A lot is said and written about back pain. The topic is always popular because at any given time large portion of population is affected by low back pain. Four our of five adults will experience significant low back pain sometime during their life. Another reason is that more people now in industrialized world live longer lives then ever before in the history of humankind. Longer "mileage" leads to more wear and tear and in a lot of cases more pains and aches that are not resolved with common remedies.

Technological advances deeply influence field of surgical treatments of spine related pain. Artificial discs recently had been approved by FDA, more traditional surgeries such as spinal fusions and laminectomies are becoming more commonplace. Still surgery carries risk and many people prefer to try full gamete of noninvasive as well as minimally invasive treatments before they make their decision to have surgery.

Given wide variety of choices it is not suprising that it is difficult for a low back pain sufferer to pick and choose which device to use, which commercial to trust and which practitioner to go to. 21 Century is also age of information technology and it seems logical to go to Internet for information. It may not be as simple as it seems though; today I typed "low back pain" into one of the popular search engines Google and in 0.12 seconds I had 10,300,000 search results to read through.

On many occasions patients present to our clinic with results of radiological tests describing their anatomy. I believe

these tests should be explained to patients in as much detail as possible so patients understand what it is exactly happening to them. Most radiological tests of patients with low back pain will be related to their lumbar spine. Here is common terminology found in reports of MRI's, CT scans, myelograms and X-rays:

• lumbar vertebrae - these are bones stacked one upon the other, connecting the upper spine to the pelvis; there are five of them
• inter vertebral disks - acting both as cushions and stabilizers to protect the lumbar vertebrae; they are shock absorbers; there are six of them on the lumbar spine level.
• spinal cord and nerves - the "electric cables" which travel through a central canal in the lumbar vertebrae, connecting your brain to the muscles of your legs.
• small joints - allowing functional movement and providing stability, they are called facet joints.
• muscles and ligaments - providing strength and power and at the same time support and stability; there are many of them.
• blood vessels - aorta is a major blood vessel that transports blood to the lower extremities and passes in front of the lumbar spine into the abdomen and pelvis. In some cases low back pain may be caused by problems with aorta.  
  
  The low back, or lumbar area, serves many important functions for the human body. These functions are not different from functions of any other major anatomic region: they include structural support, movement, and protection of body tissues.

When we stand, the lower back is functioning to hold the weight of the body, most of this function is performed by lumbar spine. When we bend, extend or rotate at the waist, the lower back is involved in the movement and again, lumbar spine is playing a pivotal role. Protecting the soft tissues of the nervous system and spinal cord as well as adjacent organs of the pelvis and abdomen is another critical function the lumbar spine and its adjacent muscles. As you can see, lumbar area of human body is intricately engineered composition of bones, connective tissue, nerves, muscles, vascular structures that usually work in harmony without "owner" of this area realizing it. As soon as one part of this arrangement is out of tune, other parts are not able to function properly and person starts having pain.

Taking all this into consideration a lot of people would like somebody with the knowledge and experience in the field to be their guide, to help them choose the treatment best fitted to their specific problem, their lifestyle and beliefs. Practitioner involved in treatment of low back disorders should be aware of all the complexities of spine structure and disorders affecting it.

Medical doctors are uniquely positioned for diagnosing and treating spine disorders. Our training incorporates use of diagnostic studies, medications and interventions.