All About Back Pain Treatments

Spinal Cord Stimulation: Potential Benefits and Risks

The potential benefits and risk of spinal cord stimulation vary from patient to patient. It is important to understand that SCS may help reduce your pain, but not eliminate it.

Patients' Rights and Informed Consent

Patients rights and informed consent are guidelines designed to help establish a stronger relationship of trust among consumers, health care professionals, health care institutions and health plans.

What Is Microforaminotomy?

Microforaminotomy is a type of minimally invasive spine surgery that helps relieve pressure on your spinal cord or nerve roots. Smaller incisions and a faster recovery may make this procedure more attractive than open foraminotomy.

How Spine Surgery Treats Cervical Myelopathy and Deformity

Neurosurgeon explains his diagnosis and treatment of a patient with cervical myelopathy and deformity.

Anticonvulsant Medication May Help Relieve Neuropathic Neck and Back Pain

Anticonvulsant medication may reduce neuropathic neck and back pain that originates in the spine's nerves. An anticonvulsant, such as gabapentin, may be prescribed as a first line drug therapy or an adjuvant medicine for spine nerve pain.

Neurosurgeon or Orthopedic Surgeon? Does it Matter?

It is important for patients to realize that both neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons perform spine surgery. There is an emerging field of "spine surgery" that incorporates both specialties.

Bisphosphonates: Osteoporosis Medications That May Help Prevent Spinal Fractures

This article is about a specific class of drugs call bisphosphonates. These medications help increase bone mineral density in the spine (and hips) and may help reduce the risk of fracture.

Opioids Prescribed Short-term for Postoperative Pain Increased Addiction and Dependency Rates

A study reported a significant increase (10%) in opioid addiction or dependency in patients who received prescription opioid medication to treat postsurgical pain.

Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF) Surgery Treats Low Back Pain

ALIF may be recommended to treat certain spinal conditions that may cause back and/or leg pain or instability.

CNS Depressants: Treatment for Anxiety and Sleep Disorders

Back and neck pain can be hard to live with, but adding an anxiety or sleep disorder can truly damage your quality of life.

Spinal Cord Stimulation FAQs

Will a spinal cord stimulator free you from your back pain? This and other FAQs are answered by F. Todd Wetzel, MD.

What Is Spinal Cord Stimulation?

Spinal cord stimulation is a treatment that benefits many people with chronic back and leg pain. SCS can help reduce pain and improve quality of life.

Massage Therapy Helps Ease Neck and Back Pain

Massage is a treatment option for back pain and neck pain. Learn the basics of massage therapy and find out how it can help reduce your back or neck pain.

Music as Medicine After Spine Surgery

Music therapy, when combined with standard medical care, reduced pain perception in patients recovering from spinal fusion.

Biofeedback: Questions and Answers

Biofeedback can help a patient to affect a particular function specific to a problem through mental or physical exercises, such as relieving neck pain due to muscle tension.

Smoking, Tobacco Use, e-Cigarettes and Spine Surgery

Five spine surgeons answer questions from SpineUniverse.com about smoking, tobacco use, including e-cigarettes and spinal surgery.

Care for Your Low Back According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

There are many different therapies within the specialty of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for the treatment of low back pain.

Kyphoplasty, Vertebroplasty, Vertebral Augmentation Implant: Treatments for Spinal Compression Fractures

Vertebroplasty, balloon kyphoplasty and vertebral body augmentation are minimally invasive surgical procedures performed to stabilize the fracture and relieve back pain caused by with vertebral compression fractures.

Six Things to Know About Storing and Disposing Prescription Drugs

Properly disposing of medications is important and more complicated than you think.

Vertebroplasty Reduces Pain Following Spine Fractures

Spine fractures are common and disabling in people with osteoporosis. Learn about what new findings suggest about a procedure called vertebroplasty.

Massage for Spine Health: 5 Tips for Choosing a Massage Therapist

Research supports the view that massage is a legitimate back pain treatment, offering a viable option to medications or more invasive methods to manage spine pain.

Anterior Disectomy and Fusion Using Simmons Keystone Technique: Discussion

A discussion of the two cases involving anterior discectomy and fusion using the Simmons Keystone technique.

Chiropractic Treatment of Back Pain: Facts & Statistics

Quick facts and statistics about chiropractic care for back pain. For example, learn what conditions chiropractors can treat, as well as what treatments chiropractors provide beyond spinal manipulation (chiropractic adjustment).

Chiropractic Care to Manage Chronic Low Back Pain

Low back pain is not necessarily an acute problem that goes away within 6 weeks.This can require patients to receive additional chiropractic care, along with any other medical services they may need.

Spine Surgeon Tells Patients How to Prepare for an Appointment

Since most of us aren’t likely to have much time with a specialist, we asked Lali Sekhon, MD to share his advice on making the most of your doctor’s visit.

