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Spine General (invlolve multiple spine areas) FAQs

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My surgeon carefully went over each step of the spinal fusion procedure I am going to have next week. I will have bone from a bone bank grafted in to help with the fusion. I have osteoporosis myself and can't donate my own bone. I did hear something about the risk of infection but the information was all so new and flew right past me. Is the infection from the bone graft because it's donated bone or does it develop from something else?1 day 19 hours ago4
My 72-year-old father had surgery to remove some cysts from inside his spine. The pathology report just came in the mail today. It described them as synovial cysts with intraligamentous bursal communicating channels connected to the facet joint at the L3-4 level. Evidently, they were taking up space inside the spinal canal putting pressure on the nerves and causing a heck of a lot of back and leg pain. What are these cysts and what causes them?1 day 19 hours ago4
I'm doing a little research on a problem I've developed over the years called spinal stenosis. I've had X-rays and MRIs and they could find nothing to account for my back and leg pain. I finally had exploratory surgery. Lo and behold they discovered cysts had formed inside the ligament inside my spinal canal. Once they took them out, I was perfectly fine. Is this a common problem? What are my chances that I'll form more of these pesky beasts?1 day 19 hours ago5
I understand that a disc replacement is a better option than a fusion because it saves the motion in the spine. But if I have a disc replacement, do I get my full motion back? I'm not sure how much motion I have now. I'm hardly moving at all because there's so much pain.1 day 19 hours ago5
I hurt my back at work several weeks ago and every time I think it's getting better and make plans to go back to work, my back gets worse. My boss wants me to go back but I'm afraid that I will just hurt my back again or worse. How can I convince him that I'm not ready?1 day 18 hours ago5
Is it safe to accept bone from someone else for a spinal fusion? And why can't a family member donate his or her bone like blood donations?1 day 19 hours ago8
My father is scheduled to have a spinal fusion operation next week. He seems to be in fairly good health, but we are concerned that this could end up a disaster. We've seen so many other older adults have some type of surgery and never fully recover to their former selves. We'd hate to see that with Dad. How can we even evaluate something like this?4 weeks 1 day ago42
I just came back from a preop visit with a nurse from the surgery center where I am scheduled for back surgery later this week. It's supposed to be a simple decompression technique. They say I'll get antibiotics right before the operation in case of infection. How well does this work and how often do infections occur? I'm thinking about cancelling the surgery. The last thing I need right now is another medical problem.5 weeks 1 day ago55
I am scheduled for a spinal fusion in two weeks. As part of the preliminary work-up, my surgeon ordered bone scans and blood tests to look for osteoporosis. I'm worried now that if it turns out I have osteoporosis they won't do the surgery. Is that possible?12 weeks 2 days ago99
What's a graded functional rehab program for a spine fracture? That's what I'm headed for in the next few weeks. I kind of wanted to know what I'm getting into with this.10 weeks 1 day ago123
I'm debating between using donor bone material for a neck fusion and my own bone. I've heard that bone bank grafts aren't alive, so I should use my own bone. But I've been told to be prepared for more problems from the donor site than at the actual fusion. Is all this true?13 weeks 2 days ago133
My doctor has given me two separate options for the treatment of a compression fracture in my spine. I can have antiinflammatories, a back brace, and some exercises. Eventually, the back will heal and I'll be all right. Or I could have day surgery to put some cement in there to hold it together while it heals. This time next year the end-results will be the same. But the cement treatment could get me back on my feet faster. Is it worth the money?17 weeks 1 day ago135
My 77-year-old mother just suffered her third vertebral compression fracture. She's starting to get more and more hunched over. The back brace they gave her after the second fracture is impossible to get on her. She's not in any great pain but she's uncomfortable and really slowing down. Isn't there anything else that can be done for this condition?17 weeks 1 day ago149
When I had cancer, they talked about being cured and remission. This year, I've had a series of episodes with back pain that's not related to my past history of cancer. But I never hear the doctor say anything about remission or cure. Is there such a thing with back pain?25 weeks 2 days ago151
My mother has to have surgery for her back as it's really deformed (hunched). What types of complications are possible for this type of back surgery?50 weeks 2 days ago152
Every time I see a new doctor and I mention my back pain, he or she asks me about my lifestyle. I mean, I know that if I lift a lot of stuff, my back might hurt, but what has how much I sleep, smoke or drink have anything to do with it? Sometimes I'm even asked if I have diabetes.1 year 23 hours ago153
My company won't invest in an ergonomic chair but I'm afraid that if I don't get one, my back will start hurting after a while.1 year 23 hours ago155
I almost had surgery on the wrong side for a bad disc. But my surgeon took the time to review the MRIs right before the operation and saw that there was an error in the original reading. Does this happen very often?31 weeks 1 day ago157
My mother has spinal stenosis and her doctor wants to operate. I am against it because I know that if anything happens to her back in surgery, she may be worse off than she was before. What should I say to her?49 weeks 1 day ago158
My surgeon tells me she is going to use a minimally invasive way to do my spinal fusion. I get the idea that I'll have a smaller incision. But if they can do these operations now with a smaller incision, why didn't they do so years ago?24 weeks 2 days ago158
My sister has chronic headaches that seem to be connected with neck and shoulder muscle tension. She's going to try something called trigger point injections. What are these? How do they work?46 weeks 2 days ago159
What is "failed back surgery syndrome"? I think I may have it.1 year 23 weeks ago161
My child was diagnosed with spondylolysis. What kind of treatment is proven most effective.1 year 46 weeks ago163
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?1 year 33 weeks ago163
Several years ago, I had a spinal fracture that was treated with something like super glue. Now I need a spinal fusion. The surgeon explained how they will use bone graft from my hip to fuse the two bones together. There may be some problems at the donor site. Why can't they use the same cement to fuse the spine that they used to fix the fracture?1 year 27 weeks ago163
My medical provider has said my back pain is now chronic. What makes my back pain chronic?1 year 41 weeks ago164
If an abnormality in your body doesn't cause any problems, why spend time diagnosing it? Or even researching it? My brother had to have a back x-ray for a problem and his doctor told him that he had butterfly vertebrae but that's not causing the pain. So?51 weeks 2 days ago164
My wife had a laminectomy to take pressure off a herniated disc. Afterwards she got a terrible infection along the incision. We suspect the bug came from the hospital. Could anything have been done to keep this from happening?1 year 43 weeks ago165
My shoulder has been hurting me for a long time but I'm not sure what to do about it or what it could be. I haven't hurt myself by falling or anything. Can a doctor do anything anyway?1 year 32 weeks ago165
When I told my doctor 'no surgery' for my aching back, he suggested I at least talk to a surgeon about some of the minimally invasive procedures that are available now. He called these mini-operations 'interventional'. But I really don't know what I'm asking about. Can you help me out here with at least a description I can take with me so I know what to say?21 weeks 2 days ago165
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