October 2018 - Carl Spivak, MD - Executive Spine Surgery

October 23, 2018

By Staff Writer Spine Surgery

What You Need to Know About Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment

Is your back pain making it hard to get out of bed in the morning? Are you losing time at work because you are in so much pain?

Studies show that about half of all American adults have experienced back pain at some point in their lives.

How do you know if your back pain is serious? You might be so used to your pain that you don’t realize you have degenerative disc disease.

We’ll discuss degenerative disc disease treatment and help you figure out if it’s time to go see your doctor. There are several methods of treatment available and it’s possible to minimize your pain and discomfort.

What Is Degenerative Disc Disease?

If you have chronic, low-grade pain, you could be looking at degenerative disc disease. It’s caused by long-term wear and tear on your back. There are cartilage discs between the bones in your back and eventually, they start to wear out.

You might be experiencing leg pain or ongoing lower back pain. You might also have weakness or numbness throughout your lower back. Some patients with degenerative disc disease don’t experience any pain, but if you notice that your back is getting worse then it’s time to see a doctor.

Keep a journal for your pain every day. Make a note of how severe your pain is and whether it’s getting worse or better. When you see your doctor, you’ll have a record of how your back is doing. It’ll make it easier for the doctor to start the diagnostic process.

What Causes Degenerative Disc Disease?

Your back injury could have been caused by a traumatic event like a car accident, but more likely it’s the result of the normal aging process. Everyone’s vertebrae and discs will eventually wear down somewhat, but yours may have degenerated more than average.

What happens to your discs is that they can tear, exposing nerves in the spine. Your discs could touch those nerves, causing irritation and pain. If you’ve had a serious car accident, you might want to touch base with your doctor just to see what kind of injury has been done to your back.

Even if you have an office job, you’re still wearing down your back by sitting in the same position every day. If stretching isn’t helping your pain, try getting an ergonomic seat. It should distribute your weight more evenly and help cut back on your spinal irritation.

Degenerative Disc Disease Treatment

You might be wondering how to treat degenerative disc disease. There are several options: your doctor will help you determine which one is best for you.

The first step is to get diagnosed with an MRI. The imaging software will help your doctor see your back in detail. Any irregularities will be visible and they can start your treatment plan from there.

Another form of diagnosis is discography, where the doctor injects your discs with a solution that lets them see it clearly. They will be able to see if your discs have torn or degenerated without tearing.

Treatments for degenerative disc disease include physical therapy, injections of pain medication, and anti-inflammatory medication. There are also minimally-invasive surgical options available.

You might find that your pain decreases after you visit a chiropractor or physical therapist. If your pain continues, however, you may want to look into surgical remedies for your chronic lower back pain.

Should I Get Surgery?

The best thing about getting spinal surgery for your discs is that we can perform the procedure on an outpatient basis. Our surgery does not impact the muscles in the neck and avoids risky spinal fusion.

Before you get your surgery, you may be asked to change your diet or your smoking habits. The surgery is most effective if you have it within six months of the onset of symptoms, but we can work with patients who have long-term chronic pain as well.

We make a very small incision and work with tiny surgical instruments to remove parts of the impacted disc. We do not perform open spine surgery for patients with degenerative disc disease. A long hospital stay doesn’t suit our patients’ busy lifestyles and we work to perform effective, quick surgical procedures.

Recovery from Surgery

You should expect a fairly quick recovery from our spinal surgeries. You’ll be given antibiotics before and after your procedure, so make sure to take them exactly as prescribed.

There is the potential for blood clots or nerve damage, but these are extremely rare. You may feel a small amount of pain at the incision site, and your symptoms may flare up for a week or so after your surgery.

If you have any other symptoms after your surgery, make sure you communicate with your doctor. You may want to take a day or two off from work, but make sure you get up during the day and walk around. You should feel much better after your surgery is completed.

Your doctor might also recommend visiting a physical therapist after your surgery, just to get you back up and running. Once your pain diminishes, you should be much more comfortable performing daily life activities.

How Can I Get Started?

The first step is to find a doctor who is experienced in back surgery. Then you’ll need to get an MRI. Make sure you keep a record of your pain: how severe it is, where you feel it, and whether it’s getting better.

The doctor may have you try some non-surgical options first, like physical therapy and weight loss. You may also want to try pain medication as a form of relief. Some patients find that their condition improves when they work out at the gym, but that doesn’t help everyone.

If you’re worried about your recovery time, remember that the entire disc surgery is performed on an outpatient basis. You should be up and walking around in a very short time after your surgery.

Send us an email or book your appointment online. We’ll help you find the degenerative disc disease treatment that’s right for you.

