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by Dr. Shim
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Why we have Disk Herniations

Today,  I saw a very rare patient.  Why?  Because he is 40 years old,  and his MRI report read “Normal Lumbar Spine.”   After looking at his MRI,  I came to the same conclusion.  There was no evidence of any disk narrowing,  disk dehydration, or bone spur development.  But he had back pain,  from a […]

by Dr. Shim
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Still having Pain after Spine Surgery?

Statistically,  most people do improve with spine surgery.  Unfortunately,  some people do not improve,  and a few are worsened. As a Spine Surgeon,  I know many patients want a guarantee of improvement after surgery.   The truth is, THERE CAN NEVER BE A GUARANTEE.  Surgeons can only give chances of success.  As I tell my […]

by Jason Mazza
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WHAT IS THE BEST MATTRESS FOR MY SPINE?

In our spine practice, one of the most common questions that we are asked from patients is “what is the best mattress”. If you think about it, we spend approximately 33% of our life in bed! We know that a lack of sleep can affect our general overall health and cause multiple problems. Sleeping on […]

by Dr. Shim
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What is Radiculopathy?

Often times,  physicians use a lot of terms freely with patients,  assuming the patients know what the word means.  Radiculopathy is one of those terms.  In the most simplest terms,  it does mean a pinched nerve in the spine.   It is important to know that radiculopathy really means pinching of the nerves as the […]

by Dr. Shim
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Pinched Nerve

Think you have a pinched nerve? A pinched nerve is a common experience for most people over the age of 35.  Usually, it is associated with pain,  burning, or a tingling sensation to either the arms or legs.   While the pinching can occur out the spine, in conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, most […]

by Dr. Shim
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What is Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery?

Here in Tampa,  we are in a media war over Spine Surgery Services.  It has become a very competitive business,  with many Centers or Institutes deploying expensive marketing teams touting expertise in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery.  It does sound great.  But what does Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery mean? About 30 years ago,  spine surgery was […]