Mark W. McFarland, DO A big part of my job as a Spine Surgeon is discerning how much surgery is needed to achieve the goal of pain relief and decompression of spinal nerves from structural spinal issues. The nerve compression could be caused by osteophytes (bone spurs) from arthritic changes in the spine, a bulging… Read more »
Mark W. McFarland, MD Sciatica is a catch-all term that is used for pain that runs from the lower back through the buttock, down the thigh and calf, into the foot. It is named thusly after the sciatic nerve, which when compressed, inflamed, or irritated in some way, causes the tell-tale signs of burning, numbness,… Read more »
Jeffrey R. Carlson, MD, CPE, FAAOS Every day, I see patients for arm or leg pain and numbness related to pinched nerves in their spine. These patients all have differing degrees of pain and dysfunction from their back and neck problems. Each patient deals with their symptoms individually, so there are varying degrees of dysfunction… Read more »
Robert J. Snyder, MD Did you know that Emergency Rooms experience a higher volume of specific types of injuries over the holidays? Some have more to do with cooking, like cuts from chopping food and burns from candles, fireplaces, ovens or stoves, but many are orthopaedic issues. In this article, I will discuss those that… Read more »
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 »