October 16, 2018

By Staff Writer Scoliosis

5 Best Exercises for Scoliosis

Scoliosis is characterized by an S or C-shaped curve in your back and is often accompanied by a significant amount of pain. For most, scoliosis develops in childhood, but can also develop in your later years through injury, continuous muscle strain, or even failed surgery.

While surgery is the top choice for most people, there are some strategies you can use to improve the symptoms of scoliosis. One of the most important and successful strategies is exercising. By doing some simple exercise, your back may begin to realign and the symptoms of your scoliosis will decrease.

Read on to find out about 5 exercises for scoliosis, how to do them correctly, and how they can help your pain symptoms.

1. Upward and Downward Dog

Get into a prone plank position with your arms straight, and then push your hips back and up as far as possible. Hold this for 2 seconds, and then lower your hips down to the floor without causing discomfort. Make sure to do this exercise over 3 sets of about 5 to 10 reps.

Upward and Downward Dog are standard back stretching exercises. They allow for your spine to line up straight and can be useful in improving your posture. The movement between upward and downward dog allows for added flexibility.

If you feel discomfort or pain, you may be stretching the muscles in your back too much. Be sure to limit how far you push yourself when doing this exercise, especially when you first start.

2. Back Stretch

In terms of simplicity, this back stretch is the premium. All you really have to do is stand up straight with your arms stretched out in front of your chest. Once you do that, be sure to lace your fingers together as if you’re cracking your knuckles, and push out.

The simplicity of this exercise does not change how much it helps you. The key to this exercise is to hold it as much as possible without it causing you too much pain. This will also allow for your back muscles to extend further in order to balance out your posture and reduce the pain you feel.

3. Overhead Stretch

If you want to go back to your childhood days, the overhead stretch is a terrific way to do that. All you’ll need to do is sit legs crossed against a wall. When you do that, take a ball or rolled up towel and lift it slowly above your head. Be sure to keep your elbows up against the wall in order to keep your posture set.

The key to this stretch is working against gravity to make your muscles do the work. When your muscles get this workout done, the added resistance provided by gravity will make your muscles stronger as well as more flexible, in order to make the stretching easier and to make yourself feel better.

If you’re up for a challenge, add a small amount of weight to this workout. If you want to lift dumbbells or other weighted items, your muscles will grow stronger while also being more flexible. Be careful not to add too much, though, because your muscles may become too strained or you can risk additional injury to yourself.

4. Swimming

While most sports, especially contact sports, are strongly advised against when you have scoliosis, not all sports are out of line. Swimming, for example, can be a great activity for you to take on even with scoliosis. Whether you’re swimming for pleasure or looking to become the next Michael Phelps, it’s an amazing activity to pursue.

Swimming is a great sport that promotes flexibility throughout the entire body, but some strokes can target flexibility in your back. The backstroke, for example, makes it so that all your muscle movements are well balanced and everything is equally stretched out. On top of that, the near-weightless environment makes it so that your body is not susceptible to the dangers that impact exercises, like running, may have.

There are some dangers to too much swimming, though. If you suffer from thoracic scoliosis, swimming laps in the pool for hours on end can raise your risk of having your spine flatten, which will cause even more pain and long-term trouble in general.

If you’re a competitive person and are looking for a sport to do that will not cause you too much direct pain, swimming is one of many great exercises for scoliosis that has all-around health benefits, not just directly dealing with scoliosis.

5. Yoga

Yoga, and all of the stretching that goes with it, is a great way to deal with scoliosis pain. There are several yoga poses that will allow people with scoliosis to breathe more effectively, develop core strength, and make their back muscles more flexible so as to deal with the pain of scoliosis.

There are both good and bad stretches for people with scoliosis. Good stretches include the Mountain Pose, Tree Pose, and Cat Pose. These stretches all help with balance and posture while not pushing the back too hard.

Unfortunately, there are many stretches that can cause further damage to people with scoliosis. Stretches such as the shoulder stand or bending the rib cage can cause curves to worsen and add unnecessary strain to the back muscles, potentially making them weaker.

If you are looking to use yoga as a way to alleviate scoliosis pain, be careful about which stretches you do, and what muscle areas you are focusing on.

The Best Exercises for Scoliosis

If you are one of many people living with scoliosis, adding some basic exercises for scoliosis or stretching into your daily routine can make a big difference. It can reduce the pain you feel, improve your posture, and generally make your scoliosis more manageable.

If you believe that your scoliosis needs more help than just some simple exercises, you may want to check out our website. Our doctors can help refer you to an organized exercise program, or even corrective surgery when necessary.

