Vertebral compression fracture. A fracture to the bones of your spine can result from compression (often from minor trauma in a person with osteoporosis) or be a burst fracture (vertebra that is crushed in all directions), a fracture-dislocation (mostly from vehicle accidents or falls from heights) or result from a tumor on your spine.

• Sciatica. Sciatica, also called lumbar radiculopathy, is nerve pain due to injury or irritation to your sciatic nerve, which runs through your hips, buttocks and down each leg, ending in your foot. Causes include herniated disk, spondylolisthesis, osteoarthritis, trauma to your spine or nerve, tumor in your spinal canal, piriformis syndrome or cauda equina syndrome. Sciatica is also known as a type of nerve compression syndrome.

• Herniated disk. A herniated disk is a compressed or torn or leaking vertebral disk, which is the cushion between each vertebra. A herniated disk can cause back pain, tingling or numbness in your legs or feet and muscle weakness.

• Lumbar lordosis or “swayback.” This is an excessive curve in your lower back. Lordosis puts too much pressure on your lumbar vertebrae. It’s caused by disease, bad posture or excessive bending of your back.

• Muscle spasm. Large muscles support your lumbar spine region, allowing you to move your trunk in all directions. These muscles can spasm or become strained, which is a common cause of lower back pain

• Degenerative disk disease.Lumbar degenerative disk disease occurs when the disks in your lumbar spine wear down. The reduced space between the vertebrae may pinch spinal nerves, causing back pain. In this area, sciatica is the most common pinched nerve.

• Adult scoliosis. Scoliosis is an abnormal side-to-side curve to your spine. In adults, the lumbar spine is most at risk of scoliosis due to aging or degeneration of your spine.

• Cauda equina syndrome. This condition is caused by the compression of the collection of nerve roots that look like a horse’s tail, called the cauda equina. This condition causes pain, weakness, incontinence (leaking pee and poo problems) and other symptoms.