More than 26 million Americans suffer from Chronic Back Pain (CBP) every year at an estimated cost of more than $100 billion. It can have a devastating effect on the quality of work, sleep, exercise, and other aspects of everyday life for those who suffer from it. Many of these patients can be helped significantly with intensive rehab programs or spine surgery, but some select conditions are not amenable to these more main-stream approaches. For this specific population of patients, there are new and incredible innovations that can be very effective. I recently came across a new device from the …
How to Strengthen Your Back with Pilates: Pilates is one of the best exercises around for improving back pain and posture. Firstly, the exercises strongly emphasize a focus on spinal and pelvic alignment. Additionally, they target core muscles in the body that can work together to alleviate back pain and provide strength to effectively create a “brace” for preventing future back pain. The essential components of Pilates are concentration, control, centering of the body, efficiency of movement, precision, and breathing. It’s pretty easy to see how, if done properly, all of these can come together to have a positive impact for …
First of all, I want to congratulate Chris Froome on winning the Tour de France! He rode a fantastic race, showing his true colors through the arduous mountain climbs and astonishing everyone through some of the toughest time trials the Tour has ever seen. Just because the Tour is over, however, doesn’t mean biking season has ended. Biking can be a great way to get out and exercise through the fall, but it can also cause serious back pain if one doesn’t ride properly. I would like to provide some tips to help prevent unnecessary injury. Believe it or not, …
It’s great that people today are concerned about their health and are proactive about maintaining their bodies. Unfortunately, there is a growing trend that could potentially weaken these noble goals, and it’s called “overtraining”. Overtraining can be described as increasing the frequency, duration or intensity of your normal workout routine too quickly, and it carries many negative side effects. First of all, overtraining can diminish the effectiveness of any workout. It can also cause chronic soreness and lead to injury, insomnia, unexplained weight-loss, and other conditions. The question then becomes: How can I prevent myself from overtraining? Get Your Rest …
During the summer it can be quite a joy to simply sit back and relax in a hammock. You can read a book, enjoy the scenery, or even take a nap. As it turns out, sleeping in a hammock can actually help you fall asleep faster and give you “better” rest, eliminating tossing and turning. Back pain often leads to discomfort, which can disrupt your sleep cycle and even prevent you from getting to sleep at all. It is important to keep in mind that a strong, supportive hammock that is properly hung is the best option for easy relaxation. …
I am thrilled to announce that I have been named one of the top Spine Surgery Specialists for the second year in a row in the New York Magazine “Best Doctors” issue – on stands now! It is an honor to be recognized by such a great publication.
I was honored to be selected by Becker’s Spine Review in July 2012 as a “Top Spine Surgeon Leader for Non-Profit Hospitals” and then again in October 2012 as a “Spine Surgeon Leader to Know.” This month, Becker’s Spine Review interviewed me again for “8 Ways Spine Surgeons to Leave a Lasting Mark on the Field.” Below please find my answers, as dictated to Editor-in-Chief Laura Miller. Spine surgeons have a huge responsibility to provide safe, effective and cost-effective care to patients on a daily basis. However, for surgeons who want to go the extra mile to impact spine care beyond their practice, there are …
Last month, I shared a wonderful story about my former patient, Sarah Cohn. This month, I have the pleasure of introducing you to another former patient, Rosemary Kurtti. Rosemary came to my practice in September of 2010, after nearly a year of chronic back pain. Before being referred to me by one of her friends, she tried treating her debilitating pain with physical therapy, epidural injections and painkillers, but nothing seemed to work. I determined that Rosemary was actually suffering from a herniated disk in her lower back, a condition all too familiar for many of my patients. After discussing …
Recently, it was confirmed that New England Patriot tight end Rob Gronkowski will undergo surgery this June to repair a lower back disc injury, which has been troubling him since November of last year. Unfortunately, this is not the first or the last time we will see this type of headline in the news, as the rate of sports-related injuries continues to rise. Gronkowski is no stranger to surgery. In 2009, the two-time Pro Bowler missed his entire junior season at the University of Arizona, due to a similar, though unrelated, disc injury. Following the 2011-12 season, Gronkowski had surgery for …
The word “surgery” often causes anxiety and fear for patients. Many times, they specifically ask what treatment options are available aside from surgery because they want to avoid having an operation all together, due to common misconceptions. These misconceptions are about surgery, especially spinal surgery, and I’ve heard them all. More often than not, they get in the way of the best treatment that is available for the patient .The truth is, depending on what type of injury you have and the situation you are in, surgery may end up being your best and safest option for a full recovery. Although …
