Category: General:

Do Disc Herniations Cause Pain?

Do Disk Herniations Cause Pain?  The answer is maybe.  There has been plenty of research on this topic, and while the exact mechanism of pain can still be debated, in general most agree the cause of pain, discomfort and radiations are secondary to three factors: 1. Chemical irritation.  When a disk herniates, the soft inner […]

Back Pain After Golf

Do you have Back Pain after Golf? Our practice is in Florida.  And Florida has a great number of golf courses, and players.  On an almost weekly basis, I will see a patient that hurt the back while playing golf.  For many players,  golf is their only form of exercise.  So why do so many […]

Recurrent Herniated Nucleus Pulposus

  Statistically, Recurrent Herniated Nucleus Pulposus occur more commonly than hoped. When you have a Herniated Nucleus Pulposus,  the outer fibers of your disk, or the annulus has weakened allowing a tear, and subsequent rupture of the soft nucleus material out of the disk.  We can debate the cause of the weakening of the outer annulus,  but usually, it […]

Cervical Radiculopathy

What is Cervical Radiculopathy? The most common cause of Cervical Radiculopathy,  a herniated nucleus pulposus (herniated disc), which pinches one of the nerves in the neck. Other causes of cervical radiculopathy include bone spurs,  fractures,  infections and tumors.  Fortunately,  most of the time,  the causes are not as serious as the latter three. What are […]

Cervical Myelopathy

What is Cervical Myelopathy?  By definition, it is any functional change of the spinal cord.  Usually, it is caused by pinching of the spinal cord by bone spurs, disk herniations, or a combination.  In the above MRI,  the red circle identifies changes in the spinal cord (see the different coloration) in a man with complaints […]

Do I need a MRI?

That is a very common question asked by many of my patients.  And, the answer is “It depends”.  I know that is not very satisfying, but I will explain. MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging.  There are very scientific and exacting descriptions of the study, but I will try to break it down into the […]