Türk Nöroşirürji Dergisi 2016 , Vol 26 , Num 2
Lumbar Disc Herniation in a 16-year-old Child: Case Report
Ahmet EROĞLU1, Alparslan ÇARLI2, Serkan DEMİR3, Cem ATABEY4, Bülent DÜZ5
1Van Asker Hastanesi, Beyin ve Sinir Cerrahisi Servisi, Van, Türkiye
2GATA Haydarpaşa Eğitim Hastanesi, Fizik Tedavi ve Rehabilitasyon Servisi, İstanbul, Türkiye
3GATA Haydarpaşa Eğitim Hastanesi, Nöroloji Servisi, İstanbul, Türkiye
4Mevki Asker Hastanesi, Beyin ve Sinir Cerrahisi Servisi, Ankara, Türkiye
5GATA Haydarpaşa Eğitim Hastanesi, Beyin ve Sinir Cerrahisi Servisi, İstanbul, Türkiye
Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a clinical condition caused by the herniated disc tissue compressing the spinal roots and it is characterized by low back and leg pain. It is a common entity and causes significant labor loss. Patient age is usually between 25 and 50 years. LDH is also seen in adolescents and in childhood, but rarely requires surgical treatment.

We present a 16-year-old male patient who underwent surgery with the diagnosis of LDH. He had low back and leg pain for the past 2 years starting after a wrestling match. He declared that he had lifted his opponent during the match. His complaints did not improve after medical and physical therapy. On physical examination, lumbar movements were painful, straight leg raising test was positive at 30 degrees on the right and right ankle dorsiflexion had a 4/5 muscle strength. A foraminal disc herniation at the level of L4-5 on the right was determined on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). He underwent microdiscectomy and L5 was relieved. His leg pain relieved after the surgery and at the 1-month follow-up visit he declared that his complaints had resolved completely. Control examination revealed 5/5 muscle strength at right ankle dorsiflexion.

Lack of necessary technical knowledge and insufficient warm-up before sports that require heavy physical activity-like wrestling may cause LDH. Surgery is inevitable if radiculopathy and motor deficiency exist and if medical and physical therapy fail. Anahtar Kelimeler : Lumbar disc herniation, Magnetic resonance imaging, Microdiscectomy