spinal surgery

Patients scheduled for back surgery are rightfully concerned about their recuperation and how they will care for themselves once home after the spinal surgery procedure. This is an important subject to discuss with your spine surgeon.

Each year, for every 1,000 adults, there are approximately 5 to 20 cases of disc herniation. Also known as a slipped disc, a herniated disc is a prevalent spinal disorder that develops when the interior core of an intervertebral disc burst out through the damaged disc exterior. 

All patients undergoing back surgery should actively ensure that the healing process goes as smoothly as possible. In doing so, you can attain the best possible results from the procedure while avoiding complications that could compromise your health. 

The last several years have seen great strides in developing advanced surgical solutions for spinal problems. Many of these advances involve minimally invasive procedures that leave surrounding tissue undisturbed, allowing faster recovery times and eliminating many of the complications associated with invasive back surgery operations. 

Medical terminology doesn’t go out of its way to be complicated or hard to understand. It’s simply that the language has to be very precise, and that much of it comes from Latin. Hence, it can be difficult to decipher some med-speak without a little help. Take the term “lumbar laminectomy,” a fairly common surgical procedure that can help alleviate the pain, mobility limitations, and other symptoms that often accompany medical conditions of the lower spine. Indeed, the word “lumbar” refers to the lower spine. The lumber portion of the spine comprises the lowest five vertebrae of the spinal column, which bear the designation L1 through L5 – “L” standing for lumbar.

Especially in people over the age of 50, spinal stenosis is a prominent cause of chronic back pain and neurological symptoms. When this condition isn’t improved with several months of non-invasive treatment, your doctor may recommend spine surgery. 

Degenerative joint disease is also referred to as osteoarthritis or OA. Osteoarthritis is the most widespread form of arthritis, and it’s mainly caused by age-related joint degeneration. 

“What is spinal stenosis?” is one of the most frequently asked questions in any spinal specialist’s office. Given that up to 95% of people develop degenerative spinal changes by age 50, it’s no surprise that spinal stenosis is a prevalent medical concern today. 

X-Stop is a minimally invasive spinal surgery procedure that may be performed to treat cases of lumbar spinal stenosis that don’t respond to more conservative treatments, such as physical therapy and medication. X-Stop is also the name of the titanium implant used in the…

As we noted in our last blog, X-Stop, an implant deployed in the surgical treatment of mild spinal stenosis, was approved by the FDA in 2005 as a safe and effective treatment for symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis. This procedure illustrates…

Any surgery is a serious stress for the body. Therefore, even if the surgeon who performed the operation is a true genius of medicine and everything went well, postoperative rehabilitation is necessary to restore the body's strength and functions fully.

Whether a patient is having open back surgery for a spinal cord injury or a minimally invasive procedure for a condition such as a slipped disc or spinal stenosis, the operation itself is only the first part of a successful outcome.…

Are some spinal surgeries more successful than others? The short answer is yes, but that doesn’t tell the entire story. Any spinal surgeon will tell you that every patient’s case is unique, and that post-operative recoveries and long-term outcomes also vary from…

Though the majority of spinal problems appear between the ages of 35 and 55, wrought by natural processes associated with aging, you don’t have to be an adult to have back problems. Back pain can also affect adolescents and even children.

Thanks to breakthroughs in spinal medicine, patients today can benefit from treatment regimens and procedures tailored to their individual needs and specific conditions. Among these recent advances on the surgical front is eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion, or XLIF.

It’s a fact that some spine surgeonshave higher success rates for the operations they perform than their colleagues. What accounts for these differences in surgical outcomes of spinal procedures? A number of factors influence surgical success rates and should be considered…

Choosing a spinal surgeon is among the most important medical decisions a patient can make. A spinal surgeon does more than perform an operation. A spinal surgeon consults with you, explains options and answers questions, and plans your treatment and…

Can you really travel to a foreign destination for a vacation and receive high-quality medical care at the same time? That’s the question many people raise when the subject of medical tourism comes up. Many people are skeptical of medical…

Near the top of the list of questions from almost every spinal surgery, the patients indicate how long they will have to wait for the following surgery before resuming their everyday activities. When it includes athletics – golf and tennis, bowling and the like, pastimes that put tremendous strain on the back – the answer becomes more complex. The factors influencing the time before patients can get back in the game include their physical condition and health. Just because one engages in strenuous physical activity doesn’t mean they are in good physical condition or health. Recovery times are faster for surgery patients in good physical shape because their bodies heal more quickly. Of course, the operation itself will play a significant role in deciding when you’ll be back on the tennis courts, golf course, taking a job, or engaging in a simple walk. The postoperative physical therapy program also plays a significant role. But the type of back surgery is the primary factor affecting the time required to get back into sports activities.

Spinal surgery is stressful on the body. Anyone who is having spine surgery needs to prepare his or her body for the surgery and recovery period by getting in shape, getting the proper amount of rest, and following other healthy…

You have a pinched nerve, slipped disc, a spinal cord injury, or other back problem that has not responded to conservative treatments, and you have reached the decision to have spinal surgery. You and your back surgeon will discuss many aspects…

This is the big day, the day your spinal surgery will be performed and your back condition – be it facet arthrosis or lumbar radiculopathy – gets effective treatment. You’ve had your pre-operative appointment a day or so ago, and had your…

You had your back surgery operation yesterday. The day after a lumbar laminectomy, spinal decompression, or other back surgery is likely going to be quite disorienting. You will still be feeling the effects of the anesthesia that knocked you out during…

With advanced procedures performed by highly trained and experienced surgeons, spinal surgery today boasts highly successful outcomes. Yet, complications can (and do) occur during the post-surgery recovery process.

Its name sounds complex, but the condition is very basic: Claudication is a pain, typically in the legs, caused by too little blood flow through the blood vessels during exercise. Claudication can affect the arms as well as the legs.…

You had spinal surgery two days ago – perhaps it was for a simple but persistent pinched nerve, or maybe it was a treatment for a spinal cord injury. Yesterday was your first post-operative day. You were groggy and uncomfortable, but you…

Recently, we addressed the topic of claudication. Claudication refers to pain typically felt in the legs as a result of vascular (blood vessel) problems or back problems (such as spinal stenosis) that can cause pinched nerves in the lower back.

Have you heard of radiculopathy? This condition results from nerve irritation and, if it progresses, can induce debilitating symptoms. If you’ve already been diagnosed with radiculopathy, you know that it can alter your ability to complete day-to-day motions and activities. 

Lower back pain has long been a prevalent health concern around the world. In 2017, the prevalence of lower back pain was estimated to be approximately 7.5% of the world’s population. This totals about 577 million people. There are numerous…

In our previous blog we discussed the tremendous stresses borne by the lumbar, or lower portion of the spine comprising the five lowest vertebrae. In fact, lumbar back pain is a significant health issue, affecting about 70 to 85 percent…

In our last blog we began addressing the topic of preparing for spinal fusion back surgery.  We touched upon tests that may be performed, and the need to prepare physically through a conditioning regimen so your body is ready for the…

There are several different types of back surgery proving successful at resolving patients’ back pain issues, each involving the highest level of surgical technology available today, as well as the skill of a board-certified spinal surgeon. If your spinal specialist…