| I have a bad lower back and so does a friend of mine. Her doctor is suggesting surgery, but my doctor says I don't need it. Why the difference in opinion? | 6 years 3 weeks ago | 468 |
| I have a desk job. How can I lower my chances of having back problems from sitting down all day? | 12 years 13 weeks ago | 736 |
| I have a fairly nice gym set up for myself at home. This gives me the flexibility of exercising whenever my schedule allows. I did work with a personal trainer for about a month. On my own at home, I notice that my effort seems less. Even though I am doing the same exercises, will there be the same effect as when someone is coaching me? | 10 years 10 weeks ago | 460 |
| I have a large herniated disc that hasn't gotten better with conservative care. It looks like surgery is the next step. I'm just starting to check it out. I've heard the new minimally invasive spine surgeries are really the way to go. Is it worth traveling somewhere to get this? | 5 years 48 weeks ago | 408 |
| I have a mild case of scoliosis. Will this be a problem for me if I take a job as an assembly-line worker at an auto plant? | 6 years 51 weeks ago | 504 |
| I have back pain. Are there any symptoms I should watch out for that mean I should get medical help right away? | 12 years 13 weeks ago | 6374 |
| I have bad back pain. Do I need surgery? | 12 years 10 weeks ago | 671 |
| I have had back pain off and on for the last six months. I think the long hours sitting in front of my computer may be the cause. What can I do to strengthen my back? | 11 years 10 weeks ago | 483 |
| I have heard about disc replacements. What are some of the problems associated with them? | 5 years 25 weeks ago | 468 |
| I have heard that when you get a bone fused in your back, the doctor can take some of your own bone or he can take it from someone else. If he takes it from you, where does it come from? And how do they decide what type of graft to use? | 5 years 27 weeks ago | 481 |
| I have intense pain going down my leg. I have tried everything to make it go away--multiple back surgeries, strong pain medications, and almost every kind of pain management treatment possible. My doctor is recommending an epidural stimulator. What is it? | 12 years 10 weeks ago | 619 |
| I have just finished a physical therapy program for my back. But my therapist wants me to keep doing exercises at home. How long do I have to keep this up? | 12 years 10 weeks ago | 548 |
| I have pain in my lower back caused by spondylolisthesis (slipped vertebrae in the lower spine). I will be undergoing fusion surgery, and I've been doing some research on the procedure. I've read that some doctors like to use a pedicle screw. Would a pedicle screw improve my results after surgery? | 12 years 10 weeks ago | 789 |
| I have so much back pain. How do I get through my day? | 12 years 13 weeks ago | 615 |
| I have to do a lot of sitting on my job. I cannot afford an expensive ergonomic chair. Are there any other options? | 5 years 25 weeks ago | 581 |
| I have to have back surgery, but I'm afraid about how long it will take to recover from it. Should I have it? | 4 years 25 weeks ago | 665 |
| I heard a report from Canada that physical therapy keeps people from returning to work after an injury. Is this true? | 8 years 7 weeks ago | 490 |
| I heard a special report that they can do disc transplantation now. I just had a artificial disc replacement. I was told if it doesn't hold or doesn't work for any reason, there are still some treatment options left. What if the donated disc dies? What happens then? | 5 years 34 weeks ago | 431 |
| I heard a talk at our hospital about why we are moving more toward using bone graft substitutes. I'm just a nurses aid on the orthopedic floor, so I really didn't understand it all. They said these new substitutes are inductive and conductive. After that they lost me. What does that mean? And why is it better than using your own bone? | 3 years 22 weeks ago | 851 |
| I heard about someone who had back surgery through her stomach. How (and why!) is that possible? | 5 years 3 weeks ago | 4125 |
| I heard on the news about a bunch of different guys who fell out of a tree stand while hunting and ended up paralyzed. How in the world does something like this happen? | 5 years 1 week ago | 517 |
| I heard that scientists have found nerves in the bones of the spine. Aren’t nerves everywhere? How does this new information make a difference? | 8 years 7 weeks ago | 563 |
| I heard there’s a new treatment for fractures of the spine. It’s called “balloons for bones.” What is this? | 8 years 7 weeks ago | 515 |
| I heard there’s a new treatment in Switzerland for low back pain called kryorhizotomy. What’s it for? | 8 years 7 weeks ago | 534 |
| I hurt my back a long time ago and every time I think it's better, it starts to hurt again. What can I do to keep this from happening? | 6 years 1 week ago | 522 |
| I hurt my back about a week ago. Nothing happened then, but now I am having back pain and leg pain. Could this be caused by the injury from last week? | 7 years 50 weeks ago | 455 |
| I hurt my back at work and haven't been able to recover as fast as I had hoped. It's been four days and I'm still laid up. Usually I'm better after the first 24 to 48 hours. I've been popping aspirin, Tylenol, and ibuprofen but nothing helps. Should I ask my doc for a narcotic? | 5 years 34 weeks ago | 542 |
| I hurt my back at work and now I'm supposed to see a doctor. I don't really have a regular doctor. When it comes to finding the right back doctor, what should I really look for? | 5 years 1 week ago | 556 |
| I hurt my back at work and used up all my sick leave. I feel perfectly fine now but I'm worried the problem might come back. Does this happen very often or am I home free now? | 7 years 40 weeks ago | 569 |
| I hurt my back at work last month. Now I am seeing a physical therapist for exercises. Will I have to do these exercises for the rest of my life? | 11 years 15 weeks ago | 516 |
