What Is a Cervical Disc Replacement?

To better understand cervical disc replacement, you’ll want to know about the spine and the cervical region. The spinal column provides the body’s main support structure. It contains five regions with the first region refer to as the cervical region, which involves the neck. The cervical spine consists of seven vertebrae or bones. They stack…

Tips for Gardening with Back Pain

Spring has sprung and the weather outside is delightful. The garden calls your name. But you’re reluctant to work on it in fear of back pain. The good news is you can enjoy gardening. Just follow these tips to minimize back pain and prevent injury. Warm up before digging in Going from 0 to 60…

What Is Awake Craniotomy?

Sometimes the very best technology that we have is not the newest one. Awake craniotomies, also known as awake brain surgery, have been performed safely for decades and maybe even centuries if you count trephinations, which is a hole saw. Awake craniotomy is a simple and elegant procedure performed on the brain while the patient…

Understanding Chronic Sciatica

Sciatica is one of those things where there’s no question whether someone has it or not. The pain or the shock-like feeling is so strong that it can’t be mistaken for anything else. One patient dealing with sciatica knew exactly what the pain or shock was. She remembered having it one time while pregnant. A…

What Is Brain Metastasis?

Brain metastasis is a growth that appears in the brain from cancer that originates elsewhere in the body. A brain metastasis is not the same thing as a primary brain tumor because those begin in the brain. While any cancer can spread to the brain, the most common cancers that cause metastases are lung, breast,…

What Is a Cervical Disc Herniation?

Before learning about cervical disc herniation, it helps to have a quick synopsis of the spinal anatomy. The spinal column represents the body’s main support structure. This contains five regions with the top region being cervical, which pertains to the neck. In the spine are bones known as vertebrae. Each region has multiple vertebrae. A…

What Is Spondylolisthesis?

Let’s start by analyzing the word spondylolisthesis. Spondylo refers to the spine. Listhesis means slipping. Put them together and the word refers to a slip in the spine. Before going further, here’s a quick review of the spine’s anatomy. The bones in the spine are called vertebrae. They comprise the spine’s building blocks. Discs sit…

How to Keep Your Spine Healthy and Happy

The spine’s anatomy may be complex, but it contains a sophisticated system of bones, nerves, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Think of the spine like the internet in which the nerves provide the connections. They flow everywhere from the tips of the toes up to the brain. The nerves also branch out on the sides of…