When to take Tylenol or Advil

In the “war” between Tylenol (Acetaminophen) and Advil (Ibuprofen ) for pain relief, many studies have been done on which is “better”. Both the Cleveland Clinic and Harvard Medical School have done studies and reported that it all depends on what you want relieved. To make it easier, it is reported that Tylenol works better […]

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Should I Go to the Emergency Room with my Back Pain?

A Quick Lesson – Emergency Room or Not At some time or other most of us will have back pain. What people need to know is what is a dangerous back pain and what is something you must just get through. I get asked many questions about this so I thought we could answer some […]

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Avoiding Addiction

Last week’s blog was on the opioid crisis and what is happening in our society where drug addiction has increased by large percentages over the last 10 years. We blame large drug companies, physicians, hospitals and of course dealers of illegal drugs, for the rise in deaths and addiction but as in any other social […]

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Non Spine Causes of Sciatica

Sciatica is the pinched nerve feeling in the back that causes back pain with a radiating pain to the hips to the legs.  As an Orthopaedic Spine Specialist,  it is probably the most common complaint of my patients. In the most simplest definition,  sciatica is a pinching of the nerve that goes from the spine […]

What is Inflammation and What Does it Do?

When your body recognizes anything that is foreign—such as an invading microbe, plant pollen, or chemical, it can trigger what is called an inflammatory response. This is your body’s protective reaction and very often keeps you from becoming ill. If the inflammation persists, it can end up hurting you instead of helping you. Many major […]

Obesity and Spine Surgery

Obesity and Spine Surgery is a sensitive issue.  The March 1 issue of Spine does tackle this issue by comparing the results of surgery for obese patients to normal weight patients. Not surprisingly,  the results do show a difference, with patients in the obese catagory having inferior rates of success compared to the normal weight patients. […]