Archives for 2021

The spine is an essential part of your body. Without it, you could not keep yourself upright or stand up. It gives your body structure and support and allows you to move about freely or bend with flexibility. Your spine also protects your spinal cord, the column of nerves that connects the brain with the rest of your body so that you can control your movements. Without a spinal cord, you could not move any part of your body, nor could your organs function. Maintaining your spine’s health is one of the keys to enjoying an active lifestyle.   Read More »

For better or worse, physical pain is a part of life as we grow older. Pain is our body’s way of communicating that something is wrong and that it needs attention. When ignored, too much pain can cause further health problems like anxiety, depression, and poor mobility. Back pain resulting from spinal stenosis is no exception. Depending on the severity of the condition, non-surgical treatments can often be effective at managing the pain.   Read More »

Spinal intervertebral discs are the body’s “shock absorbers,” allowing the back to be strong, highly flexible, and resilient. Disc degeneration and herniation are common back problems leading to surgery. A microdiscectomy is an outpatient surgical procedure performed under anesthesia to remove all or part of a herniated disc.   Read More »

Being pregnant should be a joyous time filled with many unforgettable experiences – like feeling the flutter of your baby moving around inside your tummy. And although aches and pains are to be expected while pregnant, experiencing persistent back pain may not have been what you had in mind when you first envisioned your pregnancy timeline.   Read More »

A microdiscectomy is a procedure used to remove all or part of a herniated disc when damaged discs are causing pain, numbness, and weakness in a patient’s legs and back. Now considered the “gold standard” treatment for removing herniated lumbar disc tissue, a microdiscectomy procedure is an ultra-precise method that requires only a tiny incision – causing minimal disruption to surrounding healthy tissue.   Read More »

Back pain hurts, and most people care less about specific causes than they do about making the agony end. And while such an approach may be understandable, it’s ultimately short sighted. So many different kinds of spinal disorders may result in back pain, and until you understand the cause of the discomfort, you can’t effectively address it. While back problems can often become chronic and require serious medical or surgical treatment, you can treat some issues yourself relatively easily and effectively. One condition that generally doesn’t need serious intervention is an arched back (aka hyperlordosis).  Read More »

Scoliosis isn’t an uncommon disorder, as anyone familiar with official statistics on the subject can tell you. For instance, the United States Bone & Joint Initiative notes that for every 1,000 U.S. adolescents, there are 2.5 cases of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The organization also stated that “a 2005 study reported mild to severe adult scoliosis prevalence as high as 68% in a healthy (no known scoliosis or spine surgery) population aged 60 years and older.” So whether you’re younger or older, scoliosis is a risk, and if you’ve received a scoliosis diagnosis, you’ll naturally want to know about non-surgical scoliosis treatments.  Read More »

No matter how established the procedure or skilled the doctor, one thing remains true: Every surgery feels major when it’s happening to you. Spinal fusion surgery is no exception. After all, there are many types of spinal fusion and many levels of spinal fusion, and the mere thought of undergoing a major surgery under general anesthetic can seem daunting. Patients may find themselves asking, “When is spinal fusion necessary? What will happen to me? What should I expect when I wake up?” Read More »

Herniating a spinal disc often causes significant pain or discomfort — and it’s a surprisingly common medical issue. According to StatPearls Publishing, “The incidence of a herniated disc is about 5 to 20 cases per 1000 adults annually and is most common in people in their third to the fifth decade of life, with a male to female ratio of 2:1.” And while not every person who herniates a disc (which is often colloquially called a slipped disc) experiences unrelenting agony, most have to deal with enough irritation to make them want to prevent re-herniating a disc.  Read More »