Back pain can have many causes, including spondylolysis, a crack in the thin bone holding two vertebrae together in the spine. Read on to learn more about its causes, symptoms, and the importance of treatment.
No one wants to undergo surgery, but if you need a surgical solution for sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction, an in-office procedure has many benefits. Read on to learn more.
Herniated discs occur most often in the neck and lower back. Symptoms include pain, tingling and numbness, and muscle weakness. Read on to learn more about signs to watch out for.
Personal injuries cover a wide variety of situations and have a number of causes. Read on to learn more about personal injuries and what to do if you’ve suffered one.
Compression fractures of the vertebrae can be painful and interfere with everyday movements. If back pain prevents you from your daily activities even after conservative treatment, vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty might be right for you.
Facet joint osteoarthritis can cause back pain and stiffness that affects mobility. Untreated, it can worsen and lead to bone spurs, joint enlargement, and pinched nerves. Read on to learn what signs to look out for.
Minimally invasive microscopic discectomies offer many benefits for herniated disc repair, including smaller incisions and faster recovery times. Read on to learn more about the procedure and who makes a good candidate.
Working from home offers flexibility, which is great, but can lead to neck pain, which isn’t. Read on to learn more about the causes of work-related neck pain and how to combat it.
Sciatica pain starts in the lower back and travels down the buttocks and rear of the leg. It often results from the nerve being pinched or compressed. Carrying excess weight can play a role. Read on to learn more.
Aging is well-known to increase the incidence of health issues from fading eyesight to aching joints to back pain. Does this mean you should just accept symptoms as normal? Not at all.
Do you need an independent medical evaluation but don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered with the details and some advice on how to prepare. Take a moment to learn more.
Minimally invasive disc replacement surgery may be the solution you need to treat complications from a herniated disc or degenerative disc disease. Learn more about what symptoms qualify you for this type of surgery.
The word “whiplash” gets used in all sorts of ways, but after a car accident, it refers to a neck strain. Whiplash can be serious and long-lasting, and early treatment is your best defense.
Having a herniated disc can result in chronic pain, but can it lead to spinal stenosis? The two conditions are distinct, but sometimes related. Here’s what you need to know.
40% of people experience sciatica at some point in their lives, especially as they get older. If you think you might be suffering from sciatica, here are five signs to look for.
Whether you work in a corner office or you’re in a warehouse, workplace injuries can, and do, occur. If you've been hurt on the job, you want a medical team in your corner that can help you heal, as well as navigate your workers’ comp.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is painful and can disrupt your normal, day-to-day activities. In this post, we discuss several ways you can manage the pain, so you can continue living your life.
Is your arthritis pain keeping you from doing the things you love? Are you looking for an alternative option or an addition to your arthritis medication? Click here for a list of 10 foods that can help ease arthritis pain.
Spinal discs, located between the vertebrae, cushion the loads on the spine while allowing movement and flexibility. When something goes wrong, you experience pain and limited mobility. Both bulging and herniated discs are common.
Sciatica can knock you off your regular routine. You can, however, take specific steps to avoid this common pain condition. Learn what lifestyle changes you can make to avoid sciatica pain.
Joint pain can wreak havoc on your life, especially regarding your normal activities. However, you don't necessarily need surgery — keep reading to find the top nonsurgical treatments for your chronic joint pain.
Back problems are pretty common, especially as you get older, but often they don’t require surgery. If your spine fractures and you need surgery, it’s important to know whether your condition needs kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty.
Being overweight compromises your health in multiple ways — it can lead to hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, to name just a few complications. Can it also cause carpal tunnel syndrome? Find out here.
When severe neck pain doesn’t respond effectively to conservative care measures, it may be time to consider surgery. Explore some of the most common surgical techniques for chronic neck pain, and find out which may be right for you.
Back injuries are quite common, whether they come from sports injuries, exercise, or just lifting something the wrong way. When dealing with problems related to back injuries, how do you know when it’s caused by a spinal disc?
Many people have backaches from time to time, and nearly everyone has had the uncomfortable experience of having a sore neck. Sometimes, though, such problems persist, and you need an expert. Spinal stenosis could be to blame.
Do you suffer from sciatica? Getting your symptoms under control is just the first step to managing this painful condition. Once you do, you can help avoid problems altogether by adopting these simple practices.
Do you have a family history of arthritis? Is it something you worry about developing? Although you can’t control all of the factors that contribute to arthritis, there are a few things you can do that may help limit your risk.
Does your neck seem to hurt far too often? Modern life puts a lot of strain on your neck, including some of your own actions. Learn more about the bad habits that may be causing your neck pain.
Millions of Americans have arthritis, a condition that causes joint pain and stiffness. If your joints hurt, you might dread the thought of exercise. However, regular exercise can significantly reduce joint pain. Read on to learn more.
