Jenny L. F. Andrus, MD As an Interventional Pain Management Physician, I frequently treat patients for nerve-related pain from a variety of causes and conditions, and sometimes for undetermined reasons. Some patients are affected by pain which comes from multiple nerves that are damaged, impinged or which simply malfunction in different parts of the body,… Read more »
Moderated by Jeffrey R. Carlson, MD Contrast is just an easily interchangeable term for Gadolinium contrast medium or dye which is used most often with MR scans. This substance alters nearby water molecules so that they are more visible on an MR scan, enhancing total image quality. Contrast is valuable in that it helps… Read more »
Jeffrey R. Carlson, MD The title of this article is a question that was asked recently by a patient over our webchat line that I thought would make a fantastic topic for discussion. I often hear this complaint from my patients as I am a spine surgeon and the requirements for spine surgery anesthesia are… Read more »
Jenny L.F. Andrus, MD Physicians order many diagnostic tests to help them pinpoint exactly what condition or illness a patient may have when the answer isn’t immediately clear. A Nerve Conduction Study (NCS) is basically that – a way of determining the speed and intensity of nerve signals being carried away from the brain, through… Read more »
Mark W. McFarland, DO I’m certain that there isn’t one of us who hasn’t had neck pain at some point in their life – we’ve slept funny and woke up with a “crick” in our neck or we painted the ceiling, or we did something that made our neck hurt. Usually, with a little TLC,… Read more »
Cody Leeworthy PT, DPT Having a spine surgery used to be considered one of the scariest major surgeries a patient could have. Nowadays, with the skill of OSC spine surgeons, incredible advancements in surgical technique and pain management, OSC patients can go into our ambulatory surgery center in Newport News, VA and walk out several… Read more »
Mark W. McFarland, DO As a spine specialist and surgeon, x-ray and MRI are pretty much the tools of my trade; however, I occasionally need more detail or different detail than they can provide. That’s when I order a Myelogram. In this article, I will discuss what a Myelogram is, why it is ordered, what… Read more »
Raj N. Sureja, MD When a patient with chronic neck pain gets referred to me, an Interventional Pain Management Specialist, I am often considered a last resort for treatment. Typically, the patient has tried every treatment that their PCP has to offer, been to a Chiropractor, Physical Therapist, massage therapist, to an Orthopaedist, and may… Read more »
Did you know that Spinal Osteoarthritis is the number one cause of lower back pain in those over the age of 50? While it is most commonly seen in the lower back, it can also occur in the neck. This is the kind of arthritis that is known as “wear and tear” arthritis and typically… Read more »
Spine surgery encompasses many aspects of patient mobility, but none as serious as spinal cord injury. Injury to the spinal cord can happen from an accident where the bones get violently moved out of position and pinch the spinal cord. This may just be an instant compression on impact than released or a sustained compression… Read more »