What are the main causes of lumbar osteophyte formation? Lumbar osteophyte formation, also known as hypertrophic lumbar spondylosis, proliferative spondylosis, lumbar bone spur, or osteophyte, is a common degenerative osteoarthritis. In essence, it is a compensatory change. The condition has a prolonged course and is difficult to cure, often leading to lower back and leg pain, which can be challenging for doctors to treat. The spine is one of the largest weight-bearing bones in the human body. Long-term excessive pressure can lead to degenerative changes in the bones. Among the vertebrae, the lumbar vertebrae bear the greatest pressure, making lumbar osteophyte formation one of the most common diseases causing lower back pain.
The main causes of lumbar osteophyte formation are as follows:
1. With age, there are aging changes in endocrine, immune system, and bone metabolism, leading to gradual degeneration of intervertebral discs.
2. Abnormal use, including external injuries such as acute injuries, chronic strain, and chronic cumulative injuries, can cause imbalance in internal stress within the intervertebral joints. This leads to lumbar degeneration, proliferation, and instability of the intervertebral joints.
In daily life and work, the lumbar segment of the spine serves as the central axis of the entire body's activities and is the primary load-bearing part of the spine. Therefore, the lumbar vertebrae bear the most weight, support the heaviest loads, and experience the strongest internal stress. Especially during complex mechanical activities involving compression, flexion, and twisting of the lumbar intervertebral discs, they are most susceptible to abnormal compressive stress, tensile stress, and shear stress, leading to degenerative changes in the lumbar intervertebral discs. This results in narrowing of the intervertebral space and further triggers proliferation at the edges of the vertebral bodies and joint processes. The mechanism of lumbar vertebral osteophyte formation involves various forms of bone spurs due to degenerated vertebrae. Lumbar osteophyte formation mainly manifests as lower back pain, stiffness in the waist, and sometimes numbness or tightness in the legs. The degree of pain varies; morning stiffness and soreness in the waist may improve with slight activity. Pain worsens with increased load and activity. When the lumbar spine becomes unstable, even minor movements or disturbances can cause acute lower back pain. Some patients experience sudden sharp pain during an acute episode, making it difficult to turn over and exacerbating the pain.
What are the main causes of lumbar osteophyte formation? Patients often toss and turn in their sleep, feeling uncomfortable after maintaining one position for too long. Most patients suffer from chronic lower back pain or chronic low back and leg pain, which can spread to one or both buttocks, sometimes reaching below the knees. Half of the patients experience numbness in the legs, making walking difficult. X-ray images may show lip-like bone proliferation at the edges of the lumbar vertebral bodies, narrowing of the intervertebral spaces, hardening and sharpening of the small joints, and the formation of bone spurs.
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