Showing posts with label spine surgery Los Angeles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spine surgery Los Angeles. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Spine surgery and undiagnosed back pain

Spinal surgery is meant for those patients who have yet to find relief in alternative methods. To qualify for spinal surgery one must a have an identifiable problem. Some people have back pain for no reasons that x-rays can see or test can prove for those people Spinal surgery Los Angeles is not an option because there is no telling for certain whether there is an anatomical legion, and a surgeon should not open up the back blindly because it places to many risk and has no guarantee for reward. Besides the unsafe conditions of opening up a patient without a diagnosis most patients who do have diagnoses fear whether Spine surgery Los Angeles is safe or not. Spinal surgery has become safer for different types of patients throughout the years but for those who have undiagnosed back pain alternative methods such as acupuncture has shown great improvements in pain relief.


Although a hurting/damaged spine is fragile, risk run high and there is no room for error spine surgery is now safer than it has ever been in the past. Traditional spine surgeries do still exists but are done rarely and only for major back surgery. Because of the advances in technology and medicine, procedures which were once done with great fear can now be done through tiny incision. Less invasive spine surgery is performed often even though it is more costly than traditional spine surgery. Less invasive surgery involves the use of tiny incision and tiny medical instruments which are moved and navigated through to fix the problem using a tiny video camera that magnifies the area and direction in which it is located making it very easy for the surgeon to see what is happening on the other end. Because the back is not opened for such surgeries bruising and pain lessen which makes the recovery time extremely shorter. Those who need major spinal surgery are not candidate for this minimally invasive procedure however if the patient has been diagnosed with scoliosis, herniated disks or require spinal fusion caused by degenerative disk.


Leading Spine surgeon Los Angeles say that after less invasive spine surgery most patients are out on their feet speedily. Spine expert Los Angeles suggest walking around the hospital a few weeks after surgery to make sure that the spine legs and everything is functioning correctly and getting the spine use to movement in order to speed up the recovery process. But this was very different with traditional spine surgery which sometimes meant an entire year of bed rest. The spine is very fragile and to protect it one should always stretch before doing any exercise and experts suggest stretching daily regardless of exercise. If one has back pain that can not be diagnosed they should see a chiropractor and get involved in acupuncture which has been proven to do great things in back pain patients.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Proper steps to healing from back surgery

Spinal surgery is surgery which is done on the neck or spine in order to stabilize the spine and or fix a slipped disc and relieve pain. Spinal surgery consists of several which include bone graft, disc removal and stabilizing the spine with wires. The goal for spine surgery is to keep the vertebrae from dislocating and damaging the spinal cord and nerves. Spinal surgery is serious, and when not healed properly can be very painful and affect every day activities such as walking, sitting, and standing. Because the spine is fragile after surgery and be damaged easily it is essential for those undergoing the surgery to know the steps to recovery.

Los Angeles back pain surgery

In Many places around the world including Los Angeles back pain surgery can be done several ways including a minimally invasive ways which decrease hospital stay time and even recovery time, but for most Spinal surgery Glendale leading spine surgeons require a hospital stay of at least two weeks which can be more depending on the complexity of the surgery. After spine surgery the patient will not be able to get in and out of bed on their own, so the family or friends should be present as the patient is being released from the hospital. During the hospital stay the surgeon or physical therapist will give the patient a set of reclining exercise that should be done three to four times a day. These exercises are prescribed to keep circulation in the legs as normal as possible during the recovery period. No movement increases the risk of postoperative complications, so although no strenuous activity is allowed following through with the exercises slowly and walking around the hospital room is advised.

Most patients when discharged from the hospital are discharged with a neck or back brace and will need assistance in removing either of these for showering and/or bathing. After having spine surgery Los Angeles spine surgeons tell their patients not to resume with any physical activity under no circumstances unless the surgeon gave a go ahead. The patient is not to lift weights or any other heavy objects. Lifting anything over the head and twisting exercises can cause great damage to the spine.

