| I'm going to have back surgery to remove two discs. I've heard different advice about restricting my activities after the operation. What's the latest on this? | 0 sec ago | 338 |
| After months of leg weakness but no pain, my orthopedic surgeon referred me to a special clinic for further testing. They found a tumor in my spine. But when they did the biopsy, the report came back as negative (normal). They didn't find anything. I'm still a bit worried. What if there really is something there and they missed it? | 6 days 13 hours ago | 7 |
| There's a chance that I have a cancerous spinal tumor. The medical facility here doesn't have a way to biopsy this safely. My oncologist wants me to go to a larger cancer center to have this done. What sort of equipment is needed for this procedure? | 6 days 13 hours ago | 5 |
| I had my cervical spine fused at the C45 level about two years ago. I remember being told that it might cause the level above or below to go bad in time. So far, nothing has happened. How long does it take before this starts to happen? | 6 days 13 hours ago | 4 |
| I have two problems in my neck. The first is too much of a forward curve. The second is fairly severe disc degenerative disease. I may have surgery to fuse the spine in two places. Will this make my neck curve better or worse? | 6 days 13 hours ago | 5 |
| I've just been diagnosed with lumbosacral radicular syndrome. Isn't this just a fancied up phrase for the old sciatica my father used to complain about? | 1 week 6 days ago | 14 |
| After months of sciatic pain, I finally caved and had surgery. My surgeon assured me that this is not uncommon, but I still felt like a failure. How often do patients give up on therapy and go for the surgery? | 1 week 6 days ago | 22 |
| I am several hundred pounds overweight. I have a bad back from a herniated disc, so I can't exercise. As a result, I keep gaining weight. Even though I'm considered obese, could I qualify for surgery to remove this disc problem? | 1 week 6 days ago | 13 |
| Is there any proof that steroid injections work for lumbar disc problems? I'd take a needle poke over surgery any day. | 1 week 6 days ago | 19 |
| I'm 82-years-old. When I was 77, I had a roto-rooter surgery on my spine to make room for the nerves. I had pretty good pain relief but it seems to be starting up again. Am I too old to have it done again? | 1 week 6 days ago | 16 |
| I found out I have a small bone spur pressing on my L5 spinal nerve. So far, I just have a few twinges of back pain, nothing serious. What can I expect to happen if this gets worse? | 1 week 6 days ago | 19 |
| When I was a teenager, I had scoliosis. Now my mother at age 68 has developed scoliosis. I don't remember having any pain with this condition. But she complains all the time that her back and leg hurts her. Why is there so much pain for her? | 1 week 6 days ago | 15 |
| I am a healthy and active senior (age 70-something). My doctor tells me I have degenerative scoliosis. I'm not going to let this get me down. Please tell me what I can do to stay in good health. | 1 week 6 days ago | 10 |
| I am a retired physical therapist who now has a son who is a doctor of physical therapy. Everything has changed so much since I was in practice 50 years ago. I understand that back pain is being viewed completely differently now. Can you catch me up to speed on this? I'd like to be able to converse with my son on the topic without seeming too ancient. | 1 week 6 days ago | 16 |
| What's the latest thinking on lifting techniques? I was once taught to squat, stick my bottom out, and lift with my legs. Is this still the best way to avoid back injuries? | 1 week 6 days ago | 16 |
| Our daughter has a six-month old son who was diagnosed with a type of dwarfism called achondroplasia. Now that our grandson is starting to sit up, our daughter has been told to put a special support on him to help his spine. She rarely does this. What could happen to his little spine if she doesn't follow the doctor's instructions? | 2 weeks 6 days ago | 21 |
| We are faced with a dilemma I hope you can help us figure out. Our 16-year-old son hurt his back during last season's track and field events. A CT scan shows he fractured the apophyseal ring in the L45 segment. He's still having quite a bit of pain. Would surgery to remove the damaged disc and broken fragments be helpful? | 2 weeks 6 days ago | 21 |
| I keep hearing that the cost of caring for people with low back pain is skyrocketing. Where's all the money going? | 2 weeks 6 days ago | 19 |
| I'm wondering about the treatment I received for low back pain this week. In the past, when my back flared up, I would see my physical therapist and get a massage and some heat. Now that's all gone by the wayside. Everything is exercise-based. Is there any proof that one works better than the other? | 2 weeks 6 days ago | 20 |
| I've been nursing a bad back for quite some time. My doctor has prescribed a muscle relaxant but I'm sticking with Tylenol and trying to tough it out. What causes these flare-ups I'm having? I'll be going along doing fine and then bam! I have a day or week of extreme pain again. | 2 weeks 6 days ago | 27 |
| Whenever I browse health magazines, it seems like there's always so much about back pain. I've never known anyone to die from back pain. What's all the fuss about? | 2 weeks 6 days ago | 23 |
| I had a total disc replacement six months ago. I'm very pleased with the results. I can move pain free again. However, I'm concerned because my first set of X-rays showed everything was fine. On my latest X-rays, the disc height is less at the place where the implant is located. Is this serious? What could cause it? | 2 weeks 6 days ago | 20 |
| I'm looking into the possibility of having a disc replacement at L45. I know there are two basic implants available. Is there any great advantage of one over the other? | 2 weeks 6 days ago | 23 |
| I've decided to set up an exercise program for myself. I'm going to get rid of this nasty back pain I've been living with for months once and for all. But I'm not really an expert in this area. What are some back exercises I can do to at least get started? | 2 weeks 6 days ago | 21 |
| Every magazine I read has the answer to low back pain. Usually, it's some kind of exercise program. But it's never the same set of exercises. Isn't there a one-exercise-fits-all kind of program for back pain? | 2 weeks 6 days ago | 21 |
| My wife is an accountant and is advising me to have back surgery for a disc problem simply because it will save us money in the long run. She figures that way I'll be back at my job sooner, bringing in a paycheck again. Waiting for it to heal on its own will just take too long and cost too much in lost wages. Surgery is a big decision. Is she right? | 2 weeks 6 days ago | 23 |
| Ten years ago, I blew a disc at L34. The doctor advised me to wait it out rather than have surgery. Eventually the pain went away and I healed up. Now I'm facing another disc herniation at L45. This time, I've been told to have the surgery right away. Should I be worried that something is drastically wrong? | 2 weeks 6 days ago | 19 |
| After having a spinal injury from an auto accident, my doctor wants to do fusion on my spine from the front and the back. Is this common? | 2 weeks 6 days ago | 20 |
| Is it OK to have a significant kyphosis where my spine was fractured two years ago? | 2 weeks 6 days ago | 23 |
| How would my doctor know if my rheumatoid arthritis is also affecting my spine? | 2 weeks 6 days ago | 15 |
