| My brother is 33-years old and has had ankylosing spondylitis since he was 16. He can barely stand up straight anymore. He refuses to do the exercises the therapist gave him. Can anything be done for him? | 6 years 47 weeks ago | 359 |
| My doctor said there's a natural protein that helps healing after spinal surgery. Is this a nutritional program? | 11 years 15 weeks ago | 360 |
| Our daughter has a six-month old son who was diagnosed with a type of dwarfism called achondroplasia. Now that our grandson is starting to sit up, our daughter has been told to put a special support on him to help his spine. She rarely does this. What could happen to his little spine if she doesn't follow the doctor's instructions? | 4 years 41 weeks ago | 360 |
| My doctor said that estrogen replacement can cause back problems after menopause. I'm fairly healthy. I exercise and don't smoke. I don't have arthritis or any other health problems. Am I still at risk for back pain? | 11 years 10 weeks ago | 361 |
| Three years ago, I was diagnosed with an inherited condition called Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). I’m 23-years old. I’ve been advised to exercise, but I don’t see the point as I’m already in good condition from an active lifestyle. What can you tell me about this? | 7 years 51 weeks ago | 361 |
| My husband and I have two sets of twins (our own). All four babies weighed less than four pounds each. They are in good health now, but does their small size put them at risk for more diseases in adult life? | 9 years 11 weeks ago | 362 |
| My son is supposed to participate in a class about back care at school. What kind of information do they give children in these classes? | 11 years 8 weeks ago | 363 |
| My doctor is sending me to a pain clinic for chronic back pain. I fell off a ladder two years ago, and I still have back pain. I have returned to work and can do everything required, but I still can't go golfing or bowling without a lot of pain the next day. What does "chronic" back pain mean, and will I ever get back to normal? | 11 years 10 weeks ago | 364 |
| Two years ago I was diagnosed with CRPS. Nothing I've tried helps with the pain. I'm giving some thought to trying one of those spinal stimulators. What's the success rate of these units? | 6 years 36 weeks ago | 364 |
| What is Schwannoma? My adult daughter who lives in Germany just emailed me that she was diagnosed with this problem. | 6 years 2 weeks ago | 364 |
| There's a chance that I have a cancerous spinal tumor. The medical facility here doesn't have a way to biopsy this safely. My oncologist wants me to go to a larger cancer center to have this done. What sort of equipment is needed for this procedure? | 4 years 39 weeks ago | 364 |
| My father had an operation called a balloon kyphoplasty last month. He’s better, but still complaining of back pain. Can this operation be done more than once? | 8 years 7 weeks ago | 365 |
| Two years ago, I had an operation to remove a disc in my low back. I was completely pain free after the operation. I reinjured my back and had to have the same operation on a different disc. This time, the pain is still there. The same doctor did both operations. Why the different results? | 8 years 7 weeks ago | 365 |
| My doctor told me that patients who are “neurotic” don’t do as well after back surgery. What are these traits? | 8 years 3 weeks ago | 365 |
| My partner has been HIV positive for 10 years now and was just diagnosed with TB. He's had so many tests already. Now they want to do an MRI scan of his entire body. Is this really necessary? | 6 years 12 weeks ago | 365 |
| What is external fixation, and how does it work for low back pain? | 11 years 10 weeks ago | 368 |
| My surgeon has warned me that a spinal fusion can lead to degenerative changes in the rest of the spine. What does this amount to anyway? | 5 years 7 weeks ago | 369 |
| My 72-year old father was told he has "mixed" type of spinal stenosis. I think I understand what stenosis is. What does the mixed part mean? | 4 years 44 weeks ago | 369 |
| My doctor says there's less of a chance that I'll get good results from spine surgery because I smoke. He thinks the bones in my spine may not grow together properly. Is there any way to get a better outcome, save quitting? | 11 years 15 weeks ago | 370 |
| What are complementary therapies? | 10 years 10 weeks ago | 373 |
| My daughter has had a few schwannomas removed. What exactly are they and how can the doctors tell that they aren't more serious than they are? | 5 years 47 weeks ago | 373 |
| My husband hurt his back on the job and still hasn't fully recovered. His doctor checked him over and suggested he "stay active." He's supposed to see a physical therapist for a "mini-back school." What does that include? | 6 years 49 weeks ago | 374 |
| My daughter recently joined an equestrian team. I don't mean to be a worrywart, but I've heard that horseback riding can lead to back problems later on. Is my daughter at risk? | 11 years 44 weeks ago | 377 |
| My child was diagnosed with spondylolysis. What kind of treatment is proven most effective. | 5 years 20 weeks ago | 379 |
| My orthotist is helping fashion a brace for me following spinal fusion surgery for adult scoliosis. It will be a plastic TLSO. Are there any special tricks or tips I should show/tell him? | 4 years 44 weeks ago | 379 |
| The last time I had back pain, I heard the doctor use the term "conservative treatment." What does that mean? | 5 years 36 weeks ago | 381 |
| Ten years ago I had a disc problem. Doctors used an MRI to find it. Now I've had another disc go bad on me. Instead of an MRI, the doctor wants to do a discography. Why didn't they do this the last time I had a disc problem? | 9 years 2 weeks ago | 382 |
| What are skip lesions? I'm scheduled for an MRI of my entire body to find out if there are any skip lesions from my previously diagnosed tuberculosis. | 6 years 12 weeks ago | 382 |
| My 80-year old grandma has become more and more stooped over. What is happening to cause this? | 7 years 51 weeks ago | 383 |
| What's an extraforaminal disc herniation? I understand herniation means the disc has
pushed out of its own space between the bones in the spine. What's the extraforaminal? | 8 years 18 weeks ago | 385 |
