| I went with my wife to see the surgeon who is planning to do a lumbar disc replacement on her. He showed us the device that will be used. It's made of some kind of chromium and cobalt metal. The thing I don't understand is how such a big implant can fit inside my tiny wife. Is it one-size-fits-all? Also it has a jagged fin on it that looks like a shark. Where does that go? | 5 years 48 weeks ago | 260 |
| My brother is going to have a spinal fusion alot like I did two years ago. The main difference is my surgery was done from the front. He says his surgeon is going to open him up from the back. Is this something new? How is it decided which way to do this operation? | 5 years 44 weeks ago | 260 |
| I've been having sciatic pain for quite some time now. Would there be any benefit to getting an MRI to find out what's going on? | 5 years 39 weeks ago | 260 |
| I'm starting to understand the idea of evidence-based medicine. What's the best evidence about spinal fusion for degenerative spondylolisthesis? I'm facing this problem myself right now. | 5 years 37 weeks ago | 260 |
| I'm 52-years old and starting to have some back pain that won't go away. It's really taking a toll on what I can and can't do. I notice that my 83-year old aunt, who has had chronic low back pain for the past 10 years, complains about the pain but gets along without any apparent difficulty. How do you explain this? | 5 years 31 weeks ago | 260 |
| My doctor and the physical therapist who is treating me both think my low back pain is coming from the spinal joint. What's the best treatment for a problem like this? | 5 years 30 weeks ago | 260 |
| My doctor has advised me to have a spinal fusion at two levels in my lumbar spine. Is there any way to tell ahead of time if this will work? | 7 years 48 weeks ago | 261 |
| I've been having some low back pain for about six months now. I'm seeing a physical therapist who wants me to start doing things that make it hurt. I'm better when I avoid those movements. Doesn't it seem like I should do whatever it takes to keep from hurting? | 7 years 35 weeks ago | 261 |
| Two months ago I had a very successful operation for a herniated disc. Now I want to get
on an exercise program. I'd like to keep up my strength and flexibility. How often should
I exercise to get the benefit without hurting myself? | 7 years 48 weeks ago | 261 |
| I've had bouts of low back pain off and on for the last three years. I notice when I work out at the gym I feel better. As soon as I lay off the exercise, the back pain is back.
Will I ever heal or am I stuck with the daily gym routine? | 7 years 48 weeks ago | 261 |
| I'm having my third bout of low back pain in three months. This time there's pain going down into my right buttocks and then down my leg. I don't seem to be getting better like the first two times. Is this typical? | 8 years 5 days ago | 261 |
| I'm 66-years old and just starting to notice some low back pain. It seems to get better when I bend forward and worse when I straighten up. I don't want to get stuck in a stooped position. What can I do about this? | 8 years 9 weeks ago | 261 |
| I've been told my back pain is due to a bulging disc. It sure feels like the muscles are the real problem. Is there any way to tell which came first--the disc problem or the muscle imbalance? | 8 years 13 weeks ago | 261 |
| My doctor has advised me to think about having a disc replacement instead of a spinal fusion. What can you tell me about this new treatment? How well does it hold up? Will my activities be restricted? | 8 years 17 weeks ago | 261 |
| I'm thinking about going to nursing school. I heard that many nurses have to quit nursing because of back pain. Is this true? | 7 years 27 weeks ago | 261 |
| I'm a nurse with 25 years of experience, so you know I'm not a spring chicken. I heard a news report about a study in Sweden comparing trained judo fighters that's supposed to help nurses. The fighters lifted patients while the abdominal pressure and muscle activity was measured. How's a study like this going to help someone like me? | 8 years 21 weeks ago | 261 |
| I'm a nursing supervisor in a large acute care hospital. Many nurses have low back pain from lifting patients. Should we try to recruit more male nurses to combat this problem?
Do male nurses have fewer injuries lifting patients compared to women? | 8 years 21 weeks ago | 261 |
| My husband is getting prolotherapy injections for low back pain. It seems to be helping. Everytime we go, the doctor injects a different spot. How do they decide where to put the injections? | 8 years 25 weeks ago | 261 |
| I've had low back pain of unknown cause for three months now. I've seen two doctors, two physical therapists, and one chiropractor. They've all told me something different about what's wrong. Why can't I get a straight answer from these people? | 8 years 29 weeks ago | 261 |
| My brother and I were in a snowmobile accident together. We both injured our backs, but he ended up with a spinal fusion and I didn't. The doctor said we had just about the same injury and force on our spines. My brother's discs started to deteriorate and he's had constant pain ever since. Mine healed and I'm fine. How do you explain this? | 9 years 10 weeks ago | 261 |
| I'm 77-years old and have terrible back pain. I can't garden, play golf, or even go outside for a walk. The doctor wants to do a new fusion called MaXcess TLIF. What are other patients saying about the recovery time for this operation? | 7 years 8 weeks ago | 261 |
| My gynecologist suggested I try core stabilization exercises to help prevent back pain after a hysterectomy. How do I get started? | 7 years 7 weeks ago | 261 |
| I've heard the new artificial discs for the spine aren't working out. I was thinking about having this operation done. What's the latest? | 6 years 46 weeks ago | 261 |
| My mother fell and hurt her back last week. We're trying to convince her to see her physical therapist sooner than later. She insists that if it isn't better in a month, then she'll go. Is there any proof that early treatment is better than the wait-and-see approach? | 6 years 45 weeks ago | 261 |
| I've been having some trouble lately with low back pain. I'd like to do as much as I can on my own. What's the best way to go about this? | 6 years 43 weeks ago | 261 |
| I've been seeing a physical therapist (PT) for a problem with my low back. There's a PT student who treated me one day when my regular therapist was out sick. She did a manipulation on my back that really helped. Should I ask my regular therapist to do this, too? | 6 years 39 weeks ago | 261 |
| I'm going to see a physical therapist for my first bout of low back pain. Should I let a student physical therapist treat me? I don't want to end up like my brother who has chronic low back pain because the therapist was inexperienced in treating me. | 6 years 39 weeks ago | 261 |
| I've had a discectomy with a laminectomy two years ago but still have back pain and numbness down my leg. My surgeon is advising a spinal fusion. How can they do that when the bone was removed? | 6 years 38 weeks ago | 261 |
| I've always had problems with low back pain but it seems to go away quickly when I get back on my program of exercises. Lately even with my exercises, it's taking longer to recover. What can I do to change this? | 6 years 35 weeks ago | 261 |
| Is it true that most people have positive findings on MRI of the low back but don't ever have any symptoms? | 6 years 34 weeks ago | 261 |
