No. These two situations are different from each other. However, there is a mistaken belief among the public that these two situations are the same. Lumbar hernia can be defined as the protrusion of the cartilage between the two vertebrae, that is, the disc cushion, while spondylolisthesis is the forward sliding of the upper vertebra relative to the lower vertebra.
There are 5 types of spondylolistheses. However, the most common of these conditions are degenerative spondylolisthesis, Post-surgical spondylolisthesis and deviations due to congenital problems in the vertebra in childhood. Apart from these common slips, slips seen after impacts, slips due to urine or inflammation can also be mentioned.
Sometimes a patient may have both herniated disc and spondylolisthesis. In this case, symptoms due to both hernia and slippage may occur.
The first and most important finding is low back pain. Many patients state that they do not have back pain when they lie down, but that these pains manifest themselves when turning in bed, straightening, and doing work at home. Pain, numbness and loss of strength may occur in the leg as a result of the compression of the nerves or stretching due to slipping.
The severity of the complaint and whether the slippage causes waist instability (slackness in the waist) affect the decision on this issue, especially in the case of waist slips in old age. If the pain does not pass despite everything, if leg pain is added, and if there is instability, surgery should be planned.
If there are lumbar slips in old age, accompanying lumbar hernias or stenosis in the lumbar spine, and if an operation is to be performed to relieve pressure due to these complaints, an intervention should be made for slipping. In this case, the sliding vertebrae are fixed to each other with screws. If there is no other concomitant disease and therefore no action is taken to relieve the pressure, firstly medication, physical therapy and treatment with a corset are planned. Despite all efforts, if the pain persists and slackness is clearly observed in the waist, the intervention should be applied. This attempt consists only of fixing the vertebrae to each other.
Spondylolisthesis seen in childhood occurs as a result of incomplete development of the bony structure. In this case, first of all, exercise and gymnastics that increase pain and slippage are avoided. In general, the progression of pain and slippage is prevented in many patients with simple precautions. However, if the slip is increasing despite everything, an attempt should be made. In this case, the vertebrae are fixed to each other.