Med Technology Gadgets

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?