Degenerative Spine
A 68-year-old man presents with 12 months of progressive bilateral leg pain and heaviness that worsens with walking and standing, and is relieved by sitting or leaning forward on a shopping cart. He can walk only 100 meters before needing to rest. Examination shows normal pulses, mildly reduced ankle reflexes, and a positive stoop test. MRI shows multilevel central stenosis at L3-4, L4-5, and L5-S1 with ligamentum flavum hypertrophy and facet arthropathy. Regarding lumbar spinal stenosis:
Mark each as TRUE or FALSE
Lumbar spinal stenosis is the most common reason for spine surgery in patients over 65; it results f...
Neurogenic claudication is the classic presentation: bilateral leg pain, heaviness, or weakness with...
Lumbar stenosis is rare in elderly patients; symptoms worsen with flexion and improve with extension...
Conservative treatment includes physical therapy (flexion-based exercises), NSAIDs, epidural steroid...
Surgical options include laminectomy (with or without fusion), laminotomy, and minimally invasive de...
Answer the questions to see explanations
Click T (True) or F (False) for each option