Pain—whether it is back, neck, muscles, or joints–can come on suddenly or not-so-gently escalate through the years. Whether you’re a weekend warrior who happened to over-do it on the field or court, or if you have suffered from pain for years after wear and tear on your joints and muscles, relief is well within reach. Even non-contact sports, such as yoga or golf, can cause an injury or pain without proper stretching or even by just making the wrong move.
Orthopedic, spine, and pain specialists in Dallas are offering the latest procedures that not only have patients back to daily activities quickly but also living pain-free almost immediately for the first time in years.
When the pain becomes intractable and starts to affect your activities of daily living, it’s time to see a doctor. For example, movements such as bending and walking become difficult to carry out or the pain begins to radiate down your lower extremities and causes numbness or weakness. “Degenerative changes in your spine can lead to various parts of your spine being unable to carry out their functions,” says Jean Louis Benae, spine surgeon. “This will lead to the inability of the spine to support any loading. This can also be reflected by instability as noticed when the spine is engaged in its normal functions such as walking or bending. Pathological changes can occur in such a way that abnormal degenerative tissue builds up around the joints of the spine causing compression upon the nerves. This can compromise the function of the nerves.”
Chronic back pain is among the top three reasons people seek the care of a doctor, just behind seeking treatment for the common cold and skin disorders. Anyone who has suffered from backaches, neck pain, and migraines, which are all often connected to spine problems, knows how important it is to find relief, fast. Fortunately, there are nonsurgical options for pain as well. There has been a recent surge in medical innovations for the treatment of various pain conditions. Specifically, there have been significant advancements in spinal cord stimulation, a device that blocks pain signals at a spinal level, during the last several years. “Even patients who have failed previous stimulation trials and prior implants may be suitable candidates for this new technology,” says pain medicine specialist Dr. Renaud Rodrigue. “There have also been recent important advancements in minimally invasive spinal decompression, thus sparing patients from more invasive spinal fusions. These new technologies allow eligible patients to have a simple out-patient procedure with minimal downtime. We are also witnessing tremendous interest in the use of stem cells and platelet-rich plasma for certain pain issues. While these techniques show huge promise, I would urge interested patients to do their homework and thoroughly vet the practitioners utilizing these products.”
Symptoms of a cervical disk herniation depend on how bad the situation is. Patients may begin having neck pain early in their disease, as the disk wears out, and the vertebra begins moving abnormally with respect to one another. As a disk herniates and compresses the nerve roots going to the arms, patients may have severe pain, numbness, and weakness in the arms and hands. In severe cases, herniated disks can compress the spinal cord, leading to difficulty walking and even paralysis.
Dr. Shaad Bidiwala is a surgeon at Texas Neurosurgery specializing in treating cervical disk herniation. He says, “Except for in severe cases involving severe pain, weakness, paralysis, conservative measures should always be attempted first. Rest, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and heat are useful in mild cases. Physical therapy for massage and cervical traction are often useful because they can help pull herniated disks back into their correct place between the cervical vertebrae. Epidural steroid injections are helpful in soothing inflamed nerve roots as a disk herniation heals on its own. In my experience, these conservative measures solve the problem in over 50 percent of cases.”
It wasn’t long ago that most chronic back and neck problems could only be treated with surgery, followed by a lengthy hospital stay and recovery process. Thanks to the latest advances in minimally invasive spine surgery, faster relief from painful spine conditions is possible. Most surgeons today recommend surgery only as a last option and prescribe non-operative remedies, such as physical therapy, first to help patients gain relief from pain. However, if surgery is inevitable, advanced noninvasive surgical methods are available and offer excellent outcomes and a quick recovery for patients. The key to faster recovery times and more precise surgery is minimally invasive spine surgery. Smaller incisions result in less trauma, as opposed to traditional “open surgery.” In most minimally invasive spine surgery procedures, the operation is performed through one or more small incisions using small tubes and tiny video cameras and surgical instruments. One of the newest forms of minimally invasive surgery is robotic surgery. It provides a magnified, 3-D view of the surgical site, giving the surgeon greater precision and control. Minimally invasive surgery results in reduced trauma to the surrounding tissue and muscles, minimal blood loss, and little to no scarring. This means patients experience a smoother recovery and resume normal activities faster.
