Abstract
Spondylosis is the term related to the degenerative changes that occur in the spine with aging, in all its segments. The majority of the population will have asymptomatic spondylosis. The most common symptoms of lumbar degenerative disease are back pain and radiculopathy and may be due to lumbar disc herniation and lumbar stenosis—the most common reasons for spinal surgery in the world. Lumbar disc herniation generally occurs in younger adults affecting the lower lumbar levels in most of the cases, whereas lumbar stenosis affects older patients. Lumbar radiculopathy secondary to disc herniation generally has a benign course, with symptomatic recovery in days or weeks with nonsurgical treatment. Surgery is indicated for those patients with severe pain refractory to medication and for those with progressive neurological deficits or cauda equina syndrome. Lumbar stenosis may require surgery in patients with refractory pain, functional limitation, or muscle weakness. Surgical treatment is based on decompressing the nerve roots.
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Joaquim, A.F., da Silva, O.T., Benkli, B., Lehman, R.A. (2019). Degenerative Lumbar Spine Disease. In: Joaquim, A., Ghizoni, E., Tedeschi, H., Ferreira, M. (eds) Fundamentals of Neurosurgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17649-5_15
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