- DM > 10 years
- chronic hyperglycaemia
- impaired vision or joint mobility
- lack education
- increasing age
- previous amputation
- blood flow
- soft tissue envelope
- deformities / Charcot collapse
- sensation
- contractures - Achilles tendon, knee, toe
Sciatica > 2/52 1.6%
M:F = 1:1
Most common L4/5
L5/S1 inherently stable
Sedentary lifestyle
Smokers
Frequent driving
Heavy lifting
Annulus Fibrosis
- circumferential, multilayered rim
Pus collection in the epidural space
Usually haemotogenous seeding
Very rare
- 37 / 1 000 000 patients with LBP
- 1 /10 000 admissions
- most common in old men
Average age 68 years
3/4 males
Rare in paediatrics