Be a good patient? This is an important step to making the most of your doctor’s visit as being face to face with your doctor is often the best time to ask medical questions. Your questions may be related to your diagnosis, treatment or personal preferences. Be proactive and don’t limit your questions to the reason that sent you to the doctor initially (however don’t bombard your doctor with questions either). Seeing a doctor is about continued health, not just curing the ailment at hand. A good practice is to ask your doctor what health-related items you could work on before your next visit. It could be a simple diet change, a challenge to exercise more or a more general piece of advice, such as stress less. Either way, when you’re face-to-face with a medical professional that has access to your personal health history, what better question could you ask about continued health?
The most common cause of back pain ? Scoliosis is curvature of the spine. It is considered a deformity and depending on how severe the curvature is and where it is located, it can result in back pain. Scoliosis can also lead to the breakdown of discs and joints in the back. For this type of affliction, severity and pain levels often determine treatment. Some with minor curvature can benefit from stretching and massage appointments, others result to chiropractors for correction of the curve but in other cases a brace or surgery is recommended.
LLIF and TLIF is to reduce or eliminate pain in Long Beach back, arm and/or leg pain sufferers caused by movement in the spine. It was created as a minimally invasive alternative to other spinal fusion surgeries. With its smaller incision there is less potential for damage of nerves, blood vessels and organs. In an LLIF, instead of using normal instruments, tubular instruments are passed through the small space using a tunnel formed by the surgeon between the patient’s abdominal organs and the spine muscles. In the TLIF, both parts of the spine are able to be worked on from one incision eliminating additional risks and a second incision site that can cause post-operative pain. Many patients prefer the lateral or transforminal approach to anterior or posterior interbody fusion procedures because they can go home the same day and recovery is shorter. Read even more info at Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion.
Scoliosis is a medical condition in which the person’s spine curves sideways. This condition usually includes pain, uneven shoulders, and differing leg length. Adult scoliosis occurs when a person has reached spinal maturity. What is it scoliosis? Adult scoliosis is defined as a spinal deformity in a skeletally mature patient with a curvature of more than 10 degrees. When this curvature occurs, it can be accompanied by twisting or rotating of the spine as well, and the spine takes on the shape of an elongated “S”. Adult scoliosis can be classified into four major groups: Type 1- Primary degenerative scoliosis is caused by disc deterioration and/or facet joint arthritis. This condition causes back pain, and an asymmetrically change in the spinal column. Type 2- Idiopathic adolescent scoliosis that has progressed in adulthood. This may be the result of secondary degeneration and/or spinal imbalance, with or without a history of corrective spinal surgery. Type 3- Secondary adult curves a) resulting from a neuromuscular or joint abnormality causing a leg length discrepancy or hip pathology, or b) caused by metabolic bone disease (osteoporosis) combined with asymmetric arthritic disease and/or vertebral fractures. Patients that experience these symptoms predominantly complain of back pain, then leg pain and claudication symptoms (pain in the feet, calves, thighs, hips or buttocks with exercise) and numbness or tingling.
Those who enter into a SI joint rehabilitation program can usually return to running with minor modifications. The more severe the case is, the more modifications will have to be made and longer rest period a physician may recommend. Many runners can return to running immediately by making modifications, but others with more severe pain may need to rest and rehabilitate for a while. In the latter case, it’s important that athletes take time to recover so they aren’t doing permanent damage to their body. Usually, a rehabilitation protocol and possible intervention to treat underlying cause (biomechanics, physical attributes, muscle problems) will result in complete recovery and zero residual pain. Surgical intervention offers similar results for more severe cases. With minimally-invasive Sacroiliac Joint Fusion procedures, doctors have reported less post-surgical bleeding and bruising as well as a shorter operating time.
Long Beach Spine Surgery is often sought to treat spinal conditions including deformity in children and adult scoliosis, kyphosis and flatback. Dr. Yuan never recommends surgery first and guides you to many options for pain relief and quality of life. Dr. Philip Yuan is a board certified Orthopedic Surgeon and fellowship trained spinal surgeon who emphasizes non-surgical treatment first and only recommends surgical procedures when absolutely necessary to better a patient’s quality of life. Read a few extra info on Lower back pain treatment Long Beach.