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WHAT ARE THE FACET JOINTS? There are three joints at every level of the spine: the disc joint and two facet joints. The disc joint is in the front of the spinal column and receives a lot of press as almost everyone knows about degenerative disc disease which happens in all of us as we get older. The…

WHAT IS CERVICAL LAMINOPLASTY? Cervical laminoplasty is a procedure designed to treat multilevel cervical stenosis with motion preservation. The primary indication for cervical laminoplasty is cervical myelopathy related to multilevel cervical stenosis. This is a condition where there is dysfunction in coordination of the upper and/or lower extremities often with global numbness and pain in…

What are the dangers of too much radiation? by JESSICA B. JAMESON, MD, FASA Increased exposure to radiation can lead to stroke, cataracts, brain cancer, and DNA damage as well as other types of cancer. Radiation is present all around in the environment. It is also present in the use of X-rays and CT scans. There…

WHY DO I HAVE LOW BACK PAIN? The causes of low back pain are broad, but generally can be broken down to muscles/ connective tissue, joints, or nerves. The most likely cause of low back pain that doesn’t extend into the legs is either from muscles/ connective tissue or joints. Muscles/connective tissue pain is usually…

So, you’ve decided to go ahead with back surgery to address weeks, months or even years of limitations and pain. Surgery is usually done to stabilize your back or to decompress nerves that are being “pinched.” Physical therapy is an important step in the recovery process to maximize healing and restore your ability to resume…

HOW DOES WEIGHT AFFECT SPINE HEALTH? Your spine is made up of bones stacked on top of each other with discs that act as cushions in between. Your spine is designed to handle pressure and movement. However, when you are overweight, the excess pressure can strain the various parts of our spine and result in…

WHAT IS REGENERATIVE MEDICINE? According to the National Institute of Health, regenerative medicine is the process of creating living, functional tissues to repair or replace tissue or organ function lost due to age, disease, damage, or birth defects. The field holds the promise of regenerating damaged tissues and organs in the body by stimulating organs…

WHAT IS THE DORSAL ROOT GANGLION? The dorsal root ganglion (DRG), is a bundleof nerves located on the outside of the spinal cord. They are made up of densely populated sensory nerves, and they act like traffic lights, regulating signals and sensations that travel through nerve fibers along the spinal column to the brain. The…

WHAT? A ROBOT DOING MY SPINE SURGERY? Robotic-assisted spine surgery is not entirely new, but it is definitely improved. Dr. Roland Kent began doing research on early robotic technology in 2005, but the technology wasn’t quite ready for implementation at that time. Fortunately, a lot has changed in 16 years, and robotic-assisted spine surgery has…

WHAT EXACTLY IS A CHIROPRACTOR? Chiropractors focus on conditions of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Chiropractors are experts when it comes to spinal adjustments and restoring proper segmental joint motion within the spine. The purpose of the spinal adjustment is to restore mobility in the spine or other joints with tissue damage, which decreases pain…