Spinal disorders are among the most common medical conditions with significant impact on health related quality of life, use of health care resources and socio-economic costs. Spinal surgery is still one of the fastest growing areas in clinical medicine. The increasing age of the population will require an increased need for the treatment of degenerative spinal disorders particularly spinal stenosis. Basic knowledge on the state of the art in diagnosis and treatment of spinal disorders is required not only for spine specialists but also for general orthopedic surgeons, rheumatologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, chiropractors, physiotherapists, basic scientists and health care executives to choose and/or evaluate appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. "Spinal Disorders" is an easily readable teaching tool focusing on fundamentals and basic principles. It provides a homogeneous syllabus with a consistent didactic strategy teaching fundamentals and general principles. The chosen didactic concept highlights and repeats core messages throughout the chapters. This modern, up-to-date and easy to read textbook on spinal disorders with its appealing layout will inspire and stimulate the reader for the study of spinal disorders.