What is the difference between a bulging and herniated disc?
Short answer: A bulging disc is one in which the tough outer layers of the disc simply bulge into the spinal canal. A herniated disc is one in which the disc has cracked and some of the soft inner part has leaked out.
Long Answer: discs act [...]
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What is sciatica?
Sciatica is pain, tingling, or numbness produced by an irritation of the nerve roots that lead to the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is formed by the nerve roots coming out of the spinal cord into the lower back. Branches of the sciatic nerve extend through the buttocks and down the back of [...]
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Definition:
A pinched nerve occurs when too much pressure is applied to a nerve by surrounding tissues such as bone spurs, disc herniation and ligaments. This pressure (compression) disrupts the nerve’s function – causing pain, tingling, numbness or weakness in the affected area, and in many cases causing permanent damage.
A pinched nerve can occur anywhere in [...]
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What is a bone spur?
A bone spur (also referred to as an osteophyte) is a bony growth formed on normal bone. Most people think of something sharp when they think of a “spur,” but a bone spur is just extra bone. It’s usually smooth, but it can cause wear and tear or pain if it [...]
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Our Approach to Arthritis and Bone Spur Repair:
Like disc degeneration, arthritis also leads to bone spurs, which can cause nerve impingement and severe pain. Using the most minimally invasive techniques available, we can enter through a tiny 7 or 15 mm incision to shave the bone spurs off and free the nerve and rid you [...]
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As more and more healthcare facilities use the phrase “minimally invasive,” a few surgery centers have started to push the phrase “laser spine surgery” and it has caused some confusion on the difference between minimally invasive spine surgery and laser spine surgery.
The truth is, these key marketing phrases like laser spine surgery do not mean [...]
Yesterday morning on Good Morning America they talked about Esophageal Cancer and how you can be tested for it with a simple procedure using an endoscope. They stressed how the test is simple and pain free. Diane (the host) actually stated several times that the procedure “takes about one minute and [the patient can] go [...]
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Continuing our definitions of medical terms concerning back pain, let’s take a look a a few more keywords.
Scoliosis – It is not a disease, it’s a descriptive term used to describe the way in which a person’s spine is curved from side to side, shaped like an “S”. All spines have curves. We need these [...]
Continue reading about Understanding the Medical Terms for Back Pain, Part Two
Degenerative Disc Disease – While disc degeneration is a common part of aging, trauma to the spine can cause severe constant chronic pain. Many patients still are left with the wrong impression about what Degenerative Disc Disease really means. So let’s breakdown this compound phrase so we can better understand what exactly is being described.
The [...]
Continue reading about Understanding the Medical Terms for Back Pain, Part One
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