spinal health and treatment options
RSS Feed Dr. Brian SubachAtlanta, GA Stay physically fit, keep your weight down, eat a balanced diet, avoid smoking, minimize the stress on your spine, avoid heavy lifting, strengthen neck muscles, remain flexible. |
 Dr. Allan LeviMiami, FL There are a number of conservative therapies that can be done to avoid surgery and these include treatments such as anti-inflammatories, physical therapy, and injections. |
 Dr. Mark R. McLaughlinPrinceton, NJ Be compliant with a conservative treatment program. If you participate in some sort of conservative treatment program utilizing physical therapy, medications, and perhaps traction, then you certainly have the opportunity to decrease the pain. Some times unless the structural abnormality is repaired the pain will not go away. If you do follow the doctors recommendations, there is certainly a chance that the pain will resolve. |
 Dr. Douglas SlaughterMesa, AZ Most spinal problems, including neck problems, do not need surgical intervention. Surgery is only necessary for patients who have neurologic disorders, some infections of the bone, and tumors. |
 Dr. W. Christopher UrbanGlen Burnie, MD Many individuals experience neck pain at some time in their life. It is often caused by muscle or nerve root irritation. The frequency, intensity, and duration of the symptoms vary. Simple things, such as good posture and lifting techniques, exercise, and avoiding smoking, are very helpful. When one experiences an episode of neck or arm pain, a non-operative treatment plan is often successful. Such a plan consists of medications, such as anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, narcotics, and oral steroids. Selective nerve root injections are also very useful in relieving arm pain caused by nerve root compression. Physical therapy, cervical traction, massage, moist heat, and a short period of rest are other beneficial non-operative modalities. If conservative therapy is unsuccessful and imaging studies confirm a specific diagnosis, surgical options may then be considered. |
 Dr. Kevin YooEscondido, CA To avoid surgery, you should try to keep your self as healthy as possible and avoid activities that cause significant wear and tear of your neck. This is easier said than done, as many normal daily activities can lead to wear and tear of your neck and put you at risk for a disc herniation. More severe neck problems, however, are seen in people such as professional athletes including skiers, horseback riders, and so forth. Lastly, some of us are genetically predisposed to having herniated discs or neck problems. But all is not gloom and doom because only a very small minority of patients have herniated discs in their necks that require surgery. Most patients either do not have symptoms or only mild symptoms, which can be treated successfully with a host of other conservative measures. |
 Dr. Paul SaizMesa, AZ The good news is the vast majority of the time surgery is not needed. Conservative measures such as physical therapy, activity modification, anti-inflammatories and epidural steroid injection will often times decrease the symptoms to the point where no surgery is needed. Again, surgery is a last resort when conservative measures have failed to control symptoms. |
 Dr. Jeffrey C. WangLos Angeles, CA Most surgery is elective and is dependent on the amount of symptoms the patient has or the amount of pain the patient is experiencing. The proper treatment of neck conditions includes conservative treatment before considering surgery which can include physical therapy, steroid injections, as well as antiinflammatories. As long as there is no emergency, these modalities should be attempted before considering surgery. |
 Dr. Moe R. LimChapel Hill, NC In some situations, surgery can be avoided or delayed by physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, and/or steroid injections. |
 Dr. Sean SalehiChicago, IL A trial of four to six weeks of physical therapy, cessation of smoking and a trial of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen are the initial treatment modalities. |
| Dr. Paul Saiz Mesa, AZ The good news is the vast majority of the time surgery is not needed. Conservative measures such as physical therapy, activity modification, anti-inflammatories and epidural steroid injection will often times decrease the symptoms to the point where no surgery is needed. Again, surgery is a last resort when conservative measures have failed to control symptoms. |
 Dr. Robert S. PashmanLos Angeles, CA The best way to avoid surgery is to keep physically fit, maintain a healthy weight, avoid smoking, avoid repetitive motion and use proper body mechanics. Alternative therapies also may relieve symptoms and allow patients to avoid or delay surgical intervention. |
 Dr. Kambiz HannaniLos Angeles, CA Surgery is rarely necessary in the cervical spine. Unless they are experiencing progressive weakness or bowel and bladder problems, physical therapy and epidural steroid injections might be good starting points for patients with neck pain. If these treatments fail, a properly trained spinal surgeon can discuss surgical options, including the risks and potential benefits associated with each. |
 Dr. Dennis G. CrandallMesa, AZ Physical therapy, daily exercises, gentle traction, a cervical collar, medications, and epidural steroid injections can help patients improve without surgery. Depending on the severity of the problem, surgery may be the only realistic option for achieving relief from pain. |
 Dr. Theodore A. BelangerCharlotte, NC Sometimes surgery is unavoidable. The best you can do is to avoid smoking, stay active and aerobically fit, and participate in physical therapy when instructed by your physician. Most patients with disc herniations do not require surgery. Waiting to see if symptoms resolve and treating discomfort with medication, braces and/or physical therapy should be done before proceeding with surgery. |
 Dr. Jeffrey GoldsteinNew York, NY Compliance with some sort of medically supervised and prescribed conservative or nonoperative treatment program such as physical therapy or chiropractic treatment will often lead to pain resolution even without actual correction of the structural abnormality. Appropriate medications or traction are often utilized to improve the pain. Sometimes pain is not relieved unless the structural abnormality is repaired or surgically addressed. |
