Be a good patient? A good rule of thumb for establishing good questions and opening a health-conscious dialogue with your physician is to consider the future. Are you guilty of googling medical advice? Ask your doctor what sites they recommend for knowledgeable medical information. Is your problem turning chronic? Ask how to prevent a specific illness in the future. With a doctor, you can pick their brain about weight loss advice and personal health goals. It’s also acceptable to question the prescriptions you are given. Ask why you are taking a specific medication to learn its function, or even ask about the necessity of certain pills. Are there negative side effects? Perhaps they aren’t worth the risk to you. A common example of questioning medication is antibiotic use. If you are prescribed an antibiotic, ask if the treatment is necessary. Many times a physician will tell you it’s okay to take a wait-and-see approach and only fill the prescription if symptoms worsen or do not resolve within an allotted time period.
The most common cause of back pain ? There are three common types of nerve root issues that lead to back pain: spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis and osteoarthritis. In all three conditions, the nerve root is affected causing often-severe back pain. In spinal stenosis the pain results from narrowing of the spinal canal near the nerve roots. It can appear in one area, or several areas, of the back. In spondylolisthesis, a vertebrae slips over another vertebrae and creates a painful, unstable back. Spondylolisthesis most commonly occurs with joint issues, typically after a fracture or a degenerative joint disease, or as the result of a defect to the joints. Lastly, osteoarthritis occurs when both discs and joints begin to wear down. This ailment becomes more common as people age and leads to pain, swelling, instability and stenosis in one or several areas of the spine.
LLIF and TLIF is to reduce or eliminate pain in Long Beach back, arm and/or leg pain sufferers caused by movement in the spine. It was created as a minimally invasive alternative to other spinal fusion surgeries. With its smaller incision there is less potential for damage of nerves, blood vessels and organs. In an LLIF, instead of using normal instruments, tubular instruments are passed through the small space using a tunnel formed by the surgeon between the patient’s abdominal organs and the spine muscles. In the TLIF, both parts of the spine are able to be worked on from one incision eliminating additional risks and a second incision site that can cause post-operative pain. Many patients prefer the lateral or transforminal approach to anterior or posterior interbody fusion procedures because they can go home the same day and recovery is shorter. Discover additional details at Lumbar Fusion.
Scoliosis is a medical condition in which the person’s spine curves sideways. This condition usually includes pain, uneven shoulders, and differing leg length. Adult scoliosis occurs when a person has reached spinal maturity. What is it scoliosis? Adult scoliosis is defined as a spinal deformity in a skeletally mature patient with a curvature of more than 10 degrees. When this curvature occurs, it can be accompanied by twisting or rotating of the spine as well, and the spine takes on the shape of an elongated “S”. Adult scoliosis can be classified into four major groups: Type 1- Primary degenerative scoliosis is caused by disc deterioration and/or facet joint arthritis. This condition causes back pain, and an asymmetrically change in the spinal column. Type 2- Idiopathic adolescent scoliosis that has progressed in adulthood. This may be the result of secondary degeneration and/or spinal imbalance, with or without a history of corrective spinal surgery. Type 3- Secondary adult curves a) resulting from a neuromuscular or joint abnormality causing a leg length discrepancy or hip pathology, or b) caused by metabolic bone disease (osteoporosis) combined with asymmetric arthritic disease and/or vertebral fractures. Patients that experience these symptoms predominantly complain of back pain, then leg pain and claudication symptoms (pain in the feet, calves, thighs, hips or buttocks with exercise) and numbness or tingling.
The SI joint absorbs stress experienced in the legs during running and transfers it to the spine. If the muscles are weak or not working optimally, the SI joint takes the brunt of the load. Tightened ligaments often due to arthritis or hormone changes commonly caused by pregnancy can put the SI joint at greater risk of dysfunction. To properly diagnose SI joint dysfunction, your doctor will have to do an examination. Symptoms are usually described as increased pain after running, standing from a seated position, walking up stairs or using other exercise equipment that stretches the muscles connected to the SI joint. Diagnoses often includes several types of imaging including x-ray, CT, a special type of CT called a SPECT and MRI, as well as fluoroscopically guided injections and sometimes lab work.
Long Beach Spine Surgeon, Dr. Yuan, is a neck and back pain specialist. The board certified and fellowship trained spinal surgeon assesses whether your spine, neck and back ache is treatable with nonsurgical options. If necessary, Dr. Yuan’s expertise is minimally invasive spine surgery and robotic-assisted procedures to relieve chronic pain in the neck and back, and the Long Beach Spine Surgeon also treats a range of spinal disorders in patients of all ages; including, herniated discs and stenosis in the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. Dr. Yuan is dedicated to serving patients using conservative treatments whenever possible. Never sign up for surgery when you don’t need it. If surgery is required, however, Dr. Yuan offers a variety of options for patients, including minimally invasive and robotic-assisted procedures. Find a few more details on Yuanspine.com.