Although leg pain is common and usually goes away without surgery, cauda equina syndrome, a rare disorder affecting the bundle of nerve roots (cauda equina) at the lower (lumbar) end of the spinal cord, is a surgical emergency.

Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a rare but serious low back disorder that requires immediate medical attention. 

Chiari malformation is a condition that causes brain tissue to settle into the spinal canal.

Tailbone pain can make sitting and leaning back very uncomfortable. But on the bright side, most people with tailbone pain respond very well to conservative treatment.

Congenital scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine that is caused by a defect that was present at birth.

Sooner or later, your spinal discs – the shock absorbing pads between each vertebra – start to wear out. That can lead to degenerative disc disease (DDD).

As part of the normal aging process, progressive changes develop in the discs that cushion each vertebra.

If the disc herniates near the spinal canal, the nucleus can squeeze out and put pressure on the spinal canal or nerve, causing symptoms that radiate away from the herniation.

Like any part of the body, the spine can become infected. Although spinal infections are uncommon, when they occur, they can be devastating.

Drop foot and foot drop are interchangeable terms that describe an abnormal neuromuscular (nerve and muscle) disorder that affects the patient's ability to raise their foot at the ankle.