Los Angels Spine surgeons do: however, slow walking after surgery. Walking helps the spine to settle in its natural position and become more flexible over time. For patients who had bone graft this is especially important because too little walking for any patient can cause the spine to become rigid. Be concerned if anything feels uncomfortable or painful, and observant to how your spine and overall back respond to activity. Also, take note of any other medications that have been taken prior to surgery and are not for the back because some might interfere with pain relievers and the healing process. The stitches or staples will fall off on their own after due time, but if any fall off immediately after being released call the doctor. The healing process for spinal surgery will be painful and take about two months, but if you follow all the proper steps healing will be speedy and worth all of the precautions.

Golfing and the Lumbar spine

Back injuries are common for athletes of all kinds, but golfers are prone to back injury because golfing asks for an enormous amount of torque. Leading spine surgeon Los Angels say professional golfers are not the only golfers at risk for these injuries anyone who golf’s is it at risk of a lumbar back injury. Golfing begins with a back swing and then move through the follow through. The twisted area of back pressures the lumbar spine repeatedly. As a result of reoccurring pressure on the lumbar spine and twisting of the back golfers generally experience a variety of back injuries.

spine surgeon Los Angels

most common back surgeries for golfers are lumbar spine discectomy and lumbar fusion. A lumbar spine discectomy has to be performed when the golfer has a herniated disc. When herniation occurs a fragment of the normal spinal disc is dislodged, and the fragment presses against the spinal cord or the nerves that surround that spinal cord. A herniated disc can be very painful and cause numbness and tingling that can shoot down to the legs. The discectomy removes the fragment of the herniated disc releasing the pressure in that area. In order to perform a lumbar fusion the condition must be so extreme vertebrates have become unstable. With lumbar fusion, surgery places bone graft or synthetic connectors to connect the problematic vertebrate and the body fuses them together over an extended period of time. Golfers generally become impatient and diligent about getting back to golf but leading Los Angeles spine surgeons say taking the corrects steps to spinal surgery recovery is crucial.

Lumbar discectomy and lumbar fusion have very different recovery periods and therefore have different wait times before being able to get back to regular activity and a bit longer to be able to get back to golf. With any Spine surgery Los Angeles leading spine surgery say twisting the back must be put off till surgeons are certain of full recovery. A discectomy has a much shorter recovery time compared to lumbar fusion. A discectomy requires about six weeks of healing when lumbar fusion requires about six months for the site to heal. For both recovery periods twisting will be limited in fear of injuring the site. Although six weeks or six months maybe the recovery time for the site to heal it is not the time is which a golfer can get back out on the field. Because when healing from any spinal surgery Los Angeles movement must be monitored in order to get back to golfing the time must double and sometimes even triple. After 12 weeks of healing from discectomy and 16 months of healing from Lumbar fusion then the patient will be allowed back to golfing but not playing full games unless very little to no pain is felt.

Such back injuries are so common for golfers because generally golfers do not stretch. Stretching is the best prevention medicine for back injuries. Warming up all the muscles makes the body more flexible and less prone to pain. The back becomes more flexible and then less pressure is applied when twisting.

