Archive for February, 2011

I want patients to realize that these newer procedures have very much improved return to work and ability for return to activities such as golf and tennis. We use small er incision with short hospital stays to even improve outcomes. In particular, surgery for spinal stenosis or disc rupture can be very rewarding. We always first try non- surgical approach and only surgery for a small percentage that fail injection or therapy. However, I continue to see a great deal of patients treated poorly by non-spine specialist not trained offer all options.

Patients should be excited that less invasive procedures for neck and back surgery allow return to work in one week with so much less recovery. The technology allows placement of small implants to replace the disc that has degenerated over time. I see so many patients having spent years with pain management not knowing there are real options. We still use a complete team of non-surgeon MD’s to review all options prior to making a decision.