Could Science Fiction Transform the Future of Spine Care?

It was just last night that I sat down with my 10-year-old daughter to watch one of her favorite shows, Star Trek Voyager. One of the main characters in the TV series includes an “Emergency Medical Hologram” known as “The Doctor.” The doctor, played by Robert Picardo, is Star Ship Voyager’s fully interactive, computer-generated, three-dimensional (3-D), resident physician who has saved the lives of numerous crew members.

While watching the series, I often wondered how cool it would be to have one’s own holographic physician available on demand. Imagine being seen for the flu right in your own home, or getting emergency care no matter where you are located. But we know that such technology is just science fiction, or is it?

Back to the Future
Earlier this year at the 2015 Build Developer Conference, Microsoft unveiled its HoloLens—a fully wireless, holographic computer that one wears like workshop glasses to work or play with 3-D content in the real world. HoloLens provides a more natural way to create, communicate and collaborate. There are no computer screens or peripherals. A simple gesture, gaze or one’s voice is used to interact with the 3-D subject matter and others in the room, or those across the globe.

“Wow, that sounds really cool, but what does it have to do with medicine?”
We are glad you asked.

Microsoft has partnered with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (CWRU) to build upon and create limitless learning possibilities using HoloLens. With this technology, medical students are now able to literally “see” in 3-D all the systems of the human body in an interactive, inter-functional and layered format—reducing the need for cadavers.

Most importantly, CWRU claims this technology will help develop medical students into the best possible professionals by allowing them to fail forward in a real-time learning environment. And as the HoloLens is being used as a tool to study medicine, it is hard not to imagine its potential for practical use across all types of medicine. 



The SpineOne Position
As one of Colorado's premier medical centers devoted exclusively to innovative spinal care, SpineOne is an advocate of new technology where it shows a proven benefit to the patient. If and when there are clinical trials that are able to show conclusively a proven benefit to a patient (along with continued trials by the rest of the medical community to acknowledge the medical advance's validity), SpineOne will consider this and other advances in technology. This being said, it should be fun to see where this type of technology takes medicine.

About SpineOne
Established in 2000, SpineOne Medical Center is a leading-regional medical center for minimally invasive spine care and has treated thousands of people in Colorado and surrounding states for back and/or neck pain. Many of these patients, who once had severe, even debilitating neck and back pain, are now living pain-free.

At SpineOne, our goal is to treat your pain symptoms with non-operative treatments whenever possible.

For your convenience, SpineOne offers same-day appointments and provides doctor consultations, MRIs and treatments all from the same facility.

What You Should Know About Back and Neck Pain Following an Auto Accident.

Out of the more than three million injuries reported after car accidents in the United States each year, trauma to the back and/or neck is the most common.
 
While better safety features have led to dramatic decreases in serious injury and fatalities, many crash victims still experience chronic neck and back pain shortly after an accident. This SpineOne infographic provides a snapshot of prevalent injuries, associated symptoms and statistics caused by auto accidents each year.
 
If you or any of your family members, friends or coworkers has recently been in a car accident, please be sure to be evaluated for any of these conditions.

Mobile Devices May Increase Your Risk of Permanent Neck Pain

We’ve all heard our parents say to us, “If you keep making that face, it’s going to stay that way!” While this was just mom’s and/or dad’s attempt to curb our obnoxious behavior, this may actually be a true statement for Americans who spend an average of 162 minutes a day (approximately 985.5 hours or 41 days a year) on their smartphones or tablets¹.

According to research conducted in 2014 by Kenneth Hansraj, M.D. and published in the National Library of Medicine² and in Surgical Technology International³, as one bends his or her neck forward and downward, the weight supported by the cervical spine exponentially increases.

Dr. Hansraj explains that the average human head weighs between 10-12 pounds, and as the neck bends forward at a 15-degree angle, the spine has to support about 27 pounds; at 30 degrees, 40 pounds; at 45 degrees, 49 pounds; and at 60 degrees, 60 pounds (Unless you are Peyton Manning—quarterback for the Denver Broncos—then it may be a lot heavier—sorry Peyton).

Figure 1: Kyphosis Illustration

So, what does this all mean?
Dr. Dean Fishman, D.C. of Florida coined the condition “text neck” (much like that of gamer’s thumb or carpal tunnel syndrome) to describe the widespread symptoms caused by prolonged use of one’s mobile device.

Text neck, if not prevented, may increase one’s risk of a more a more permanent condition called “kyphosis.” Kyphosis is a spinal deformity characterized by an abnormally rounded upper back (See Figure 1: Kyphosis Illustration).

When someone is diagnosed with kyphosis, his or her vertebrae bones collapse and the spine curves forward (50 degrees or more), creating the appearance of a hunched back.  

Watch this SpineOne video to learn more about kyphosis.

   Teenagers may be the ones most at risk for text neck 
   as they spend up to nearly 5,000 hours a year on 
  their mobile devices.

There are certain circumstances that may increase the risk of getting kyphosis, including poor posture from spending hours hunched over one’s mobile device (text neck) or slouching; trauma to the vertebrae; or congenital conditions such as osteoarthritis or spina bifida.

Text Neck Symptoms

Some of the telltale sings that you may have text neck are:

  ·      Persistent headaches

  ·      Upper back pain

  ·      Shoulder pain

  ·      Neck pain

  ·      More pronounced curvature of the spine

 
How to Prevent Text Neck

You may be asking yourself, “How can I avoid text neck for me and my family?” Here are some quick tips to help you prevent text neck and more permanent problems like kyphosis:

     ·      Do neck stretching and strengthening exercises

     ·      Take a five-minute break for every 15 minutes you use your device

     ·      Hold your device at eye level while using it

     ·      Be aware of your posture while using your device

     ·      Listen to your body and stop using your device if you experience neck, shoulder and/or neck pain

Treatment

If you or a loved one suffers from chronic neck pain caused by text neck or any other condition and is unable to find a solution, get help.  Don’t wait until it’s too late. 

SpineOne offers a comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment plan tailored to meet the pain management needs of each individual patient. The physicians at SpineOne practice minimally invasive procedures combined with other practices such as physical therapy to get you healthy and enjoying your life again. 

SpineOne provides Same-day appointments upon request and offers doctor consultations, MRIs and treatments all from the same facility for your convenience. 

Click www.spineone.com or call 303-500-8611 today!

¹A study conducted by mobile measurement and advertising platform Flurry.

²National Library of Medicine

³Surgical Technology International