Motion preservation spine surgery allows you to keep your spine's natural flexibility. This state-of-the-art technique is minimally invasive with reduced recovery time so that you can return to life with less pain and an improved range of motion.
Despite your best efforts to stay safe at work, accidents and injuries can happen. If you suffer a broken bone while on the job, you can better deal with the situation if you’ve considered the possibilities in advance.
If you suffer from chronic lower back pain, you may be a candidate for a minimally invasive surgery called motion preservation. Motion preservation replaces a diseased disc with an artificial one that allows you to move your spine normally.
Sciatica causes pain in your lower back, down your hip and buttock, and along your leg. Most of the time, you feel sciatica pain on one side or the other, but not both. The pain can be severe, but is it caused by a serious disease?
A discectomy is a surgical procedure that can provide long-lasting relief for people suffering from severe disc problems. Here’s when a discectomy is performed and what to expect during and after your surgery.
What do diabetes, tennis, and painting have in common? They can all increase your risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Learn more about CTS and an advanced, micro-invasive surgery that can relieve your discomfort immediately.
Arthritis is a common pain condition that tends to worsen over time, especially when left untreated. The best treatment options for your arthritis are the ones you start right now. Read on to learn more.
A herniated disc can cause pain in your back and nerve pain in your legs. This pain can come and go, but if you’re looking for a way to reduce it, read on to find out how lumbar fusion surgery can help.
Carpal tunnel syndrome can be painful and can affect your ability to live a normal life. But this condition doesn’t have to affect you forever. Fast and effective treatments are available that can eliminate your carpal tunnel syndrome.
If sitting at your desk, riding in a car, or even sleeping on your side cause pain and discomfort, it could be sciatica. Understand the signs of sciatica, and learn what you can do to naturally relieve the pain long-term.
Your doctor tells you that your back pain could be improved or resolved if you undergo minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS). What does that mean, and can it really be as effective as traditional surgery? MISS is just as effective and safer, too.
When you find out you have compression fractures, you panic. Are you doomed to continual pain? Or will you develop a “dowager’s hump”? Or shrink in height? In-office vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty ends your pain and restores your spine.
Herniated discs are common, particularly if you’re athletic or aging. Or both. Most of the time, a slipped disc heals on its own with physical therapy and medications. If it doesn’t, you may need surgery to fix the herniation and relieve the pain.
Nobody goes to work expecting to be injured or sickened. But almost 3 million times per year, that’s exactly what happens. What should you do if you’ve been hurt on the job? First, get to a doctor as soon as possible.
Your doctor tells you that you need surgery. But successful surgery requires more than just showing up to the hospital on the right day. You and your doctor must make preparations to ensure the best outcome. Here’s what you — and they — have to do.
You’ve been injured in a work-related accident, a car wreck, or other incident. When you file your worker’s compensation or other claim, you’re assigned an independent medical evaluator. But should you trust someone else’s IME?
Your joints let you move freely and painlessly throughout your day. But joints, like all body parts, are subject to degradation and disease. To keep your joints healthy both now and in the future, adopt these habits.
Your back hurts so much that it’s basically useless. You can’t twist. You can’t bend. You can’t sit. If more conservative measures fail, don’t jump to spinal fusion. Artificial disc replacement keeps you pain-free and preserves your mobility, too.
When you get hurt at work, you might suffer pain, emotional trauma, and even embarrassment. Accidents happen for many reasons. But whatever the reason, you have to take steps to protect yourself — medically and legally — right after the accident.
Whatever downside Zoom classes have for parents and school-aged kids, at least the kids don’t have to carry their books. If your kids are heading back to school with a knapsack on their back, here’s what you need to know to keep their spine safe.
You may think that aching, swollen joints are just a part of getting older that you have to tolerate. Although there’s no cure for osteoarthritis, that doesn’t mean you need to suffer. You can control your pain and increase mobility. Here’s how.
Whether you’re setting out for a camping trip or finally reuniting with relatives across the country, traveling comes with caveats when you have back pain. With a little planning and packing, though, you can travel pain-free.
You’re more at risk for a herniated disc the older you get, but herniated discs aren’t an inevitable part of aging. Find out how you can protect your vertebral discs and stop a painful rupture.
Yesterday, I was able to “Ride the Wave – WaveWriter, that Is”. I wanted to give Kirk McMullen, Jesse Kalkstein, Kristin Ribelli, and the entire Boston Scientific team a big thank you for allowing me...
I’ve been working hard to link my webpage to my social media accounts and wanted to let you know of the various Facebook Pages that I have available for the latest and most up-to-date information in the world of Spine care.