Spinal Bracing

Spinal bracing is used for 3 main reasons... An orthotics specialist explains the different types of braces.

Artificial Disc Replacement as a Revision Procedure

Avid basketball player asks if he is a candidate for cervical artificial disc replacement for neck pain that developed years after a successful spinal fusion.

Opioids for Chronic Neck Pain: Nonopioid Treatment Options

Lisa is managing her chronic neck pain using an opioid drug. Her doctor recommends reducing the medication dose and she is worried. A spine surgeon, physiatrist and pain management specialist answer Lisa's pain treatment questions.

Drug Therapy Treats Spinal Ankylosing Spondylitis

Patients with ankylosing spondylitis, a type of spinal inflammatory arthritis, may benefit from SIMPONI ARIA® (golimumab); an infusion drug therapy.

6 Topics to Help You Talk with Your Spine Surgeon

SpineUniverse spoke with Lali Sekhon, MD, PhD, FACS to obtain his advice about preparing for and getting the most from an appointment or consultation with a spine surgeon.

How Safe Is Cervical Spine Surgery?

Complications during routine neck surgery are rare, and a study shows death, the most serious is virtually nonexistent.

Off-Label Use of BMP in Pediatric Spinal Fusion Controversial

Recent researchthat bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) in pediatric spinal fusion surgery does not improve surgery outcomes and should be used with caution.

Use of Biologics in Spine Surgery

Learn about the advances in biologic materials in spine surgery. Jeffrey C. Wang, MD, a practicing spine surgeon answers SpineUniverse.com's questions.

Bone Graft Types for Spinal Fusion Surgery

Autograft and allograft are frequently used bone graft types for spinal fusion surgery, but new biomedical materials are advancing the case for bone graft substitutes.

Hyperextension Braces: A Type of Spinal Brace

A hyperextension brace is a spinal brace used to restrict forward bending to help your spine heal properly. Learn how this treatment may help you recover from a spinal compression fracture or from spine surgery.

Rigid Braces: A Type of Spinal Brace

Rigid braces may be used to treat low back pain. They are also commonly prescribed to stabilize your lumbar spine after surgery. There are many types of spinal braces (called orthotics or orthoses). This article describes rigid braces.

Molded Jackets: A Type of Spinal Brace

A molded jacket, also called a thoracolumbosacral orthosis, provides rigid stabilization. This brace may treat a number of spinal conditions, including spinal fractures and scoliosis. It can also limit movement after surgery. Learn more here.

Neck Braces: A Type of Spinal Brace

Neck braces are among the most common of all spinal braces (which your doctor may call orthoses or orthotics).

Corsets: A Type of Spinal Brace

There are many types of spinal braces.This article focuses on corsets, which are used for low back pain caused by degenerative disc disease, injury, or spinal deformity.

Exercise and Physical Therapy

Exercise improves strength, range of motion, and flexibility to help heal your spine and prevent back and neck pain.

What Disorders Do Physiatrists Treat?

Physiatrists are most concerned with overall quality of life. To that end, they treat the whole patient, not just one part of the body.

What Is Microlaminectomy and Microlaminotomy?

Microlaminectomy and microlaminotomy are two types of spinal decompression surgical procedures performed to reduce neck pain or back pain caused by a pinched nerve. These spine surgeries remove bone spurs, herniated discs and other tissues that may compress or put pressure on a nerve root or spinal cord.

What You Need to Know About Dry Needling for Low Back Pain

Dry needling is an emerging treatment for trigger points; tender and stiff knots of bundled muscles in your low back or neck. Dry needling for low back pain is often combined with physical therapy.

Massage a Real Deal Option for Chronic Low Back Pain

More than 50 percent of massage therapy study participants reported clinically meaningful improvement in their low back pain after their massage therapy program.

Spinal Conditions Treated by Complementary and Alternative Medicine

When conventional medicine fails to relieve your back or neck pain, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) may help.

Microsurgical Treatment of Herniated Discs

Read about how minimally invasive spine surgery can be used to treat herniated discs.

Is Chiropractic Care Safe for Older Adults With Back Pain?

New research supports chiropractic care for older adults with back pain. Dr. Cheryl Hawk, DC answers your questions.

How Physical Therapists Use Dry Needling to Ease Back Pain

Some physical therapists in the United States perform dry needling to treat knots in the neck and back that cause muscle pain. How to find a PT licensed to practice dry needling.

I'm in Pain Now—Is My Spine Surgery to Blame?

Why do some people experience back pain, neck pain or other symptoms after spinal surgery? When spine pain returns weeks, months or years after back or neck surgery, you may wonder whether your procedure wasn't successful.

Spine Surgery Risk Factors and Potential Complications

Spine surgery is not completely free of risk for complications. Co-existing medical conditions, such as diabetes can increase a patient’s risk for surgical complication. Many risk factors can be managed to avoid development of a spine surgery-related problem.

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All About Back Pain Treatments