 Dr. Randy DavisGlen Burnie, MD Avoiding surgery is very important since the results of surgery are never guaranteed. Non-operative treatment frequently can consist of anti-inflammatory medicines as well as physical therapy. Referral to a physiatrist or a non-surgical specialist can often be helpful for many patients. Only if all of these non-operative measures have been tried and are not successful should most patients consider surgery. |
 Dr. Daniel ResnickMadison, WI The best way to avoid surgery is to keep your neck healthy by keeping yourself in good physical condition and avoiding smoking. If you are having trouble with neck pain, physical therapy designed to strengthen the paraspinal muscles of the neck can be very helpful and in the vast majority of cases provides sufficient pain relief such that surgery is not necessary. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen, and the newer segarantous 2 inhibitors, such as celebrex of viax, are also very helpful medical treatments for neck pain. |
 Dr. Timothy C. RykenIowa City, IA First of all, take the advice of your physician. Your case will have specific factors that cannot be generalized. In general, conservative therapies such as physical therapy, bracing, traction and medications should be tried prior to considering surgery. |
| Dr. Mark R. McLaughlin Princeton, NJ It is important to realize that neck and arm pain related to cervical disc disease is often a benign condition that will resolve with rest, medication, and sometimes physical therapy. If you are suffering from neck and arm pain related to cervical disc disease, it would be best to be evaluated by a spine specialist. Then after other potentially more serious conditions have been ruled out, one can begin a good neck "hygiene" program. This consists of a workplace evaluation to maximize office ergonomics. Also, important sleep and rest habits have to be included. Lastly, sometimes mild activity alterations can alleviate much of the problem. |
 Dr. Sebastian LattugaRockville Centre, NY The majority of patients that have herniated discs can be made better with many non-surgical remedies such as physical therapy, exercise, chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage, all have been found to be effective in alleviating the symptoms of herniated discs. Other treatments include directed cortisone injections. |
 Dr. Mark TestaiutiHaddonfield, NJ Assuming an MRI just shows non-emergent disc bulging or herniation. Most neck pain is episodic and may resolve. Avoid repetitive motion during time of symptomology, take NSAID's, and a soft collar may help. Hot showers / warm compresses, or ice depending on result. Epidural steroid injection or steroids by mouth may help. |
 Dr. Rick SassoIndianapolis, IN I think that the question is, "What is the best way to take care of your spine, especially your neck?" And the best way to do that is to lead a normal, healthy lifestyle. What that means is eat the right foods, make sure your nutrition is appropriate. Probably the most important thing is to not smoke. Smokers have a four-times higher instance of having disc degeneration than non-smokers and about three-times higher instance of having disc herniations. So not smoking is very, very important. Your doctor will talk to you about the effect smoking has on your heart and lungs. But, as spine surgeons, we are very focused on the bad effects that smoking has on disc degeneration and the normal nutrition to a disc. And then what's very important also is aerobic exercise. The reason that smoking is so bad is it decreases the blood supply to the disc, and so the disc does not get its normal nutrition. On the other hand, aerobic exercise swimming, biking, running that increases the blood supply to our tissues, and specifically the disc, so the disc gets its best nutrition during those aerobic activities. So you should have some sort of routine where everyday you do something that causes your heart rate to increase and causes you to breathe heavy and sweat. So that's important. |
 Dr. David S. BaskinHouston, TX The best thing that you can do is to stay physically fit, and watch your weight. Smoking also contributes to degeneration of the structures in the neck, because of its effect on the blood vessel supply to the area. If you have an injury, see a doctor who has experience in assessing these kinds of problems. If you donąt have a loss of nerve function or symptoms suggesting that there is nerve pressure, insist on a trial of conservative treatment. This should usually consist of the use of anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxant medication, as well as the appropriate use of pain medication. In addition, limitation of activities, including the use of a neck brace, as well as other physical restrictions, including bed rest and taking time off work and other activities are usually suggested. |
 Dr. Joseph AlexanderWinston-Salem, NC At this point in time, there are no proven ways to avoid the degeneration which occurs in the cervical spine with aging. However, regular exercise with particular attention to conditioning the muscles of the neck, as well as optimum flexibility of the ligaments of the neck is certainly worth while. None of the currently available dietary supplements have been proven to influence the long-term situation as far as neck or disc degeneration is concerened. Treatments directed at symptoms, such as physical therapy, chiropractic manipulation, massage and acupuncture may be useful in limiting a particular episode of neck discomfort. Anti-inflammatory medications are also useful if OK'd by your primary physician. Probably the most important thing someone can do to avoid surgery is to have patience. Most episodes of simple neck pain will resolve within eight to twelve weeks, whereas whiplash symptoms can take up to six months to resolve. |
The commentary above recounts the experiences of these physicians. Medtronic invited them to share their stories candidly. Keep in mind that results vary; not every patient's response is the same. Talk with your doctor to learn more about any products that are mentioned above.
It is important that you discuss the potential risks, complications and benefits of spinal surgery with your doctor prior to receiving treatment, and that you rely on your doctor's judgment. Only your doctor can determine whether you are a suitable candidate for this treatment.
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