Lumbar interspinous ligament edema

Edema is a common occurrence in the human body, but the most common edema is facial edema and calf edema. These can be observed with the naked eye, but I don’t know if you have heard that ligaments can also suffer from edema. There is an area on the lumbar spine called the interspinous area, which is surrounded by many ligaments. So what should we do when the interspinous ligaments of the lumbar spine become edematous?

1. Supraspinal ligamentitis: chronic injury of the supraspinal ligament. It is common in desk workers who bend over for long periods of time without paying attention to their working posture. It manifests as back pain or lumbar pain, and the pain point and tenderness are often limited to a small point on the spinous process or supraspinal ligament. Local blockade therapy (injection of hydrocortisone acetate) or physical therapy have certain therapeutic effects. This disease mainly relies on prevention, and it is very important to avoid bending over a desk for long periods of time.

[Overview] Supraspinal ligamentitis, commonly known as acanthitis, is a common clinical disease. Supraspinal ligament inflammation of thoracic 3-4 and 4-5 is mainly caused by working with head buried or bent over for a long time without paying attention to the working posture. Supraspinal ligament inflammation of the lumbar region is more common after middle age.

[Diagnostic points] The patient complained of back or waist pain with no obvious history of injury.

Examination showed no local redness or swelling, and pain and tenderness were limited to the spinous process and supraspinous ligament.

2. Supraspinal ligament injury: caused by sudden excessive flexion of the spine, direct impact from the back, or repeated and continuous flexion and traction. According to the degree of injury, it can be divided into complete fracture and incomplete fracture; according to the urgency of onset, it can be divided into acute sprain and chronic strain. In cases of complete rupture, there will be local kyphosis, swelling, tenderness, and widening of the interspinous process spaces. Other types only have local congestion and edema and localized tenderness, which worsens when bending over. Acute rupture requires bed rest for 4 to 6 weeks. If non-surgical treatment fails, ligament reconstruction can be performed.

Supraspinal ligament injury refers to the tearing of the supraspinal ligament due to trauma or strain or inflammatory degeneration and calcification. It is a common disease that occurs more frequently in young and middle-aged manual laborers. If the treatment is not thorough, it will often develop into chronic strain and cause pain in the lower back.