Spine Universe Editorial Board

Richard Derby, MD is Medical Director of Spinal Diagnostics and Treatment Center as well as CEO of Comprehensive Spine Diagnostics Medical Group in Daly City, CA. He is a Board Certified Anesthesiologist who also serves as Associate Clinical Professor at Stanford University's Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Stanford, CA.

Dr. Derby completed his undergraduate degree at Stanford University and received a Medical Degree from the University of California at Irvine. He completed his residency at the University of California at San Francisco.

Dr. Derby is an active member of several professional societies including the American Society of Anesthesiologists, North American Spine Society (NASS), International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine, International Intradiscal Therapy Society and is a Founding Member of the International Spinal Injection Society (ISIS).

Further, Dr. Derby holds journal, editorial and review committee memberships for several professional publications including The Clinic Journal of Pain, Spine, Pain Digest, The Pain Medicine Journal Club, and The Spine Journal.

Dr. Derby has participated in more than 70 invited lectures, presentations and workshops and is a prolific published author.

SpineUniverse articles from Richard Derby, MD

• Diagnostic Injections for Lumbar Disc Disease
  There are two types of lumbar spinal pain, radicular pain and axial pain.
• Discography Summary: Section 1
  The primary utility of discography is as a provocative clinical test for the evaluation of axial spinal pain.
• Discography Summary: Section 2
  Some believe that discography is necessary prior to fusion.
• Discography: Technique
  A review of approaches, complications, and study outcomes.
• Epidural Corticosteroid Injections: Conclusion
  Epidural steroid injections have a role in radicular pain, as proven with some controlled and many uncontrolled studies, including meta-anaylses.
• Epidural Corticosteroid Injections: Technical Considerations - Part B
  Various routes for administration of epidural steroids are discussed; figures included.
• Epidural Corticosteroid Injections: Technical Considerations - Part C
  The selective administration of epidural corticosteroid at the presumed most symptomatic level can provide pain relief from neural irritation and inflammation.
• Epidural Corticosteroid Injections: Technical Considerations, Part A
  Fluoroscopic guidance and contrast medium greated increase the accuracy and safety of epidural steroid injections.
• Epidural Steroid Injections: Section 1
  Epidural steroid injections are commonly used to treat both radicular and axial pain resulting from lumbar disc disease.
• Epidural Steroid Injections: Section 2
  The balance of evidence suggests that epidural steroid injections have a role in treating radicular pain, although primarily as an adjunct to a comprehensive rehabilitation program.
• Indications, Risks, and Contraindications: Epidural Corticosteroid Injections
  A review of the indications, risks, and contraindications for epidural steroid injections including study results.
• Intradiscal Electrothermal Annuloplasty
  Intradiscal Electrothermal Annuloplasty (IEA) is a procedure to heat the intervertebral disc for the purpose of relieving discogenic pain.
• Intradiscal Heating Procedures
  Intradiscal heating procedures are explained.
• Intradiscal Therapies
  A brief discussion about intradiscal steroid use and intradiscal heating procedures.
• Intradiscal Thermal Modulation
  Intradiscal thermal modulation (ITM) is a procedure to heat the intervertebral disc for the purpose of relieving discogenic pain.
• Lumbar Discography
  Several studies have confirmed the accuracy of discography as a radiologic test in demonstrating both disc herniations and disc degeneration.
• Precision Injection Techniques for Diagnosis and Treatment of Lumbar Disc Disease: The Next Step
  Precision spine injections are potentially powerful tools for both diagnosing and treating the anatomic source of chronic spinal pain.
• Pressure Controlled Discography
  Psyiologic loading of the disc creates horizontal and vertical stresses within the nucleus, annulus and endplates of the disc.
• Procedural Safety Guidelines for Cervical Epidural Steroid Injections: Appendix 1 - Part B
  Part B of Appendix 1 that outlines safety guidelines for cervical epidural steroid injections.
• Procedural Safety Guidelines for Cervical Epidural Steroid Injections: Appendix 1: Part A
  Safety guidelines for cervical epidural steroid injections.
• Provocative Discography: Section 1
  It is important to know the false positive and false negative rates associated with provocative discography.
• Provocative Discography: Section 2
  Psychological factors are important sources of false positive results with discography.
• Provocative Discography: Section 3
  The rates of false positive discography in select patients without low back complaints.
• Provocative Discography: Section 4
  The primary indication for provocative discography is to determine whether a patient with chronic spinal pain, who has failed aggressive efforts at conservative care, can be helped with spinal fusion.
• Rationale: How, When, and Why to Use Epidural Corticosteroid Injections
  There is an ongoing trend toward non-surgical management of disc herniations with or without radiculopathy.
• References - Epidural Steroid Injections: Section 3
  References to Epidural Steroid Injections.
• References: When, How, and Why to Use Epidural Corticosteroid Injections: An Overview
  References for the article "When, How, and Why to Use Epidural Corticosteroid Injections."
• Selective Epidural Injection: Section 1
  A selective epidural injection is a variation of the selective nerve root injection.
• Selective Epidural Injection: Section 2
  A selective epidural approach ensures that the injection incorporates all the sites where pathology can affect the nerve.
• Selective Epidural Injection: Section 3
  The selective epidural injection is composed of the provocative pain response and the analgesic response.
• Selective Epidural Injection: Section 4
  There are factors that can lead to both false positive and false negative results from selective epidural injections.
• Therapeutic Injections for Lumbar Disc Disease
  A therapeutic injection, as an isolated treatment, has the potential to provide both long-term pain relief and restoration of function.
• When, How, and Why to Use Epidural Corticosteroid Injections: An Overview
  Spinal epidural steroid injections are commonly utilized in the treatment of acute spinal pain and may provide diagnostic confirmation of a specific "pain generator."