October 9, 2018

By Staff Writer Treatment Options for Back Pain

5 Signs Your Back Pain May Be Spinal Arthritis

50% of all working Americans deal with back pain symptoms every single year. This doesn’t include the number of young adults who may have scoliosis or a back-related sports injury, or retired or unemployed personnel who also struggle with back pain.

When you think of everyone around you who understands how serious back pain can be, it’s nice to know you’re not alone. But, this doesn’t make the pain go away. You still need to get treatment for the pain you’re dealing with, especially if you think you have a condition like spinal arthritis.

Spinal arthritis causes the protective cartilage of the spine to wear down. This can lead to even more pain in the spine and lack of spinal mobility.

Keep reading to see if you have any of the common signs of spinal arthritis.

1. You Back Pain Is Getting Worse and Worse

The thing about spinal arthritis is that the pain doesn’t just come and go. It’s a constant pain that lingers throughout your day, every day.

The pain may increase and decrease depending on your level of activity or lack thereof. But, it’s still there as you do everything from making breakfast to driving to work, to completing your work out.

More importantly, spinal arthritis in the back causes the pain to get worse.

You may have first experienced pain in the lower back that spread up the spine. Or, you could have noticed a bit of pain in your mid-back at first which has now spread up or down. However it began, if your back pain is spreading on the spine and/or increasing in intensity, you’re likely dealing with spinal arthritis.

2. You Have a Stiff Back

Another sign of spinal arthritis is immobility in the back. If you have trouble bending over or moving your spine side to side, you have a stiff back. This means you feel pain when performing simple tasks – like tying your shoes or lifting a load of laundry.

The stiffness stays with you throughout the day. Even if your back pain goes away when you sit, stand, or lay down for an extended period of time, you feel the stiffness when you try to move and shift positions.

This isn’t something to brush off or feel like you have to live with. It’s a spinal condition worth getting medical attention for as soon as possible.

3. Your Back Pain Causes Trouble Sleeping

Does the back pain you feel throughout the day follow you to bed at night? Is it hard for you to find a comfortable position to sleep in because your spine hurts?

This is another sign of spinal arthritis worth paying attention to. As common as back pain can be, it’s not normal for it to affect your quality of sleep.

Not to mention, a low level of sleep quality can make your back pain even worse. When you sleep poorly, you don’t have as much energy to take on your day. This can result in lower levels of activity and spending more time with your back in a fixed position. It can also lead you to hunch over at work from being groggy, which doesn’t do any good for the spine, either.

4. You Wake up with Back Pain

Maybe it’s not that you have trouble falling asleep because of your back pain but that you feel it the moment you wake up. Maybe you feel it in your sleep and the next morning, too.

Either way, you’re likely dealing with spinal arthritis. Remember, this affects the cartilage of the spine, not the bones themselves (at least, not right away). Lack of cartilage means lack of cushion for the bones.

This could result in a herniated disc or a pinch in the nerves. Cartilage is essential for healthy bone functions and placement. When it starts to degenerate, the surrounding area may inflame and cause more discomfort than the body is already experiencing.

As such, the pain you feel when waking up in the morning is a lowering of the inflammation that occurred during sleep. If the pain lasts throughout the day at a more intense level than normal, it could be that your spinal arthritis has caused a herniated disc, which should be taken care of right away.

5. Other Parts of Your Body Also Hurt

As if all the pain and discomfort caused by spinal arthritis isn’t enough, keep in mind this condition can spread. Pain in the spine may lead to discomfort in the neck or a tingling in the legs.

This tingling can reach as far as your toes if you’re not careful and you go too long without treatment. The tingling may end up as more of a numb sensation throughout your whole leg or it can concentrate in a certain area such as the knee.

Still, there’s no sense in putting yourself through this when help is available.

Get the Help Your Spinal Arthritis Needs

It’s one thing to recognize the symptoms of spinal arthritis and understand you have it, and another to actually get the treatment your spine needs.

Don’t go another day without taking care of your back. Make an appointment with an experienced spinal professional right now to get the treatment you deserve.

Before you know it, your back will feel as good as new and your pain will feel practically nonexistent! Click here to discover more about spinal arthritis and what Dr. Carl Spivak, MD, and his team can do for you.

October 2, 2018

By Staff Writer Treatment Options for Back Pain

The Best Bulging Disc Treatment for Pain Relief

Lower back pain is one of the most common health complaints worldwide. Approximately 31 million Americans are struggling with this issue at any given time. In some cases, the pain can worsen and become chronic.

This condition can have a variety of cases, from poor posture to arthritis and injuries. Sometimes, it results from a bulging disc.

Also known as a disc protrusion, bulging discs typically occur in the lower back between vertebrae L5 and S1 or L4 and L5. Their symptoms vary from one individual to another.

