Archives:
Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Works
The results of Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion are excellent. I find it strange that I must defend the results, but we are in a new era of information. Some would call it mis-information. If you spend time researching cervical discectomy surgery, you now see a trend where certain entities are advertising the radical nature of […]
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 […]
How Come my Doctor did not order an X-Ray?
That is a question often asked of me and my staff. The better question is “Why should you get an X-ray for back pain?” The answer to that question is “It depends.” I know. you want a better answer. But, there is a logic to the response. The most important determining factor on the need […]
Are you carrying an extra “backpack”?
Weight loss is a difficult thing to discuss. As a physician, I am always worried that somehow, the patient will be offended by this discussion. If I talk to some of my Primary Care colleagues, some have stopped bringing this topic up, as some patients have gotten upset enough to “fire” them, or even worse, […]
Skiing and Back Pain
It is winter time in much of the country. And the statistics indicates about 11 million people will go skiing at least once this year. While everyone is naturally concerned about a broken leg, as a spine specialist I want to share the issues pertaining to Skiing and Back Pain. There has not been much information about the […]
Sex and Low Back Pain
Counseling on Sex and Low Back Pain is sensitive but necessary. After gaining the trust of my patients, this does become a common topic. You could imagine, it can be difficult to keep a straight face while fielding very graphic and detailed questions. But, there has been some research on this very topic as sex is instinctual, with physical, […]
