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 »
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 »
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 »
Dr. Jeffrey R. Carlson performed one of the first three-level lumbar interbody fusion surgeries in an ambulatory surgery center in the United States on Wednesday, March 3, 2021. The outpatient surgery was performed on a 37-year-old male at Coastal Virginia Surgery Center in Newport News, VA.
Mark W. McFarland, DO There are seven cervical vertebrae or neck bones in the human body. When one of these bones becomes fractured, commonly due to accidents like diving into shallow water, a car crash, a fall from a ladder or another height, or a collision in sports, or from having weakened bones from aging,… Read more »
Jeffrey R. Carlson, MD As a busy Orthopaedic Physician, I often see and treat patients for and write articles about the cervical spine (neck) and the lumbar spine (lower back). Today, I’m going to focus on the thoracic spine or the middle back, the area where the rib cage is located. Percentage wise, I do… Read more »
Mark W. McFarland, DO As a busy spine surgeon, I routinely perform Lumbar Spine Fusion surgery. In this article, I will discuss this procedure and how it is used to improve function and relieve pain in patients with certain spinal conditions. The lumbar spine is made up of five bone segments, called vertebra, which… Read more »
Tom Toothaker, PT, DPT As a Physical Therapist who works for the Orthopaedic & Spine Center, I help many patients build their strength and flexibility after Lumbar Spine Surgery. For those of you waiting for surgery, it’s been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re feeling frustrated and disappointed, it’s understandable. Let’s use that… Read more »