Articles under General

It is normal to wonder what you should expect when recovering from Lumbar Fusion Surgery. While every surgery is different, there are recovery milestones that you can expect as you heal. Knowing what to expect can help relieve some of the nervousness you feel and help you relax so you can heal. Read More »

We do not generally spend much time examining others’ spines. It’s one of the parts of the human body consistently covered by clothing. Yet that ingrained modesty can cause problems when it comes to one of the most common spinal deformities: scoliosis. Read More »

Morgan P. Lorio, Avi J. Bernstein, and Edward H. Simmons
Department of Orthopedic Surgery. State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.

Sciatic spinal deformity or lumbosacral list has received little attention in the literature. The phenomenon was first described in 1881 by Remak, but it was not until 1942 that Duncan and Hoen made the association between disk herniation and lumbosacral list. Since that time, the literature concerning this topic has been sparse and the terminology inconsistent. A case of lumbosacral list associated with disk herniation is presented with documented resolution after surgery. The pathogenesis of the list is described with a comprehensive review of the literature. 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 »

Sciatica is a kind of discomfort in the back of the leg that is quite common. According to publisher StatPearls, lifetime incidence (i.e., the proportion of people who will experience it at least once during their life) of sciatica ranges from 10 percent to 40 percent. Annual incidence is also high at 1 percent to 5 percent. In other words, a lot of people will find themselves wondering at some point what’s the best way to get rid of sciatic nerve pain. 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 »