To learn more about minimally invasive surgical procedures, pain medicine, and when it is time to seek care from a spine surgeon for your pain, visit Ask the Expert.
Orthopedic, spine, and pain specialists in Dallas are offering the latest procedures that not only have patients back to daily activities quickly but also living pain-free almost immediately for the first time in years.
When the pain becomes intractable and starts to affect your activities of daily living, it’s time to see a doctor. For example, movements such as bending and walking become difficult to carry out or the pain begins to radiate down your lower extremities and causes numbness or weakness. “Degenerative changes in your spine can lead to various parts of your spine being unable to carry out their functions,” says Jean Louis Benae, spine surgeon. “This will lead to the inability of the spine to support any loading. This can also be reflected by instability as noticed when the spine is engaged in its normal functions such as walking or bending. Pathological changes can occur in such a way that abnormal degenerative tissue builds up around the joints of the spine causing compression upon the nerves. This can compromise the function of the nerves.”
“Even patients who have failed previous stimulation trials and prior implants may be suitable candidates for this new technology.
Chronic back pain is among the top three reasons people seek the care of a doctor, just behind seeking treatment for the common cold and skin disorders. Anyone who has suffered from backaches, neck pain, and migraines, which are all often connected to spine problems, knows how important it is to find relief, fast. Fortunately, there are nonsurgical options for pain as well. There has been a recent surge in medical innovations for the treatment of various pain conditions. Specifically, there have been significant advancements in spinal cord stimulation, a device that blocks pain signals at a spinal level, during the last several years. “Even patients who have failed previous stimulation trials and prior implants may be suitable candidates for this new technology,” says pain medicine specialist Dr. Renaud Rodrigue. “There have also been recent important advancements in minimally invasive spinal decompression, thus sparing patients from more invasive spinal fusions. These new technologies allow eligible patients to have a simple out-patient procedure with minimal downtime. We are also witnessing tremendous interest in the use of stem cells and platelet-rich plasma for certain pain issues. While these techniques show huge promise, I would urge interested patients to do their homework and thoroughly vet the practitioners utilizing these products.”
Symptoms of a cervical disk herniation depend on how bad the situation is. Patients may begin having neck pain early in their disease, as the disk wears out, and the vertebra begins moving abnormally with respect to one another. As a disk herniates and compresses the nerve roots going to the arms, patients may have severe pain, numbness, and weakness in the arms and hands. In severe cases, herniated disks can compress the spinal cord, leading to difficulty walking and even paralysis.
Dr. Shaad Bidiwala is a surgeon at Texas Neurosurgery specializing in treating cervical disk herniation. He says, “Except for in severe cases involving severe pain, weakness, paralysis, conservative measures should always be attempted first. Rest, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and heat are useful in mild cases. Physical therapy for massage and cervical traction are often useful because they can help pull herniated disks back into their correct place between the cervical vertebrae. Epidural steroid injections are helpful in soothing inflamed nerve roots as a disk herniation heals on its own. In my experience, these conservative measures solve the problem in over 50 percent of cases.”
It wasn’t long ago that most chronic back and neck problems could only be treated with surgery, followed by a lengthy hospital stay and recovery process. Thanks to the latest advances in minimally invasive spine surgery, faster relief from painful spine conditions is possible. Most surgeons today recommend surgery only as a last option and prescribe non-operative remedies, such as physical therapy, first to help patients gain relief from pain. However, if surgery is inevitable, advanced noninvasive surgical methods are available and offer excellent outcomes and a quick recovery for patients. The key to faster recovery times and more precise surgery is minimally invasive spine surgery. Smaller incisions result in less trauma, as opposed to traditional “open surgery.” In most minimally invasive spine surgery procedures, the operation is performed through one or more small incisions using small tubes and tiny video cameras and surgical instruments. One of the newest forms of minimally invasive surgery is robotic surgery. It provides a magnified, 3-D view of the surgical site, giving the surgeon greater precision and control. Minimally invasive surgery results in reduced trauma to the surrounding tissue and muscles, minimal blood loss, and little to no scarring. This means patients experience a smoother recovery and resume normal activities faster.
To learn more about minimally invasive surgical procedures, pain medicine, and when it is time to seek care from a spine surgeon for your pain, visit Ask the Expert.
