Is Cervical (neck) Fusion Surgery Considered a Radical Solution?
Many people are both upset and frightened when their spine surgeon recommends a fusion as a solution to their neck problems. An anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), in the properly selected patient, has a very high success rate, with very satisfied patients. In our practice, patients who elect to have cervical fusion typically have […]
Why You Need to Trust Your Doctor
When you have pain, or when you have medical concerns, you need to trust your doctor. If you do not, I suggest you find a doctor you do trust. That trusting relationship should provide security, hope, and cost savings. As a Spine Specialist, I know that a majority of the patients with pains will improve over […]
Minimally Invasive Discectomy vs Micro/Open Discectomy
We’ve all heard of “Minimally Invasive Discectomy” as it is used as a marketing ploy almost everywhere. Everyone has a different description of what minimally invasive actually is. Some consider MIS as surgery being done through small incisions, with less dissection, and therefore less pain, and faster recovery. With that criteria, many of the spine […]
Risks Associated with MRI Scans
What are the risks associated with MRI Scans? From a practical point of view, there are few medical risks. MRI’s do not utilize radiation. Unless there is use of a dye, it is completely noninvasive. Most patients can tolerate the procedure well. But, certain patients do have some medical risks associated with MRI Scans. If […]
Questions for the Spine Surgeon
Have you been told you need Spinal Surgery? If possible, it is always wise to get a second opinion. But wait! Do your homework first. This is what I would do before seeing a spine surgeon for a second opinion…. 1. Go with a trusted friend or family member. Two sets of ears and two […]
Degenerative Disk Disease? There Will be Pain…Maybe
Have you been told you have Degenerative Disk Disease? If so, welcome to the club. If you live long enough, you will get it. If you think about it, degenerative disk disease really should not be called a disease, as it is the normal process of disk degradation. It is like saying aging is a […]
Does Optimism Help Spine Surgery Results?
People who undergo elective spine surgery usually fall into three general groups: 1. Hard charging optimists – People who do not have time for the pain, and dysfunction, of spine problems. These folks are often in a rush to go directly to surgery. 2. Cautious realists – These patients spend appropriate time to understand their problem and the risks […]
Cervical Selective Nerve Block
What is a Cervical Selective Nerve Block? For people with arm pain and tingling secondary to a pinched nerve in the neck, most of the time, the pain does get better. But for a small minority, the pain remains constant despite all conservative treatments. For those people, your physician may offer injections of cortisone to the neck. The rationale being, […]
Research on Twins and Disc Degeneration
So, what if you had a study where identical twins were subject to difference occupations and followed over time to see if there was any difference in the development of disk degeneration? I think everyone would agree that would be a fascinating study. If we had just a study, maybe we would have enough data to […]
The Unintended Consequences of a Spine MRI
So, you have spine pain. In the USA, there is a natural tendency to want to get a Spine MRI as soon as possible. We are in an instant information society, and it would make sense that we would want to instantly see if there is a problem in our back. Naturally, there is aways the […]
