Cases Study

Patient- Ann was a competitive long distance runner thought her entire
life. She started the sport when she was only in middle school, she then
became good enough to run in college. Ann began to feel discomfort in her
later college years. After years and years of running she thought it was just
simple wear and tear. After college she still loved the sport so much she
decided to get into marathon running. This is when her symptoms really
started to show. Being a determined athlete she deals with the pain for years
and years, only getting worse.

Pathophysiology- What Ann didnt know for years is she has an

extreme case of spinal spondylolisthesis. This is when one of the vertebra is
slipping over another. This creates extreme pressure on the spinal cord called spinal
stenosis.

Signs/Symptoms-

Anns first symptoms began while running, a little

pain soon turned into a lot of pain. Then she started to feel numbness in her
lower legs and feet when running downhill. Ann developed a motor
deficiency called foot drop. After this Ann decided that it was time to see a
doctor These Symptoms are spot on for a case of spondylolisthesis. In some
rare and extreme cases, patients can become paralyzed.

Diagnosis-

The most effective way to diagnose spondylolisthesis is by

X-Ray. The X-Ray allows the doctor to see which vertebras are the issue, and
to what grade the vertebra are overlapping.

Medical/Surgical Treatment-

When the symptoms got bad

enough Ann first went to a Physical therapist in order to strengthen her core
muscles, which takes strain off of her lumbar region. Strong pain medications
can be prescribed, but Ann tried to avoid them as much as possible. After the
first round of Physical therapy, the doctors knew she was in need of surgery.
Usually a good surgeon will want to stay away from surgery, but Ann was in
dire need. This surgery will fuse the bones together and not allow them to
move. This takes away all the pain and is very reliable with strong metal
plates, but will restrict flexibility.

Prognosis-

There is a surprisingly short recovery time for this surgery,

but it is depending on how many vertebra where fused. After a full recover
there is virtually no pain for a successful surgery. This procedure also has a
very high success rate, with only 8-10% of patients returning complaining or
reoccurring pain.

Physiological/Social- After Anns surgery she went back to running

marathons with no pain to complain about. There are virtually no lifestyle
changes after this procedure.

Work CitedHutchenson, Ann H. "Ann's Story." Athlete's Degenerative Disc Disease & INFUSE
Bone Graft Success Story. Medtronic, 22 Sept. 2010. Web. 06 Oct. 2015.
"Spondylolisthesis Symptoms, Causes, Treatment - What Is the Treatment for
Spondylolisthesis? What Type of Surgery Treats Spondylolisthesis? - MedicineNet."
MedicineNet. Medcine Net, 23 June 2012. Web. 06 Oct. 2015.
Rich, Mark. "Spondylolisthesis Causes, Symptoms, Treatments." WebMD. WebMD, 13
Nov. 2013. Web. 06 Oct. 2015