Exercise and Back Pain
When your back hurts, the last thing you want to do is exercise. And that is usually a mistake. Traditionally, our grandparents were advised to lie in bed, and not move when experiencing back pain. More and more evidence suggests prolonged bedrest has adverse effects, and consequences of more prolonged pain, and even disability. Exercise […]
Lasers, Stem Cells and Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
As a spine surgeon, I get it! In the ideal situation, spine surgery will have a tiny incision, with no surgical pain, the latest technology, and the ability to recreate the normal state after the procedure. Many times, you can acheive success if you wait long enough. That is because many spine problems can improve without surgical […]
Wine and Spine (update)
Does Wine and Spine have benefits? Wine lovers have more reason to celebrate! By now, many have heard about the Mediterranean Diet. Fruits, vegetables, olive oil and red wine, have shown benefits for reduction of cardiac disease. But how does Wine and Spine problems relate? Red wine has been show to contain resveratrol, a naturally occurring […]
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 […]
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. […]
Why won’t the Surgeon Operate on my Spine?
There are legitimate reasons why a Surgeon will not offer elective spine surgery on patients. Bear in mind, we are talking ELECTIVE SPINE SURGERY, not emergency surgery. As you know, elective surgery may definitely be warranted, as the patient has debilitating pain, or loss of function that does not improve with non surgical care. […]
You Will have Back Pain
We do not have time for Back Pain. But, unfortunately, there is a good chance we will all experience back pain at sometime in our lives. The good news is that most episodes of back pain are not serious and resolve over time. Physicians are always on the lookout for more serious causes of back […]
The Cold and Pain
Cold temperatures are often associated with an increase in back pain. While only some of us believe that, there is some scientific data that suggests the statement is true. The Northeast has experienced a record cold winter, and I am sure many are tired of it. Unfortunately, the cold is associated with increased musculoskeletal complaints, […]
InterLaminar Decompression and Instrumentation
Spinal stenosis is a very common problem afflicting many people after the age of 60. It should not be considered a disease, but rather a normal process of aging. The degenerative cascade is the process by which the disk degenerates or collapses. Because of the collapse, the facet joints of the posterior spine rub abnormally […]
Stem cells for Back Pain
Lately, I am seeing more and more advertisements on the use of stem cells to cure almost everything. This is concerning to me as the science (or the FDA) is not yet behind many of the treatments now being offered by many clinics and physicians. The FDA is now “cracking down” on many of these businesses for […]
