Blog

How Do I Prevent A Herniated Disc?

Patients
Herniated disc symptoms such as pain in the back or limbs can prevent you from participating in activities you love. There are many potential causes for a herniated disc such as natural aging, jobs that require repetitive motions, obesity and smoking, or acute trauma such as a fall or sports injury. Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to prevent a herniated disc. Herniated Disc Prevention Prevention of a herniated disc involves reducing the amount of stress placed on your spine by using some of the following methods: Use proper technique and form while exercising. For example, bend at the knees while lifting and keep a flat back while doing yoga. Strengthen your back and core muscles. These muscles help your spine support the weight of your upper body…
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Pinched Nerve Causes & Treatment

Patients
Pinched nerves occur when tissue such as a bone or cartilage applies pressure to a nerve. This can cause pain, tingling, numbing, and other sensations or even prevent proper function in the nerve. Pinched Nerve Diagnosis Pinched nerve diagnosis starts with a history and physical examination by your doctor. He or she will ask about the symptoms of your pain, recent physical activity or injuries, and then use their hands to feel around the affected area to eliminate other potential sources of pain such as muscle strain. If they determine that the cause of your symptoms is likely a pinched nerve, your doctor will order an imaging test such as an MRI to get a look at tissues that may be applying pressure to your nerve. Alternatively, they might order…
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Function Of The Spine & Spine Surgery

Patients
What Is The Spine? The spinal column is made of 33 bones called vertebrae and divided into three main sections: cervical (neck), thoracic (midback), and lumbar (low back). It serves many functions in the body, the most important of which include: Support: In combination with your back muscles, the spine supports most of your upper body weight. Having poor posture or excess weight increases the amount of pressure on your spine and can make it more susceptible to injury in the long run. Protection: The spinal cord is a collection of nerves that run from your brain through the spinal column and branch into the body. The vertebrae of the spine surround and protect these nerves and protect the organs in your ribcage from the back as well. Movement: The…
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Should I Consider Spine Surgery?

Surgeons
Back pain can be debilitating but with the appropriate treatment, you may be able to get back to doing the things you love. You may have heard about modern treatment options such as minimally invasive or laser spine surgery but before you decide on surgery, ask yourself these questions: Have you tried conservative treatment options? Many patients find relief with conservative treatment options and can avoid unnecessary surgery. If symptoms persist and you don’t find relief with the conservative methods, spine surgery may be a good option for fixing the cause of your pain. Rest: You may find that symptoms alleviate themselves if you avoid actives that place strain on the neck and back. Ice can help with inflation and heat can help with stiffness or facilitating blood flow. Physical…
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Recovery Time & More After Endoscopic Spine Surgery

Patients
Endoscopic spine surgery is a type of minimally invasive surgery and comes in two primary types: fusion, which replaces the diseased spine disc with an implant and a bone graft to stabilize the spine, or decompression, which removes bone or disc material to create more space for spinal nerves that are being compressed. Both types of surgery are done by placing a camera and the surgical instruments through a small incision, avoiding the need to open your back surgically and disrupt the muscles around your spine. The benefits include the need for less pain medication, fewer side effects from anesthesia, reduced blood loss, lower chance of infection, minimal scarring, and a faster recovery. In fact, patients are discharged within a few hours to a day post-operation and can walk upon…
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Diagnosing Lower Back Pain & Other Symptoms

Patients
The lower back is involved in upper body support, spinal protection, and movement so pain in this region can be debilitating and remove you from the activities that you love with symptoms such as back spasms, lower back pain, or limited range of motion . Lower back symptoms can have several causes including lumbar spine abnormalities such as a herniated disc, sciatica, or spinal stenosis; tissue abnormalities such as strained muscles or ligaments; and other health issues such as arthritis or kidney stones. Below we’ll go through the lower back diagnosis process and touch briefly on treatment. Lower Back Diagnosis Your doctor will start diagnosis with a patient history, meaning that they will ask you about current symptoms, daily activities, and recent injuries. This may include questions such as whether…
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Endoscopic Spine Surgery – Candidacy & Laser Spine Surgery Comparison

Patients
Our expert spine doctors at Preferred Surgicenter treat symptoms of back and neck pain with a combination of conservative treatment, and surgical treatment when necessary. To strive for the fastest recovery time and the lowest infection rates in Orland Park, IL and in the south suburbs of Chicago, IL our surgeons specialize in endoscopic spine surgery, a form of minimally invasive spine surgery. Am I An Endoscopic Surgery Candidate? Endoscopic spine surgeries include XLIF, TLIF, Discectomy, Microdecompression, and Spinal Fusion procedures. These can be used to treat a herniated disc, sciatic nerve compression, spinal stenosis, and other spinal abnormalities in the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar spine that may cause back pain or neck pain. Generally your doctor will recommend minimally invasive endoscopic spine surgery if your pain has not improved…
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Thoracic Spine Injury & Treatment

Patients
The thoracic spine (midback vertebrae) is unique in that it has limited mobility relative to the cervical spine (neck) and the lumbar spine (lower back). In addition to supporting body weight, it serves a protective function because the thoracic spine is the connecting point for the ribs and provides rear coverage for the heart and lungs. The cervical spine is made of twelve vertebrae and abnormalities in these bones can cause upper back pain or other symptoms. Thoracic Spine Injury Injury in the thoracic spine can be acute (caused by a single incident) or chronic (caused by repeated motions or pressure over time). Acute thoracic spine injury may have been caused, for example, by a car accident or blunt force while playing sports. Chronic thoracic spine injury may have been…
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Causes of Lower Back Pain

Patients
Lower back pain can be acute (caused by a single incident) or chronic (caused over time). Acute symptoms tend to be localized and can be reduced with rest. Examples would be lower back pain caused by a car accident or by tearing a muscle while lifting something heavy. Chronic back pain tends to spread through the limbs and the intensity can fluctuate. Examples would be back pain caused by poor posture or repetitive motions over time. What Causes Lower Back Pain? Causes of lower back pain tend to involve injury of relevant muscles, spine abnormalities, or certain other health conditions. Some specific causes include: Sprain/Strains: Sprains are injuries that involve ligaments which connect bone to bone. Strains are injuries that involve tendons which connect bone to muscle or involve the…
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XLIF Versus TLIF

Patients
What are XLIF and TLIF? Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion (XLIF) and Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF) are both endoscopic spine surgery procedures that can be used to treat a herniated disc, pinched nerve, Spondylolisthesis, and other spine abnormalities. Both procedures relieve symptoms of lower back and leg pain. Both are minimally invasive stabilization procedures. The damaged disc in your spine is replaced with an implant that is filled with bone graft. The implant is further secured with screws which prevents motion and the accumulation of further damage in your spine at that area. Why XLIF or TLIF? TLIF is more similar to other forms of endoscopic spine surgery in that you are laying on your stomach and the surgeon uses a series of dilators to part the muscles in your…
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