Are you considering having spine surgery in the near future? There are often many questions left unanswered prior to having any surgery and many things that need to be done in preparation before the big day.
“People who regularly run or walk briskly appear to have healthier discs in their spines than people who do not exercise, according to one of the first studies to closely examine links between movement and disc health.”
Osteopenia & Osteoporosis….what can I say about them in a few short sentences? Other than the fact that I drink at least 2 gallons of milk a week, is that really enough? The short answer is “no” that’s not enough. In fact, there are many factors...
Chiropractors have long been recognized as professional entities that are an integral part of any spine care team, including mine. However, I was unaware of the vast differences in chiropractic theories as it relates to the approach to care.
In healthcare, we are all working towards the team work ethic of central and common principles of healing and health promotion. However, during that process of healing patients, we also worry about the safety and well-being of each people we care for.
I know, I know – Emergency Acupuncture? I have never heard of it or considered this an emergency treatment for ailments. What ailments can it really treat?
PITTSBURGH…June 27, 2017 – Advanced Orthopedics and Rehabilitation (AOR) announced today that Dr. Jocelyn Idema is now using a new medical device created with an advanced additive manufacturing technology, also known as 3D printing, as part...
Last week, I was notified by Aesculap medical device company that I am the first in Pennsylvania to implant the new generation of lumbar disc replacement – the activL®.
Please read this article below about gender differences and the implants we choose. There is a big push in the medical device community to separate differences between the male knee versus the female knee etc.
As many of you may know, my surgical practice is at least 90% or more Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (MIS or MISS) compared to the old, traditional way of spine surgery or “Open” spine surgery.
My son wants to play football this coming fall and I keep going back and forth whether we should start him in flag football or just get him started in tackle football like my husband did at age 6.
There’s no doubt that quitting smoking at any point in your life is better for your overall health. A small study recently reported that 40% of patients after their spine surgery were able to remain non-smokers.
The craze continues to grow and so does the digital age! Everywhere I go, I see more and more people using their smartphones and tablets scavenging the countryside looking for different Poke’mon’s.
I just returned from the 14th Annual Becker’s Spine, Orthopaedics, and Pain Medicine conference and is there every some drastic changes expected for medicine. The shift in care to outpatient surgery centers where patients can often receive...
I recently read some updates on lumbar total disc replacement (LTDR) and have to admit that I was skeptical as to the history behind the elusive lumbar disc replacement and all of the problems associated with the FDA and discs in the mid-2000’s.
Becker’s Spine recently highlighted “Spine Surgeon’s to Know – 2016”
This is a great National honor and ranks alphabetically, those spine surgeons, that continue to make a difference in the quality of life for our patients.
Happy New Year! I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday with family and friends.
Around this time of year, every year, most people when asked “What is your new year resolution(s)?” Most people will say that they would like to exercise more...
Heterotopic Ossification (HO) is one of the most common complications following hip arthroscopy. It is estimated that up to 44% of do not receive medication prophylaxis will experience some form of complication following this procedure.
As a mother of two wonderful children, I can personally attest to how being pregnant, childbirth, and the postpartum recovery period can affect a woman’s body. As you are aware, many changes occur during the multiple phases of pregnancy from a mental...
Approximately 1 month ago, our medical coding system changed from ICD-9 to ICD-10 codes. Essentially these codes have changed from 13,000 codes (ICD-9) to over 67,000+ codes (ICD-10).
Approximately two weeks ago, I was able to attend and lecture at the AOAO Annual Conference on cervical spine pathology and symptoms – My portion of the lectures had to do with ACDF with stand-alone interbody or whether a plate for cervical fusions was...
In the next few months and it is no surprise, the entire healthcare coding sector will be overhauled to ICD-10. Many in healthcare are concerned with the many changes for better or worse that will occur and let’s face it, the current coding system...
The other day, I was using Google to help seek out some of the newer technologies that are becoming available in the world of medicine and most specifically, Orthopaedics and Spine.
I recently had an opportunity to sit down with Becker’s Spine and was interviewed about the business/personal balance of my life and was honored that they posted this account.
I know this may sound like a bazaar subject to talk about but I recently read this in one of my journals. The Orthopaedic Research Society or ORS at their annual meeting recently highlighted how our astronauts have an increased risk for herniated disks.
CrossFit-has exploded in the past few years and unfortunately, so have the numbers of injuries related to CrossFit as well. I admit, I’ve tried some of the exercises and remember doing some of the same exercises while swimming on...
I just finished reading an article posted in the Washington Post last week that discussed whether patient’s should “record” their discussions while being evaluated by their physician.
With the vast number of changes that have been occurring through healthcare, it is no surprise that hospital systems are trying to limit and cut costs on certain technologies and advancements that have made an impact in healthcare.