Friday, March 26, 2010

The advance in spine surgery

in minimally invasive spine surgery Los Angeles
Spine surgery has made significant progress every year. In the past it was extremely problematic and called for weeks in the hospital at times. Spine surgery meant almost a year of not being able to use the back (minimal moving) and extreme pain and bruising sometimes even a life time of taking pain pills to suppress the chronic pain brought on by surgery. Spine surgery has pushed forward in technique and in spinal instrumentation/implants. With the jump forward in minimally invasive spine surgery Los Angeles surgeons hope for even more improvement in the decades to come. Although minimally invasive procedures are impressing; surgeons say the most impressive and significant improvements have been better preoperative imaging techniques. These new imaging techniques have significantly improved the ability of surgeons to identify more accurately the source of pain. Leading Los Angeles Spine surgeons have suggested that MRI scans have revolutionized back surgery and neck surgery. MRI scans are the reason why they can identify such back and neck problems. Prior to having MRI scans many patients back and neck problems went unnoticed.
They key to determining the most successful spine surgery Los Angeles expert spine surgeons say is proper preoperative diagnosis. Even the most successful spinal surgery Los Angeles top spine surgeons say have very little success when wrongly diagnosed. Most spine surgeries are performed by orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons but in the past few years we are seeing surgeons devoting their time and efforts to spine surgery as a specialty. Surgeons who have completed their fellowship in spine surgery some say are to blame for this sudden increase in advancement and in interest of spine surgery. Spine surgery is generally elective, it’s used as a last resort when medications no longer suppress the pain or stop side affects of problematic disk or nerve which can include bladder or bowel problems, not being able to move the neck, difficulty walking, sharp shooting pain down back and/or knees. Generally a patient is put on medications from three to six months depending on the level of pain and symptoms. If the medications seizes to work than a surgeon may suggest in many places one being Los Angeles back pain surgery. Spine surgery is an elective choice and if too intimidated by it does not have to follow through, although one should keep in mind with these significant advances minimally invasive spine surgery guarantees less risk and a speedier recovery with very minimal scaring.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Understanding cervical spine surgery

spine surgeon Los Angeles

The overall goal of cervical spine surgery is to relieve numbness, tingling, weakness, pain stop or prevent abnormal movement in the spine and restore nerve function. Your cervical spine surgeon Los Angeles will first remove a disc or bone and fuse the vertebrates together with a bone graft. This will be done by either taking a bone from your body (autograph) or a bone from the bone bank (allograft). Sometimes instrumentation is used that is when metal plates, screws, wires are used to stabilize the spine. When the vertebrates have then been stabilized the abnormal motion, pain or numbness is stopped and function is restored to the spinal nerves. Of course that this kind of spine surgery Los Angeles is not the only one available there is minimally invasive spine surgery that is only performed for three different back problems

Most spinal surgery Los Angeles procedures require a long incision which leaves a very long scare and about a weeks hospital stay and around of year of no work. Minimally invasive spine surgery also known as the key whole surgery uses a thin, telescope-like instrument called an endoscope it is inserted through small incisions. The endoscope is attached to a tiny video camera a little bit smaller than a dime which gives the doctors view of the inside of the patients on a television screen. Small operating instruments can then be passes through one or more half inch incisions to fix the problem never opening the patient fully. After the procedure is done the small incisions are closed up and heal within a few months the incisions are barely visible.

To really understand these surgeries you must understand what your back looks like. The spinal column surrounds and protects the spinal cord. Your spinal column is made up of 24 bones called vertebrates plus the sacrum and the coccyx. The sacrum is a large triangular shaped bone at the bottom of the spine and at the upper and back part of the pelvic cavity it is inserted like a wedge between two hip bones its top part connects with the last lumbar vertebrate and the bottom with the coccyx which is the tail bone. If you’re in need of a consultation please call (818)243-0499

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Spine Surgery isn’t so Scary After All

We all think of spine injuries and are frightened because we’ve all heard about the tragedies and deaths connecting with such injuries. Although spinal surgery techniques are being perfected everyday, for example minimally invasive spine surgery is employed which greatly reduces the risks of traditional spine surgery procedures. Though there are some major risk factors involved in spine surgeries (as with all types of surgery), some of us are better off having the surgery to relieve pain, numbness tingling or weakness and restore nerve function and stop or prevent abnormalities and abnormal motions of the spine. In finding a great spine surgeon Los Angeles patients agree that he or she should discuss every procedure and alternative methods to what is right for your spine.

As we age our bones start to deteriorate making us more susceptible to back injury and back pain. One of the most common back injuries is a slipped disc, which can be caused by one single injury to the back. This becomes more and more common as we become older, since the ligaments that hold the disk in place become weaker and more prone to injury. For this your doctor may recommend spine surgery Los Angeles doctors usually advise this type of procedure when physical therapy and medications do not reduce or end the pain altogether.

