Age-related disc wear in the lower back, also called lumbar spondylosis. Far less alarming than the name sounds.
Pain shooting down one leg, often with numbness or pins and needles.
Legs that ache or give way after walking a short distance, and ease when you sit or bend forward.
What a slipped disc actually is, anywhere in the spine, and why most heal on their own.
One vertebra slides forward over the one below, causing back pain and leg symptoms.
A rare emergency: sudden pressure on the nerves at the bottom of the spine. Know the warning signs.
Everyday wear and tear in the neck — the most common cause of neck pain after 40.
A disc in the neck bulges and presses on a nerve. Most settle without surgery.
Pain, tingling or weakness running from the neck down into one arm.
The canal carrying the spinal cord narrows with age, crowding the cord and nerves.
Clumsy hands, buttons getting harder, unsteady walking — pressure on the spinal cord itself.
Neck pain and stiffness after a road accident or sudden jolt.
The most common curve in teenagers, usually spotted by a parent or at a school check.
Curves in children with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy or spina bifida, with the benefits and risks of surgery.
A curve caused by vertebrae that formed differently before birth.
Thin, weaker bones that break easily. Common, easy to check for and very treatable.
Sudden back pain after a minor fall or even a cough, when bone has thinned.
Cancer that has spread to the spine from elsewhere, such as the breast, prostate or lung.
Still common in India. Treatable — most patients never need surgery if caught early.
Spine fractures from falls and road accidents, and what recovery realistically looks like.
How long-standing rheumatoid arthritis can affect the neck, and why it needs watching.
Extra bone forming along the spine, often found by chance on an X-ray.