| After a long series of tests and doctor visits, they've finally figured out what's causing numbness and tingling in my legs. And I walk funny now, too. It's called thoracic myelopathy. I've been told I should have surgery to correct this right away. Can I just wait and see if I'll get better? | 41 weeks 10 hours ago | 483 |
| Both my parents and one of my grandparents have osteoarthritis. My upper back is really painful. Could this be from osteoarthritis too? | 7 years 4 weeks ago | 417 |
| Every now and then I have a bout of back pain. It comes on suddenly, lasts a week or two, and then goes away. I don't really want to take drugs, but I need some kind of pain relief. What do you suggest? | 4 years 10 weeks ago | 460 |
| How can doctors calculate if you are getting enough oxygen, other than the obvious of you being sick or dying? | 21 weeks 3 days ago | 174 |
| I am 28 and was recently diagnosed with a thoracic compression fracture in the lower part of my mid-back. I have been wearing a back brace for six weeks and still feel pain. My doctor said surgery wouldn't help. What can I do now? Will I always be in pain? | 6 years 10 weeks ago | 1102 |
| I am a 33-year-old hairdresser with thoracic outlet syndrome. I've tried medications and exercise, but the pain just keeps getting worse. Is there else anything I can do, short of having surgery? | 7 years 10 weeks ago | 515 |
| I am a nurse in a large surgical unit. I injured the middle of my back lifting a heavy patient. There's a large herniated disc at T9-10. If I don't have surgery to repair this, will it heal on its own? | 2 years 29 weeks ago | 644 |
| I am an avid and lifelong swimmer. Recently, I have developed thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). I have heard that swimming is good therapy. Is swimming OK for someone with TOS? | 7 years 10 weeks ago | 429 |
| I had a bad bike accident while out riding with my little granddaughter. I broke my wrist and one vertebra (T12). It's been three months and my wrist has healed nicely, but my spine shows increased deformity on X-ray. What is causing this? | 4 years 10 weeks ago | 483 |
| I had a lumbar laminectomy for back and leg pain. A week after the operation my symptoms
were much worse with the added problem of bladder problems. After more testing, it looks like the problem is really higher up in the thoracic spine. I've been told the first operation was necessary to show the problem more clearly. Is this just some specialist covering for a mistake? | 4 years 18 weeks ago | 1164 |
| I have a compression fracture in my spine due to osteoporosis. The fracture has caused my spine to hunch forward, and I'm in pain all the time. I prefer not to take pain medicine because it makes me so groggy and constipated. Is there anything else I can do? | 6 years 9 weeks ago | 781 |
| I have a compression fracture in my spine. I've tried bed rest and pain medications. I just can't seem to shake the pain. Are there other treatments out there? | 6 years 14 weeks ago | 724 |
| I have a job that involves a lot of heavy lifting. How can I avoid low back pain? | 6 years 29 weeks ago | 438 |
| I have a job that requires a lot of overhead lifting. The items aren't that heavy but after about 3 minutes or so, I notice my arms feel very tired. Sometimes my hands go to sleep. It takes a few minutes to shake them back awake. Are there some strengthening exercises I can do to make this problem go away? | 46 weeks 6 hours ago | 584 |
| I have ongoing problems with thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). I've seen several doctors and tried physical therapy over the past six months. My X-rays are normal, and I'm an otherwise healthy 33-year-old mother of three. Is there a reliable surgery that can improve my quality of daily life? | 6 years 10 weeks ago | 625 |
| I have tingling and pain that shoots from my shoulder to my hand whenever I grip or lift things. My doctor thinks I have thoracic outlet syndrome. Will I need surgery, or are there other ways to treat my problem? | 7 years 10 weeks ago | 742 |
| I just found out my father is in the hospital with three vertebral compression fractures. The doctors are discussing whether or not to operate. Dad is very resistant to the idea. What would happen if he didn't have the surgery? | 27 weeks 6 hours ago | 240 |
| I notice at night that if I don’t sleep with my right arm over a pillow, I wake up with upper back and arm pain. Do I just need a new mattress? | 2 years 38 weeks ago | 559 |
| I read that some people with thoracic insufficiency syndrome were able to live with less breathing capacity than others. How is that possible? | 21 weeks 3 days ago | 139 |
| I saw a newspaper article about a new way to repair broken bones in the spine. The
doctors use cement squirted into the main part of the bone. They used two different words to name the operation: vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. What's the
difference? | 4 years 18 weeks ago | 418 |
| I was told I have scoliosis and snapping scapula. Are the two somehow related? | 7 years 10 weeks ago | 486 |
| I'm 25-years old and I've had Scheuermann's disease for the last 10 years. It looks like it has stopped getting worse. The doctor is advising me to have surgery to fuse the spine. What would happen if I don't do this? | 1 year 40 weeks ago | 807 |
| I'm 74-years old and in good general health. I recently suffered a vertebral compression fracture. Why did this happen when I'm in such good shape otherwise? | 2 years 34 weeks ago | 390 |
| I'm going to have surgery to remove part of the big ligament along the back of my spine. The section from T6 to T8 has turned to bone. The surgeon has warned me that paralysis is a possibility with this operation. Can I do anything ahead of time to prevent this from happening? | 1 year 42 weeks ago | 473 |
| I'm having some very pinpoint pain in the middle of my back. Two of the bumps you can feel in the middle of the spine hurt. There's also a spot off to the side between those two bumps that hurts when I press on it. What are those bumps and why do they hurt? | 1 year 25 weeks ago | 1813 |
| I've had pain and tingling in my left arm for several months. I've been to several doctors, and they've run all kinds of tests. They're not sure, but they think I have thoracic outlet syndrome. Isn't there a test that can show for certain that this is my problem? | 7 years 10 weeks ago | 2403 |
| I've heard that thoracic outlet syndrome is caused by an extra cervical rib. Why won't my doctor just remove the rib? | 7 years 12 weeks ago | 655 |
| My 12-year-old daughter has scoliosis with large curves in her spine. Our doctor wants her to wear a brace. Will her age affect whether bracing works? | 6 years 10 weeks ago | 393 |
| My 13-year old daughter has just been diagnosed with Scheuermann's disease. She's going to have to wear a brace. What can we expect for results with this treatment? | 2 years 26 weeks ago | 447 |
| My 15-year-old son had surgery three months ago for scoliosis. He has finished his physical therapy program and continues to do exercises at home. When can he return to sports activities? | 6 years 7 weeks ago | 464 |
