A lipoma is a growth of fat cells in a thin, fibrous capsule usually found just below the skin. Lipomas are found most often on the torso, neck, upper thighs, upper arms, and armpits, but they can occur almost anywhere in the body. One or more lipomas may be present at the same time. Lipomas are the most common noncancerous soft tissue growth. http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/lipoma-topic-overview
Spina bifida (SB) is part of a group of birth defects called neural tube defects. The neural tube is the embryonic structure that eventually develops into the baby’s brain and spinal cord and the tissues that enclose them. Normally, the neural tube forms early in the pregnancy and closes by the 28th day after conception. In babies with spina bifida, a portion of the neural tube fails to develop or close properly, causing defects in the spinal cord and in the bones of the backbone. Spina bifida occurs in various forms of severity. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/spina-bifida/DS00417
Tethered spinal cord syndrome is a neurological disorder caused by tissue attachments that limit the movement of the spinal cord within the spinal column. These attachments cause an abnormal stretching of the spinal cord. This syndrome is closely associated with spina bifida. It is estimated that 20 to 50 percent of children with spina bifida defects repaired shortly after birth will require surgery at some point to untether the spinal cord.
The lower tip of the spinal cord is normally located opposite the disc between the first and second lumbar vertebrae in the upper part of the lower back. In people with spina bifida (myelomeningocele), the spinal cord fails to separate from the skin of the back during development, preventing it from ascending normally, so the spinal cord is low-lying or tethered. In patients with a lipomyelomeningocele, the spinal cord will have fat at the tip and this may connect to the fat which overlies the thecal sac (a fluid filled sac that the spinal cord “floats” within.)
Although the skin is separated and closed at birth, the spinal cord stays in the same location after the closure. As the child continues to grow, the spinal cord can become stretched, causing damage and interfering with the blood supply to the spinal cord. http://www.aans.org/en/Patient%20Information/Conditions%20and%20Treatments/Tethered%20Spinal%20Cord%20Syndrome.aspx
Pain Management (PM): Pain Management is a medical approach that draws on disciplines in science and alternative healing to study the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of pain. For painful spine and musculoskeletal disorders, pain management is employed as an aggressive conservative (nonsurgical) care program that helps to identify the source of neck and back pain and rehabilitate the patient as an alternative or follow-up to surgery. A physician who is practicing pain medicine or pain management is usually an anesthesiologist who has been certified or trained on the relief and/or management of pain. A physiatrist may also specialize in pain medicine. Pain management programs can employ massage therapy, analgesic medications, physical therapy, and epidural steroid injections, among others to treat back pain. http://www.spine-health.com/glossary/pain-managementpain-medicine
Chronic Pain (CP):
- Chronic pain is often defined as any pain lasting more than 12 weeks. Whereas acute pain is a normal sensation that alerts us to possible injury, chronic pain is very different. Chronic pain persists—often for months or even longer.
- Chronic pain may arise from an initial injury, such as a back sprain, or there may be an ongoing cause, such as illness. However, there may also be no clear cause. Other health problems, such as fatigue, sleep disturbance, decreased appetite, and mood changes, often accompany chronic pain. Chronic pain may limit a person’s movements, which can reduce flexibility, strength, and stamina. This difficulty in carrying out important and enjoyable activities can lead to disability and despair. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/spring11/articles/spring11pg5-6.html
Christina Shuffle 