This video explores how patients might be instructed to prepare for a back or spine surgery. Whether they need to lose weight, stop smoking or increase strength, Nebraska Spine Hospital’s Surgical Readiness Program can help get them where they need to be for a successful surgery and recovery.
Transcript
Angela Mahood has been in pain for a long time.
Cervical spine surgery is performed to treat spinal instability and/or spinal cord impingement. The cervical spine is the seven bones of your neck, which are separated by discs. The discs allow the neck to move freely, and to absorb shock during activity. Cervical spine surgery is for patients whose symptoms are beyond physical therapy and medication.
The terms ‘herniated disc’ and ‘bulging disc’ are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are actually two different conditions. A herniated disc happens when there is a crack on the outer layer of the disc. A bulging disc occurs when the nucleus or center of the disc squeezes into the cracks of the discs outer covering.
There are countless fitness magazines, blogs, articles, and websites that talk about healthy weight and what’s acceptable and what’s not. We are inundated with information obsessing over the human body and what looks good.
This blog is not another one of those articles. We are not concerned about your body weight in terms of how you look,
According to the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, pediatric pars fractures occur in children involved in “repetitive bending and straightening of the spine. They are generally self-limited and get better with rest followed by rehabilitation.” Pars fractures, also called lumbar spondylolysis, can affect 30% of adolescents, especially if they are involved in sports.
Perhaps one of the most well known bone conditions, osteoporosis is “a condition that causes thinning of the bones. This can result in fractures, deformity, and even death” as stated by spine-health.com. Though common, osteoporosis is quite treatable with certain medications, supplements, and sometimes even surgery.
In the following video Dr. Gill discusses some possible causes of leg numbness, including spondylosis and spondylothesis.
Lumbar spondylolisthesis is when one of the bones in your spine slips forward and out of place causing lower back pain and numbness or weakness in one or both legs. Lumbar spondylolisthesis is the most common form of spondylolisthesis, though it can occur along different areas of the spine.
The term sciatica describes the symptoms of leg pain and possibly tingling, numbness or weakness that originates in the lower back and travels through the buttock and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of the leg. Sciatica is not a medical diagnosis in and of itself – it is a symptom of an underlying medical condition like a herniated disc.
Over 80% of adults experience one or more episodes of back pain in their lifetime.
