Herniated Nucleus Pulposus
The intervertebral disc has the function of a ligament, a shock absorber and a spacer. It is the structure that most connects two adjacent vertebral bodies with each other. Unfortunately, it can also be the origin of extreme sciatica episodes when the inner part of the disc becomes a Herniated Nucleus Pulposus. Like many other […]
Dr. Shim’s Interview on Bay News 9
I had a very productive interview with Bay News 9‘s Dr. Randy Shuck. We had great dialogue discussing the following issues: Why do people get spine surgery? How has spine surgery changed, and why has it become a more common surgery? What are the known complications for spine surgery? How can you minimize the chance […]
The Functional Spine Unit
The spine consists of the bony vertebra, the intervertebral disc, and the associated ligaments that hold two or more vertebra together, while still allowing motion. Motion is coordinated between smooth articulations between the vertebra called the facet joints. This combination of two adjacent vertebra, intervertebral disc, facet joints, and the associated ligaments comes together to […]
Surgery for Recurrent Disk Herniations
Unfortunately, even after successful lumbar discectomy surgery, there is between a 5% and 15% chance of a recurrent disk herniation at the same location. The reason is secondary to the nature, and size of the lumbar disk. Most disk herniations are pieces of annulus, endplate, and or nucleus elements of the disk. The fragments, however, are only […]
Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Results
How are the Results for Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion? General consensus by most surgeons and patients report a 95%-98% success rate in terms of relief of arm pain. That statistic is very important for everyone to understand. Cervical Discectomy Surgery is successful for ARM PAIN. Unfortunately, that does not mean neck pain, or headaches. Just […]
Loss of Cervical Lordosis
As a practicing Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon, I often get back x-ray reports indicating “Loss of Cervical Lordosis”. As most of my patients are highly educated, they often will read that report, and will come to discuss the finding. So, I thought I would share my comments on the topic. As some of you may know, […]
