Cureus· 2021
Limbus Vertebra
- 3citations
- 2021year
Short summary
Limbus vertebra, a condition often overlooked and misdiagnosed in teenage athletes with back pain, can be identified through clinical examination and may not require extensive imaging if pain is not recalcitrant.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Limbus vertebra can cause back pain in teenage athletes, especially those with repetitive spinal extension activities.
- Clinical examination, including a positive stork test, may suggest spondylolysis, prompting consideration of limbus vertebra.
- The condition is often unrecognized and misdiagnosed by clinicians.
- A conservative treatment approach is typically appropriate for limbus vertebra.
- Early identification can prevent costly and time-consuming diagnostic workups.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Athletes in their teenage years can present to clinics with back pain, without any history of trauma. Many sports require repetitive spinal extension, which may be pertinent to the evaluation of back pain as a chief complaint. Musculoskeletal and neurologic examinations are crucial in the evaluation of athletes presenting with back pain. Most back pain cases are caused by benign conditions that resolve with conservative treatment. However, radiographic imaging may be appropriate to look for possible spondylolysis in teenage athletes who perform repetitive extension in their sports, and who present with a positive stork test on examination. Limbus vertebra is a condition that can be seen in asymptomatic patients but can also be associated with back pain. Nevertheless, a conservative approach is still appropriate in these cases, with escalation to further testing or imaging only considered for recalcitrant pain. Limbus vertebra is not well known by clinicians and can be misdiagnosed. Therefore, early recognition is crucial to potentially prevent an unnecessary cascade of increasing expenses related to time, effort, medications, and resources to find the diagnosis when conservative treatment is preferred.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Cureus, 2021 · DOI ↗
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