Patients may be surprised to find out that neurosurgeons spend a lot of time on the phone trying to convince insurance companies that patients need MRI scans. Insurance companies usually don’t approve scans for patients who are only having low back pain. While serious problems like tumors are rare occurrences, sometimes they present with symptoms…
Lumbar stenosis is one of the most common problems that neurosurgeons see in the office. Patients usually have back pain that travels down their legs, which can get worse with walking. Many patients are surprised at the number of ways there are to treat this common problem. Options include: physical therapy, injections, minimally invasive surgery,…
Some surgeries are a long time in the making. This patient in her 70s recently came to me to have surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis. She also said, ”By the way, I was shot in the back more than 50 years ago in Chicago, can you remove the bullet?” I told her that I don’t…
Many patients come to me and want to have the very latest technologies used for their surgery, such as an artificial cervical disc, which is a great operation for many people. Occasionally, patients are disappointed because I counsel them not to have artificial disc surgery because it will not treat their problem adequately. In every…
As a Neurosurgeon, spinal fractures of the neck from diving accidents are things that I see way too often. This young man dove from a boat into shallow water. He presented with some numbness in his arm and hand. He had a fracture with the instability of his cervical spine at C5, requiring anterior and…
Cervical disc disease can be painful and debilitating and, in severe cases, can even be disabling. Successful surgery depends on many factors including selecting the best procedures for the individual patient. Posterior Microforaminotomy (minimally invasive microsurgery), one level anterior fusion, multiple level anterior fusion and artificial disc surgery are all good options in the right…
👉 Spinal deformities / Anterior-posterior (front-back) Spinal Fusion — At Texas NeuroSpine Surgery, our goal is to always find the least invasive approaches for the best surgical outcome. However, some cases require more extensive approaches, as in this case of an L4-5 deformity in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and years of debilitating low back…
“This 53-year-old patient had a collapsed L5-S1 disc, retrolisthesis and foraminal stenosis contributing to severe low back pain. She had tried years of conservative (non-operative) treatment including physical therapy and injections without relief. At Texas NeuroSpine Surgery, we will always continue make every effort to treat your low back pain from a collapsed disc without…
“A Chiari malformation results when a patient has too little room for their cerebellum in the back part of the skull. The cerebellar tonsils get forced down into the spinal canal. The result can be a syrinx or fluid filled cavity within the spinal cord that can cause pain, weakness and numbness. The Chiari malformation…
“Taking a call at a Level 1 trauma center is stressful and takes time away from family and a neurosurgeon’s precious free time. I was reminded recently why I still feel passionate about taking a Level 1 trauma call when I met this simply miraculous 89-year-old woman. She was involved in a motor vehicle collision…