From year to year, the number of patients who suffer from problems with their own spine is increasing. Often the roots of pathology go back to orthopedic diseases that arose in childhood. However, older people are more likely to be at risk for spinal problems. Such diseases contribute to a radical decrease in the quality of life, ability to work and well-being, in addition, they can lead to complications and comorbidities.
To prevent all possible problems on the part of the spinal column, it is necessary to contact specialists at the first symptoms of the disease and identify them at the very initial stage. Among the non-invasive diagnostic techniques in modern medicine, an ultrasound examination of the lumbar spine stands out, which best demonstrates to specialists all the disorders in the functioning of this area. The technique is available in most institutions, since there is equipment for diagnostics. It is absolutely safe for patients and painless.
Indications and benefits of diagnosis
Ultrasound examination of the lumbar spine has many advantages over other diagnostic methods that medicine offers to use in this area. The ultrasonic wave is completely harmless to the patient, in contrast to the radiation that is on the human body when using x-rays or computed tomography. Ultrasound is allowed to be used by children of any age, as well as pregnant women. The number of diagnostic procedures may be limited only by the medical need to clarify some indicators of the study.
Another important advantage of ultrasound examination of the lumbar region is the fact that, unlike magnetic resonance imaging, where the quality of the results of the tomogram directly depends on the immobility of patients during the procedure, during ultrasound the patient can assume any position and move if his condition requires it. . Staying still in one position with lower back pain is not for everyone. In addition, magnetic resonance and computed tomography are very expensive diagnostic methods that are not available in every district clinic.
Lumbar ultrasound is more often prescribed by doctors for the following indications:
- the resulting backache, pain in this area, aching pain;
- pain in the area of the hip joint or in the gluteal muscle, in which there is a feeling of chilliness, stiffness or burning in the area under study;
- spondylarthrosis or osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, when it is necessary to accurately assess the degree of pathology that will have to be dealt with during treatment;
- protrusions, herniated discs;
- diagnosed signs of displacement of the vertebrae;
- signs of emerging narrowing of the spinal canal;
- age-related problems in cartilage or bone tissues;
- the presence of scoliosis, lordosis and pathological kyphosis;
- synovitis of various etiologies, including rheumatoid;
- neoplasms of various etiologies.
Ultrasound is useful after surgical interventions to evaluate the manipulation, monitor changes in the patient’s health status, as well as after manual therapy or traction sessions.
Preparation and procedure
To conduct an ultrasound examination of the lumbar spine, the patient must be sure to completely empty the intestines. 3 days before the proposed procedure, it is required to exclude foods with increased gas formation from the diet, such as carbonated drinks, raw vegetables and fruits, rye bread, legumes and others. With constant complaints of bloating, experts recommend that patients take sorbents for several days before the study. If the patient cannot cleanse the body on his own, then 12 hours before the start of the diagnosis, he is given cleansing enemas, after which he should not take any food before the start of the study.
As noted above, there are no medical contraindications for ultrasound examination in the studied area. The patient can sit or lie on his back during the procedure. During the diagnosis, a specialist examines the spinal canal, intervertebral discs and the region of the spinal nerves of the patient.
Ultrasound of the lumbar region can be performed by an anterior approach, when the ultrasonic probe is placed on the patient’s abdomen, or by a posterior approach, when an ultrasound probe in the lumbar region is applied to the back and information is obtained through the interarticular spaces.
Ultrasound of the lumbar spine is a highly informative method for examining patients with a clear visualization of various pathological conditions, such as the consequences of postpartum trauma in newborns, age-related diseases in the elderly, and others. Ultrasound helps to diagnose the occurrence of a hernia, determine the presence and localization of foci of inflammation, as well as the degree of abnormal processes in the intervertebral discs or in the patient’s cerebrospinal fluid, since when using this technique, all of the above problems are clearly visualized on the monitor connected to the ultrasound machine computer. Specialists can prescribe an ultrasound scan again to track the effect of the therapy prescribed to the patient, to adjust it. The results of ultrasound help specialists to accurately understand the picture of the disease, which contributes to the early diagnosis and the choice of an effective way to eliminate the pathology.