Back pain isn’t something we should have to get used to or even worse live with every day. If you’re having back problems, don’t be afraid to consult with a spine surgeon to better detect the problem. Although it is scary to have to undergo spinal surgery Los Angeles doctors assure us that their technology and skill is advanced to make for a smooth sailing surgery with little recovery time and better yet minimal pain.

Spine Surgery isn’t so Scary After All

We all think of spine injuries and are frightened because we’ve all heard about the tragedies and deaths connecting with such injuries. Although spinal surgery techniques are being perfected everyday, for example minimally invasive spine surgery is employed which greatly reduces the risks of traditional spine surgery procedures. Though there are some major risk factors involved in spine surgeries (as with all types of surgery), some of us are better off having the surgery to relieve pain, numbness tingling or weakness and restore nerve function and stop or prevent abnormalities and abnormal motions of the spine. In finding a great spine surgeon Los Angeles patients agree that he or she should discuss every procedure and alternative methods to what is right for your spine.

As we age our bones start to deteriorate making us more susceptible to back injury and back pain. One of the most common back injuries is a slipped disc, which can be caused by one single injury to the back. This becomes more and more common as we become older, since the ligaments that hold the disk in place become weaker and more prone to injury. For this your doctor may recommend spine surgery Los Angeles doctors usually advise this type of procedure when physical therapy and medications do not reduce or end the pain altogether.

Back pain isn’t something we should have to get used to or even worse live with every day. If you’re having back problems, don’t be afraid to consult with a spine surgeon to better detect the problem. Although it is scary to have to undergo spinal surgery Los Angeles doctors assure us that their technology and skill is advanced to make for a smooth sailing surgery with little recovery time and better yet minimal pain.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Effective Chronic Pain Epidemic Treatment

minimally invasive back surgery Los Angeles

Studies show that more than 70 million Americans suffer chronic pain, which makes it more widespread than heart disease, cancer and diabetes combined. Every year, chronic pain treatment costs the economy more than $100 billion. And as a large number of chronic pain cases involve back pain which is at present widely being treated across the country through expert minimally invasive back surgery Los Angeles surgeons emphasize the vital necessity for having competent and cost-effective treatment for chronic pain.

A nonprofit group called Mayday Fund that studies pain treatment, endorsed by an array of medical groups, advocates a revolution in the training of doctors in various treatments including spinal surgery Los Angeles research and the education of law-enforcement officials say.

When it comes to spine surgery Los Angeles experts advise not to assume that your doctor knows what to do to treat your pain. The science of pain treatment is ongoing with additional extensive research needed to understand the nature, causes, and effects of pain. And according to a top local spine surgeon Los Angeles medical professionals are strongly urged to receive better pain-management training in medical schools and more resources for pain research.

The nonprofit group also urged the federal Department of Health and Human Services to reform the way doctors are reimbursed for treating pain for improved results. For more information about pain treatment and spine surgery, contact your local expert spine surgeons to learn more.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

What is Cervical Spine Surgery?


cervical spine surgery Los Angeles
Neck pain and symptoms caused by neck (cervical spine disorder) are a very common problem for adults says spine surgery Los Angeles specialist. The goal of cervical spine surgery Los Angeles is to relieve pain, numbness, tingling and correct nerve function or prevent abnormal motion in the spine. Spine surgeon Los Angeles does this by removing a disc or a bone and fusing the vertebrae together with a bone graft either in front of or behind the spine. The bone graft may be one of two types: an autograft (bone taken from your body) or an allograft (bone from a bone bank). Sometimes metal plates, screws or wires are also used to further stabilize the spine. These techniques are called instrumentation. When the vertebrae have been surgically stabilized, abnormal motion is stopped and function is restored to the spinal nerves.

Undergoing cervical spine surgery is an option that is rarely the first choice of patients or healthcare specialists. Generally, the procedure is only suggested in cases that have been thoroughly evaluated and other alternative methods have been utilized to correct the situation. However, when surgery is the last option to ease suffering and restore quality of life to the patient, spinal surgery Glendale expert will recommend the procedure.