Spina Bifida Occulta

Hi,

I fell over the weekend and I was hurting bad enough to go to an urgent care facility. They took xrays and the results were:
Spina Bifida Occulta S1
Mild levoscoliotic curvature with max convex at L4
Mild degenerative disc disease at L3-L4 and L4-L5
Facet arthrosis at L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S1.

Also my hip joint on the right is smaller than the left and it feels like that leg is longer.

I know what most of that means but what do all of tose mean together?

Thank you,
Melissa

[dr_simran]

Hello mimi1313,

Spina bifida occulta is an incomplete closure of the laminar arches of the spine. It results in a small separation or gap in one or more of the vertebrae of the spine. It is most common at the caudal aspect of the spine and usually discovered accidentally on x-ray. Usually such patients are asymptomatic. The pain may be due to the new bone formation which may be causing nerve compression leading to pain in hips and buttocks. This could the reason for the associated abnormality and the pain as well. Take ibuprofen for the pain relief

Best