Some people may experience no symptoms at all, while others report excruciating pain.

Bulging disc treatment involves medications, physiotherapy, massage, or spinal manipulation. In severe cases, surgery is the only option.

Before discussing these options, let’s see what a bulging disc is in the first place.

What Is a Bulging Disc?

Spinal discs are cartilaginous joints that hold the vertebrae of your spine together. Their role is to absorb shock and allow movement at each spinal level. The spine has a total of 23 discs.

These anatomical structures are subject to wear and tear. At birth, about 80 percent of their content is water. As we age, our discs dehydrate and their cartilage becomes stiff, which may cause them to bulge out.

While aging is the most common cause of bulging discs, there are other factors that may contribute to this condition. These include:

A family history of spinal problems
Direct trauma
Sports injuries
Poor lifting technique
Muscle and posture imbalances
Cigarette smoking
Obesity
Lack of exercise
Slips and falls

Sometimes, it takes just one wrong move to develop a bulging disc. That’s why people who participate in contact sports, as well as those whose jobs involve prolonged standing, driving, and repetitive lifting, are at higher risk.

Common mistakes, such as slouching in your chair and sitting with poor posture, can affect your discs too.

This problem is more common in middle-aged individuals. However, anyone can develop a bulging disc. Cigarette smoking, weight gain, and too much sitting can all increase your risk.

Bulging Disc Treatment Options

Unless your condition is severe, you may able to treat a bulging disc with rest and physiotherapy. Pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs can help.

Bulging disc treatment options depend largely on your symptoms. Doctors often recommend acupuncture, electrotherapy, ice packs, or soft tissue massage for minor and moderately bulging disc injuries. You might also want to consider chiropractic treatment.

Another option is stem cell disc regeneration. This procedure stimulates the formation of new disc cells, which helps restore and rebuild damaged discs. Patients experience a reduction in pain and discomfort – and improved quality of life.

Surgery is only recommended in severe cases. If your back pain doesn’t settle with a conservative approach, this may your only option.

Let’s take a look at the best ways to treat a bulging disc and what to expect.

Physiotherapy

A bulging disc can place extra pressure on the muscles and nerves around it, causing pain. Medications only provide temporary relief. Plus, they fail to address the root cause of your problem.

Physiotherapy has emerged as a safe, effective way to treat bulging discs. Certain techniques, such as electrical stimulation, ultrasound therapy, traction, joint mobilization, and soft tissue massage, can relieve pain and improve your range of motion.

Electrical stimulation, for instance, helps reduce muscle spasms. Joint mobilization can increase your flexibility and normalize joint function.

Your physiotherapist may also recommend stretching and strengthening exercises that reduce back pain and improve your posture. He will create a workout plan that can be safely done at home with little or no equipment. The end goal is to improve your body mechanics and restore your mobility.

Furthermore, a physical therapist can show you how to exercise safely and what movements to avoid. The wrong kind of exercises can worsen your symptoms. Leg lifts, sit-ups, overhead weightlifting, and running are just a few to mention.

In general, it’s recommended to avoid high-impact workouts, heavy lifting, and contact sports.

Steer clear of any movements that involve repetitive forward-bending at the waist. Instead, opt for low-impact aerobic activities and stretching.

Ice and Heat Therapy

Unless you have excruciating pain, ice and heat therapy can help.

Ice packs reduce inflammation and swelling around the compressed spinal nerve. All you need to do is to apply ice on the affected areas for about 10 minutes; repeat several times a day.

Heat therapy may relieve muscle spasms and ease your pain. It also helps increase oxygen and blood flow to your tissues, leading to faster healing.

Depending on your symptoms, you may alternate ice and heat. However, be aware that heat isn’t effective against inflammation; in this case, it’s better to use ice.

Stem Cell Disc Regeneration

This quick, minimally invasive procedure may offer complete relief from back pain and other symptoms associated with bulging discs. In clinical trials, it has been shown to slow or stop the degenerative process and increase disc hydration.

As its name suggests, stem cell disc regeneration aims to restore damaged discs to their normal, healthy state. It has been proven effective in the treatment of bulging discs, herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and other similar conditions.

Since this procedure uses your body’s own stem cells, it’s well tolerated and unlikely to cause adverse reactions. After you receive the treatment, you’re free to go home and resume you

Don’t Let Pain Take Over Your Life

As you see, there are various options for bulging disc treatment. Choosing one over another depends on your symptoms and the severity of your condition.

The sooner you receive treatment, the better. Early intervention can lower your risk of developing complications.

You deserve a pain-free life. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Book an appointment and find out how we can help!

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Month: October 2018