PURPOSE To our knowledge, there is no published information on the efficacy of epidural steroid injections for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation in an athletic population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of epidural corticosteroid injection for treatment of lumbar disc herniation in a group of National Football League (NFL) players. METHODS We retrospectively revi...

OBJECTIVE To assess the clinical and radiological factors as predictors for successful outcomes in lumbar disc herniation (LDH) treatment. METHODS Two groups of patients with single level LDH (L4-5) requiring treatment were retrospectively studied. The surgery group (SG) included 34 patients, and 30 patients who initially refused the surgery were included in the nerve blocks group (NG). A vis...

Degeneration of the intervertebral disc from a combination of factors can result in herniation, particularly at the L4-5 and L5-S1 levels. The presence of pain, radiculopathy and other symptoms depends on the site and degree of herniation. A detailed history and careful physical examination, supplemented if necessary by magnetic resonance imaging, can differentiate a herniated lumbar disc from ...

INTRODUCTION In the large-scale case-control study EPILIFT, we investigated the dose-response relationship between lifestyle factors (weight, smoking amount, cumulative duration of different sports activities) and lumbar disc disease. METHODS In four German study regions (Frankfurt am Main, Freiburg, Halle/Saale, Regensburg), 564 male and female patients with lumbar disc herniation and 351 pa...

OBJECTIVE To prospectively assess the diagnostic and clinical value of a new technique (3-tesla magnetic resonance myelography, 3T MRM) as compared to computed tomographic discography (disco-CT) in patients with far lateral disc herniation. METHODS We evaluated 3T MRM and disco-CT of 25 patients, whom we suspected of suffering from far lateral disc herniation. Using an assessment scale, 4 obs...

INTRODUCTION To date, lumbar disc herniation has not been reported in the context of cystic fibrosis even though back pain and musculoskeletal problems are very common in patients with cystic fibrosis. CASE PRESENTATION We report on three patients with cystic fibrosis who experienced lumbar disc herniation in the course of their disease at ages 19 to 21 years (a 22-year-old Caucasian man, a 2...

Approximately 2.6 % of the US population visits a physician for treatment of spinal disorders annually (Fraser 2009 ) with costs of $7.1 billion from lost work days alone (Ricci et al. 2006 ) . “Herniation” of the intervertebral disc is one of the several spinal disorders that contribute to this very high incidence, with potential to cause signi fi cant pain, neurological de fi cit, and functio...

Intradural disc herniation is a serious and rare complication of intervertebral disc rupture. The preoperative diagnosis of intradural disc herniation is still difficult despite new neuroradiologic investigation possibilities including computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging and it is usually diagnosed by during surgery. Here we present an intradural disc herniation case at the l...

Lumbar disc herniation is one of the most common spinal degenerative disorders which may lead to low back pain (LBP) and radicular leg pain. However, it remains difficult to diagnose a degenerative herniated disc as the LBP generator in clinical practice. The purpose of this study is to explore the characteristic changes of a herniated disc causing LBP on MRI and to clarify the underlying role ...