Mark W. McFarland, DO Doesn’t everyone have curves in their spine? Absolutely. A normal spine has several shallow alternating curves, which helps it to balance the weight of the head, and evenly distribute the weight of the body in alignment from the shoulders to the hips, knees and feet. What is Kyphosis? This medical term… Read more »
Jeffrey R. Carlson, MD CPE In the last two articles, I’ve reviewed the reasons why bone fracture can go untreated and what happens to the human body as a result. In this last segment, I will address what can be done for those fractures that are finally given proper medical attention. Non-union – this means… Read more »
Jeffrey R. Carlson, MD, CPE It may be hard to imagine that someone would have a bone fracture and not seek appropriate medical treatment or that it could be missed by a practitioner during an exam. However, this happens more often than you might think. In three articles, I’ll detail the reasons why broken bones… Read more »
Jeffrey R. Carlson, MD, CPE (Originally published in Hampton Roads Physicians’ Magazine) When muscles don’t get enough blood flow due to obstructed arteries, cramping pain can result simply from walking or using one’s arms. Vascular claudication (VC) is a condition typically caused by peripheral artery disease and is a debilitating problem that worsens over time…. Read more »
Mark W. McFarland, DO After the emergent phase of injury and the immediacy of treating life-threatening injuries, after the surgeries have been performed and the subsequent acceptance of a new way of life, comes the challenge – living life after a cervical dislocation fracture. In this article, I’d like to address those realities, but also… Read more »
Mark W. McFarland, DO What happens to the patient from the scene of the accident, during transport to the hospital and after they make it to the hospital trauma unit? In this article, I’ll talk about treatment for this type of cervical fracture and how we start to put the pieces back together for the… Read more »
Mark W. McFarland, DO In part one of this article series, we discussed what a cervical dislocation fracture is, how it can happen and exactly how serious of an injury it can be. In part two, I’d like to discuss the symptoms of a cervical dislocation fracture and how a tiny distance can make a… Read more »
Mark W. McFarland, DO Most people are aware of basic spine anatomy – how the bones of the spine sit atop one another, sandwiched between cushiony discs filled with watery gel that act as shock absorbers. These vertebrae, and the attached muscles and ligaments give us amazing strength and stability to lift heavy weights and… Read more »
Jeffrey R. Carlson, MD, CPE Most of you are familiar enough with human anatomy to know that the spine has bones called vertebrae that are stacked upon one another, sandwiched between vertebral discs that help us walk upright, bear our weight, bend, and even let us perform gymnastics if necessary. However, many people don’t know… Read more »
Mark W. McFarland, MD One of the first things you learn in medical school is that human bones can withstand lots of punishment, but they also can break in a lot of different ways. Spinal bones (vertebrae) tend to break in specific ways, and some can be more serious than others. In this article, I’m… Read more »