Bone Health Testing: Is it necessary and when?

In orthopaedic and spine surgery practices, most of the focus has always been on secondary and tertiary prevention. That is, we try to treat various diseases of the musculoskeletal system after they become apparent and before they become a big problem. In some cases, patient’s come into the office with identified problems that have been […]

Do all Disk herniations Cause Pain?

Surprisingly,  many disk herniations are not associated with pain.  The classic 1990 paper written by Boden et al demonstrated the prevalence of significant lumbar MRI findings in asymptomatic individuals. As a Doctor,  and Spine Specialist,  I know this to be true.  I see it almost on a daily basis in my office.  There is too common […]

Hoffmann Sign and Myelopathy

As Spine Specialists,  we often rely on the so called Hoffmann Sign to identify people who have cervical myelopathy.  The video above demonstrates a positive finding.  Various studies have opined that a positive Hoffmann Sign highly correlates to the presence of cervical myelopathy. It is accepted knowledge that a positive Hoffmann response can also indicate […]

Patient Satisfaction Scores Will Cause Discrimination

As healthcare delivery continues to evolve in the US,  we are seeing efforts by governmental agencies to use patient satisfaction scores to determine compensation.  I think this will become a source of  DISCRIMINATION  AGAINST FUTURE PATIENTS. Currently hospitals and physicians are being rated by patients for communication,  caring,  empathy,  etc.  Uniform government developed surveys are […]

Back Pain Again?

We do not have time for Back Pain. But,  unfortunately,  there is a good chance we will all experience back pain sometime in our lives.  The good news is that most episodes of back pain are not serious and resolve over time. But,  physicians are always on the lookout for more serious causes of back […]

Lumbar Discectomy yes, Lumbar Fusion, maybe.

You are in significant pain,  and the Doctors determined that your back and leg pain is caused by a Lumbar Disc Herniation.  Despite all the non surgical treatments such as medications,  therapy,  activity restrictions,  and injections,  you are not getting better and now want a surgical solution.   If your Surgeon recommends a surgery,  you should […]