Back pain is one of the most common reasons for primary care visits. Most people at some point in their lives will experience some form of back pain. Back pain can be mild or severe, pass quickly or last long enough to significantly impact your quality of life.
If you suffer from a back, neck or spine disorder, the Michigan Medicine Comprehensive Spine Program can help improve your quality of life with treatment from our multidisciplinary team and medical or surgical treatment options.
Lumbar degenerative disc disease is a chronic (ongoing) degenerative condition of the lumbar spine that affects the vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs of the low back. The discs lose water content and shrink, and spurs often form as osteoarthritis develops.
A herniated disc occurs when the soft inner nucleus of the vertebral disc in the spine pushes through the outer wall. The condition usually occurs in the lower back but it can also occur in the neck. The herniation can result in a large bulge that can press against nearby nerve roots causing pain.
University of Michigan Health has been a pioneer in orthopaedic surgery care, research and education since 1930. Our surgeons have the resources and expertise to perform all surgical procedures, from the simplest to the most complex.
The sacroiliac joint (SI joint) is the joint that connects the spine to the pelvis and serves primarily for weight bearing. When the SI joint is painful, activities such as walking, sitting and standing can stress it, causing worsening pain.
After a trauma, a large cut or surgery around the nerves, scar tissue forms. Scar tissue is both good and bad. It helps the nerve attach to nearby structures, but when the patient moves, pressure is placed on the nerve because the scar tissue can pull on the nerve. Even without movement, the scar tissue can reduce the nerve's blood supply. All of this can cause significant nerve pain.
Sciatica is a common form of back pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body. Irritation of any of the nerve roots that contribute to it can lead to back pain that travels through the buttock and into the lower extremity.
The vertebral body is the weight-supporting, solid central part of a vertebra (any of 33 bones of the spinal column). A vertebral body compression fracture is when a break collapses one or more vertebrae of the spine. Vertebral compression fractures are often linked to osteoporosis or thinning of the bone tissue over time. Such fractures may also be caused by trauma.
