Let’s start with a quiz.
Question 1: Do your symptoms go down one leg or both?
Question 2: How far down do the symptoms go?
Question 3: Do you feel better when you sit or stand?
Question 4: Does walking bring on your symptoms?
How you answered these questions will initially indicate whether you could have spinal stenosis or sciatica and will help with understanding the difference between spinal stenosis and sciatica.
Spinal fusion surgery is performed to stabilize the spine. It is major surgery with general anesthesia. It reinforces the back by linking two vertebrae together. Many times it is a last resort after other treatments have been tried and failed at providing relief. Let’s learn more about why you might need this surgery, and how long is the recovery for a spinal fusion? Continue reading
Is pain affecting your quality of life? If that pain is in either your neck area or the lumbar area of your spine, there are surgical methods to correct these painful conditions by replacing damaged spinal discs with artificial or manufactured discs. The procedure is minimally invasive and involves a short hospital stay. What are the benefits of artificial disc replacement?
If you have a condition like spinal instability, bone spurs, a herniated disc, scoliosis, or spinal tumors, or many other spinal issues, you may need spinal surgery. If that sounds frightening, you would not be alone. Any kind of spine surgery is worrisome, but the best case is through minimally invasive procedures. Let’s learn more about minimally invasive spine surgery and how it works.
What are the signs of a slipped disk? They are exactly the same as a herniated disk, bulging disk, or a ruptured disk, since they are all generally the same. The terms are interchangeable. It mostly occurs in the lumbar region or lower part of your back and spine, although it can also happen in the neck area. We will continue to use the term “slipped” throughout and help you understand how to recognize a slipped disk, what can cause it, and what to do about it.
Chronic back pain seems to be an epidemic in the US. We all know someone who suffers from it, or maybe we do. Our spine allows us to move freely and without pain as long as the structures are not damaged. The disks between our vertebrae are a prime example. They are the cushions that keep our vertebra from touching each other and causing that pain. Unfortunately those disks can become unhealthy due to age or damage from an accident, but fortunately patients with back pain can have a disk replaced with a metal or plastic one. When should you consider an artificial disk replacement?
It can happen in the most innocuous ways like bending down to tie your shoes. You are suddenly in extreme pain, you can barely stand up straight, and getting into a car is a non-starter. You probably have your own story about throwing your back out, and you remember it well. So exactly what does it mean to “throw your back out”?
A pinched nerve, or radiculopathy, is caused by a disc or bone in the spine that presses on a nerve root coming out of the spinal cord. This compression can be painful, cause numbness, or weakness in an arm or leg. Let’s look at 7 signs you may have a pinched nerve.
80% of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lives. It may come from work issues, playing sports, or just putting on their shoes. Sciatica and sacroiliitis are common among these. Dull ache vs shooting pain is just one difference between the two conditions. The symptoms, causes, and treatments for these two conditions are different. What is the difference between sciatica and sacroiliitis?
Smokers and non-smokers alike are aware that smoking negatively affects someone’s overall health. What you might not know is how smoking affects if and how you heal after any surgery. Having surgery on your spine portends some specific issues if you are a smoker. Let’s investigate why you need to quit smoking before having spine surgery.
