Lumbago and associated morbid anatomy of lumbar spinal canal and facet joints

Lumbago is the pain of variable duration in the lumbar region of dorsal spine. It is a leading cause of physical morbidity and disability. In recent times it has become a major medical concern across the globe specially in developed and industrialized countries. The ailment is of multifactorial origin but the degenerative changes are on the pinnacle. Out of the three major degenerative changes, viz: disc degeneration, spinal stenosis and facet joint arthrosis, the later two have been reviewed and analyzed in detail as a part of Ph.D thesis work of the second author under supervision of the first author. On analysis, it is found that: a. With the advent of recent imaging techniques there has been a major paradigm shift in the diagnosis and treatment of lumbago. b. Spinal stenosis with facet joint arthrosis is always associated with lumbago whereas spinal stenosis alone may or may not be. c. The kinesiology of the spine plays an important role in the degenerative process of the spine.