The bones don't really fuse per se, at least not in the complete way they would in a surgical fusion, but if in the case of spinal stenosis the vertebrae have a lot of friction and arthritis, they can form osteophytes (commonly called bone spurs) and these osteophytes can sometimes become very large and sort of naturally fuse vertebrae in a spot. Think of it like a long bone scar that reaches up to the next bone, if that makes sense.
This would not be a common situation. It is much more likely in ankylosing spondylosis, another autoimmune disease.
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Hi Anon
The bones don't really fuse per se, at least not in the complete way they would in a surgical fusion, but if in the case of spinal stenosis the vertebrae have a lot of friction and arthritis, they can form osteophytes (commonly called bone spurs) and these osteophytes can sometimes become very large and sort of naturally fuse vertebrae in a spot. Think of it like a long bone scar that reaches up to the next bone, if that makes sense.
This would not be a common situation. It is much more likely in ankylosing spondylosis, another autoimmune disease.
October 8, 2010 - 6:41amThis Comment
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