Editor: Scott D. Boden, MD
A truly global perspective on the lumbar spine with contributions from over 200 international experts.
The International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine and Data Trace Internet Publishing, LLC are pleased to present the Lumbar Spine Online Textbook. This work is being hosted on the world renowned Wheeless’ Textbook of Orthopaedics website, catering to orthopaedic surgeons with an array of free, educational resources.
The Lumbar Spine Online Textbook is a “living” work that is continually updated to stay current and relevant. All chapters are with an evidence-based focus and feature richly illustrated figures, diagrams, and tables.
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Editors
Contributors
Preface
Contents
Section 1: Anatomy Section Editor: R. Shane Tubbs Chapter 1: Anatomy of the Lumbar Intervertebral Discs by Erfanul Saker and R. Shane Tubbs Chapter 2: The Ligaments of the Lumbar Vertebrae by Lydia Jones and R. Shane Tubbs Chapter 3: Anatomy of the Lumbar Nerves by Jaspreet Johal and R. Shane Tubbs Section 2: Basic … Read more
Editor: Scott D. Boden, MD Associate Editors: Robert Hart, MD Keith Luk, MD Robert Gunzburg, MD Section Editors: Chris Ames, MD Howard An, MD Ulrich Berleman, MD Helena Brisby, MD Elaine Buchanan, MD Helton L.A. Delfino, MD Ashish Diwan, PhD Eric Hurwitz, MD Norio Kawahara, MD Michael Kelly, MD Hubert Labelle, MD Teija Lund, MD … Read more
Editor: Scott D. Boden, MD A truly global perspective on the lumbar spine with contributions from over 200 international experts. The International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine and Data Trace Internet Publishing, LLC are pleased to present the Lumbar Spine Online Textbook. This work is being hosted on the world renowned Wheeless’ … Read more
Erfanul Saker and R. Shane Tubbs INTRODUCTION One of the major public health problems affecting Western industrialized societies is back pain, causing more global disability than any other condition worldwide.1 It places an enormous socioeconomic burden on the individual and health care system due to costs related to loss in working hours as well as … Read more
Lydia Jones and R. Shane Tubbs INTRODUCTION As with the other regions of the spine, the lumbar vertebrae rely on a robust collection of soft tissues to maintain their structural integrity during load bearing and movement. Of these soft tissues, the lumbar vertebral ligaments play a very important role. These highly specialized structures allow for … Read more
Jaspreet Johal and R. Shane Tubbs* OVERVIEW There are many nerves that serve the lumbar region. The spinal cord terminates in this area as the conus medullaris (Fig. 3-1), which in most individuals is located between the L1 and L2 vertebrae. Within the spinal dura mater, the spinal cord and its dorsal and ventral rootlets … Read more
Minna Kraatari, Sini Skarp, Minna Männikkö, Jaro Karppinen, Frances Williams INTRODUCTION TO GENETICS The genome is the complete set of genetic information stored as deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) in the nucleus of cells. The nucleic acid sequence of the genome determines the recipe for life: the instructions for each protein and ribonucleic acid (RNA) are stored … Read more
Hardeep Singh and Isaac L. Moss INTRODUCTION The axial spine is separated into three regions: cervical, thoracic, and lumbar which are comprised of 7, 12, and 5 vertebrae, respectively.1 The intervertebral disc (IVD) separates each vertebra except C1-C2. Three articulations are present at each level consisting of two facet joints formed from the articulation of … Read more
Seiji Ohtori, Yasuchika Aoki and Sumihisa Orita Specimens from humans and animal models are known to have revealed sensory innervation of lumbar intervertebral discs and sensory nerve ingrowth into the inner layer of intervertebral discs under painful conditions. Proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-a and interleukins induce this abnormal nerve ingrowth. Nerve growth factor … Read more
Ana V. Chee, Chundo Oh, Di Chen, Howard S. An INTRODUCTION The disc is composed of a gelatinous-like core tissue, nucleus pulposus (NP), surrounded by a tough outer tissue, annulus fibrosus (AF). The unique consistency of the NP is mainly due to its components—hydrophilic proteoglycan molecules and a loose network of collagens, mainly collagen type … Read more