Does Everyone Get Spinal Stenosis?
If you live long enough, you will get spinal stenosis. Everyone must face the fact that they will age. It is better than the alternative. Aging is the process by which the cells in your body die, but the replacement cells do not have the same initially properties of the older cells. Some scientists […]
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 […]
“That was the Worst X-Ray I have ever seen!”
As a Spine Surgeon and Specialist, I have had the honor of treating many people. It sounds cliche, but I enjoy the personal interaction, and my goal is to educate people to understand their condition. While many are in significant pain during some of the evaluations, it is important for me to communicate the nature of […]
Epidural Steroid Injections And Compression Fractures
Epidural Steroid Injections have been used to treat patients with both herniated disks as well as for patients with spinal stenosis. In addition, the same steroid compounds have been used by physicians to treat arthritic conditions of the spine, via the so called facet joint injection. Most prudent practitioners have always cautioned the patients that […]
Can Discography Cause Problems?
All invasive procedures have associated risks. Traditionally, Discography has been used to identify pain generators in the spine. Some clinicians have opined it was good test, with acceptable low risks primarily due to needle placement and infections. Research regarding longer term effects of discography has suggested it may also be a cause of disk degeneration, and […]
