Jeffrey R. Carlson, MD As surgery advances and becomes more commonplace, more patients will have spinal hardware (i.e., screws, rods, plates) used to stabilize the bones of their spines. The hardware has great advantages over the older techniques of providing spine stability with an external brace. This difference can be equated to having surgery for… Read more »
Jeffrey R. Carlson, MD Patients can be very concerned with the words “degenerative disc disease” or “spondylosis” when used in the report sent from a radiologist’s reading of an MRI. These phrases and words are used synonymously with “arthritis”. Our spinal discs wear with time, just like brake pads on a car. This wear is… Read more »
Mark McFarland, DO, performed the first kyphoplasty with Stryker’s SpineJack system in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. The surgery was done at Newport News, Va.-based Mercy Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital, according to an Aug. 10 news release. The patient was a 90-year-old woman, and she was able to go home on the same… 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 back pain and leg pain will cause about 80% of our population to see a physician each year? Although most back pain is minor and will usually resolve on its own, there are many different diagnoses that can cause lingering lower back pain. About 10% of the patients that see an… Read more »
The Spine Surgeons at Orthopaedic & Spine Center are pleased to announce the addition of the Medacta MySpine® Patient-specific Lumbar Spinal Fusion to the surgical procedures available to their patients. The Medacta MySpine® System is truly a surgical instrument customized to the patient’s own anatomy and vertebrae. A plastic, 3D model of the vertebrae to be… Read more »
NEWPORT NEWS, Va., May 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Dr. Mark W. McFarland performed the first outpatient lumbar fusion on the Peninsula using the Medacta MySpine® patient-specific navigation system. The outpatient surgery on the L4-S1 was performed on a 42-year-old female at Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital in Newport News, Va. “I’m delighted to bring this… Read more »
Jeffrey R. Carlson, MD You may think that being an orthopaedist is all glamorous, like the movies or TV make it out to be. However, I did spend many years in school, working hard, learning how to be a good physician and surgeon. One of the most interesting subjects that I had to master was… Read more »
Spinal Osteoarthritis or Spinal OA is a form of wear-and-tear arthritis that affects the joints of the spine. The facet joints are located on the backside of each vertebrae and help the spine bend and twist. As we age, the cartilage in these joints may wear away with use and time. At the same time,… 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 »