Author: Jason Mazza:
Back pain as side effect of taking medication
As many new prescription drugs come to market to treat everything from cholesterol to erectile dysfunction, one of the biggest concerns for both patients and practitioners who prescribe these medications are side effects. Some medications do a great job at controlling a specific problem, but are so toxic that they cause others problems. One lesser […]
Robot Assisted Spine Surgery: A developing technology
The technology that allows spine surgeons to perform often complex procedures has grown rapidly in the last two decades. Some of these technologies including minimally invasive endoscopic and laser spine surgery has been joined by robotic assisted spine surgery in the last few years. These technologies have been developed with the potential to offer patient […]
What causes disc herniations and how can I prevent it?
What causes disc herniations and how can I prevent it? In our spine practice, I am often the first person to talk with patients about their orthopaedic and spine problems during the course of their visit. Through our educational website and during consultations, Dr. Shim has presented a wealth of information on how we manage […]
Who is Helping my Surgeon?
As a patient, when you go into an orthopaedic surgeon’s office for your appointment, it is usually not the surgeon that first greets you and brings you into the examination room. You are often asked a barrage of questions about why you have come in and often are asked about your medical history. So who […]
Common Degenerative Conditions of Low Back: Sciatica
Sciatica refers to leg pain and may also include other symptoms such as numbness, tingling, burning, and/or weakness. Classically, symptoms start in the lower back and radiate down the back of leg along the course of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body and originates along the lumbosacral spine […]
WHAT IS THE BEST MATTRESS FOR MY SPINE?
In our spine practice, one of the most common questions that we are asked from patients is “what is the best mattress”. If you think about it, we spend approximately 33% of our life in bed! We know that a lack of sleep can affect our general overall health and cause multiple problems. Sleeping on […]
Bone Health Testing: Is it necessary and when?
In orthopaedic and spine surgery practices, most of the focus has always been on secondary and tertiary prevention. That is, we try to treat various diseases of the musculoskeletal system after they become apparent and before they become a big problem. In some cases, patient’s come into the office with identified problems that have been […]
Role of Vitamin D and a Healthy Spine
Association between low levels of Vitamin D and spinal surgery outcomes The role of Vitamin D in maintaining a healthy spine has been underestimated and overlooked by many. In the last few years, the relationship between Vitamin D levels and various components of spine health have been reported on with increasing frequency within the literature. […]
Insomnia and Back Pain
Do you struggle with getting a good night’s sleep? A recently published study from the University of Haifa in Israel concluded that those who do not sleep well are nearly one and a half times more likely to suffer from back pain. Historically, approximately 80% of the population will suffer from back pain at some […]
Pain in the Neck…From Using a Smartphone
In 2012, it was estimated that there were over 91 million smartphone users in the U.S., of which 89% reported using their phone throughout the day to text, read emails, browse the internet, play games, download apps, play music and engage in social media sites. These numbers continue to increase daily. While the benefit of […]
