The most common complaint of patients is pain secondary to an underlying inflammation caused by a compressed structure within or around the spine.  Pain can also be due to an instability in the architecture of the spine causing inadvertent compression of the sensitive parts of the spine. Instability can also bring about poor posture in many patients.  There are instances when poor posture is considered a deformity.  When the spinal cord and the nerves inside the spine are significantly compressed, patients may develop weakness that could progress to paralysis if the neural structures invovled are continuously irritated.  "Cauda equina syndrome" is a special spine condition that should be treated with urgency.  It is an ominous sign when weakness can transform to paralysis with little hope of recovery. Pain, deformity, weakness and paralysis, each taken alone by itself or in any combination can lead to varying degrees of disability and render "poor quality of life" for our patients.