Dr. Ball – Page 4 – Bret G. Ball, MD, PhD, FAANS

DO I HAVE A RIDICULOUS-ITIS?

One day I was riding in my car listening to the radio. Tiger Woods was was being interviewed as a guest on the program. He had just had back surgery and the hosts were asking him how he was doing. He said he was suffering from a radiculitis. The hosts started laughing. They thought it was funny because the word sounds kind of like the word “ridiculous”. However, I can assure you that a radiculitis is anything but funny. It can be extremely painful. Tiger Woods wasn’t laughing either.

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SLEEP AND SPINE HEALTH

Sleep is a fundamental aspect of our lives, playing a crucial role in maintaining overall health and well-being. While most of us are aware of the benefits of sleep for our mental and physical health, its direct impact on spine health is often overlooked. Every day, with practically everything we do, we are putting stress on our spine. That gradually accumulates wear and tear on the spine with things like annular tears, disc dessiccation, arthritis, and bulges. Our body works to repair these injuries at night while we are sleeping. So while you are giving your body the rest it needs, it is working hard to maintain your spine for you. In this post, we will explore the rationale for good sleep hygiene for spine health. So, grab a cozy blanket, get comfortable, and let’s dive into the world of slumber and spinal wellness. And maybe this post, if it’s long enough, will help you get some of those zzz’s you need, for your spine health of course.

PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR THE RELIEF OF NECK AND BACK PAIN

Neck and back pain are common ailments that affect millions of people worldwide. These conditions can range from mild discomfort to debilitating pain, impacting daily activities and overall quality of life. While there are various treatment options available, physical therapy has emerged as an effective and evidence-based approach for managing neck and back pain. A lot of patients are hesitant to do therapy. They are worried that it might be a waste of time and money. It’s true that therapy cannot fix all spine problems, but here are some reasons why it could work for you.

WHAT TO TELL YOUR ANESTHESIOLOGIST

Undergoing surgery is a stressful experience for many people. A lot is thrown at patients, often all at once, and no matter how much is explained, it still seems difficult to really comprehend what is happening. This is also true when it comes to the anesthesia that will be administered. Anesthesiologists play a critical role in ensuring your comfort and safety during surgery, but they need to have accurate information about your medical history, medications, and lifestyle to determine the best type and amount of anesthesia to use. Therefore, it is crucial to communicate openly and honestly with your anesthesiologist before the procedure to avoid any potential complications or adverse reactions.

WHY DO SOME PEOPLE HAVE BACK SURGERY MULTIPLE TIMES?

If you know more than one or two people who have had back surgery, you probably know someone who has had multiple back surgeries. And you may have asked, “Why did you need to have surgery again?” You may have wondered, “If you had surgery, wasn’t your back fixed? Shouldn’t it be like new again?”

TO CHIROPRACTOR OR NOT TO CHIROPRACTOR

Doing a home renovation takes a lot of work by a lot of different people. You need carpenters, painters, plumbers, and electricians just to start. Likewise, a spinal renovation might need a team of specialists to optimize your spine health and condition. One member of the team might be a chiropractor.

Chiropractic care is a form of healthcare that focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Chiropractic care is based on the principle that the body has the ability to heal itself, and that the role of the chiropractor is to facilitate this healing process by restoring proper alignment and function to the spine and other joints in the body.

ABOUT ACUPUNCTURE

I get asked about acupuncture a lot. And to be honest, patients have given me pretty mixed results. Some patients have had a great experience and absolutely love it. Others felt it to be a waste of time. Ultimately, for some patients and for some conditions acupuncture probably won’t help. However, some patients do benefit and it is worth a try if you have back or neck pain.

WHY AM I BEING REFERRED TO A PAIN SPECIALIST?

Interventional pain procedures are an essential part of the management of many kinds of spine and pain conditions. Even though pain procedures, as a general rule, do not cure the problem, they can provide excellent pain relief. Furthermore, pain procedures can also provide valuable diagnostic information, as the response to an injection or other procedure can help confirm that a particular pathology is the primary pain generator.

Interventional pain procedures are minimally invasive medical techniques designed to treat chronic pain conditions. These procedures aim to alleviate pain by targeting the nerves responsible for transmitting pain signals to the brain. There are a variety of tools in the interventional toolkit including nerve blocks, trigger point injections, epidurals, ablations, or nerve stimulation among others.

POSTOPERATIVE NUTRITION

Undergoing surgery can be a physically and emotionally challenging experience for anyone. While the surgery itself is crucial, a proper recovery process is just as important. One key element to a successful recovery is good nutrition. Eating the right foods can help speed up the healing process, reduce the risk of complications, and boost overall health. In this blog post, we’ll discuss some tips for good nutrition after surgery.