Depression and Spine Surgery
Unfortunately, there is a bit of the “chicken or the egg” analogy in terms of the association of depression and chronic pain. By definition (NIH) chronic pain is a continuous constant pain that is more than three months in duration. Pain, in the acute setting, is a very important response. While not pleasant (understatement, […]
Percutaneous Discectomy
What is Percutaneous Discectomy? Just the words themselves seem intimidating. But, in the most basic form, it means a large bore needle is placed into the disk, and either a suction device, or a disc vaporization device is used to remove disk material from the end of the needle. usually, a very small incision, or […]
The Advantages of Cervical Foraminotomy
I am assuming you have already had the discussion about the need for a neck surgery for a pinched nerve in the neck. Let us assume you have already failed the standard non-surgical treatments including time, medications, therapy and injections. Let us further assume certain diagnostic tests have isolated the pinched nerves to a specific […]
Spine Arthritis
Spine Arthritis has many forms. The most common is secondary to the natural aging process. While there are many scientific studies on why we get arthritis, we have to accept the fact that our bodies are programmed to degenerate over time. All things wear out over time. The human body does have an amazing ability […]
The MRI and Myelopathy
Lately, I have seen a few patients that have been told they had Myelopathy. After evaluating them, I was certain that they have been misinformed about the nature of Myelopathy. In the most simplest definition, Myelopathy means irritation or damage to the spinal cord. The confusion is secondary to the definition of irritation or damage […]
