'My Search Stopped at SpineOne'

Read what first-time patient, Carl C., had to say about his experience at SpineOne.

"Out of 15 years of searching for a great doctor, my search stopped at SpineOne. You have the best staff I every dealt with. I have nothing to say, except your staff and facility are top notch.  Keep up the great patient relations."  -- Carl C.

http://dlvr.it/LGVCp8 

Spinal Stenosis: All You Ever Wanted to Know and More

What is spinal stenosis?
By definition, spinal stenosis is when one’s spinal column and/or foramina (openings that branch away from the spinal canal providing pathways for root nerves) narrows—putting pressure on the spinal cord or root nerves. The word “stenosis” comes from the Greek word, “choking.” Therefore, spinal stenosis could almost be described as, “choking one’s spine.” 

Mostly affecting the cervical (neck) and lumbar (lower back) parts of the spine, spinal stenosis can interfere with nerve function and cause pain in one’s back and/or other parts of the body. 

Watch this video about spinal stenosis

What are the symptoms of spinal stenosis?

Symptoms of spinal stenosis depend on its location and severity of the condition. Some of the most common symptoms include:

• Cervical (neck)
  • Pain, weakness, numbness and tingling in the arms/hands/fingers
  • Loss of dexterity often leading to dropping items
  • Stiff or sore neck
  • Pain around the shoulder blades
  • Tremors in the arm or hand
• Lumbar (lower back)
  • Leg pain, weakness and/or numbness
  • Difficulty or poor balance when walking; clumsiness
  • Sciatica—a burning pain throughout the buttocks and down the legs
  • Increased leg pain when walking that is diminishes when resting
  • Foot pain
  • Pain in the buttocks
  • Hip pain and/or weakness

More severe cases of spinal stenosis may include loss of bladder or bowel control. Patients experiencing these symptoms should seek emergency help right away.

How is spinal stenosis diagnosed?
The most common procedures used to diagnose spinal stenosis are:

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to get detailed images of spinal discs. MRIs use a giant magnetic that circles the body.
• Computerized tomography (CT) scan with myelogram is an X-ray used with a special dye injected into the spinal fluid. The CT scan is used to help identify the “bony” causes of spinal stenosis, while the dye helps diagnose soft tissue conditions such as disc herniation or a bulge.
• Selective nerve root block (SNRB) is when a local anesthetic is injected into a nerve root suspected of being affected by spinal stenosis. If the patient’s pain goes away after the injection, it can be determined that the compressed nerve is the cause of pain.

What causes spinal stenosis?
There are a number of conditions that can cause spinal stenosis, including, but not limited to, a herniated disc(s), osteoarthritis, bone diseases, a dislocated or fractured vertebral bone, thickened spinal ligaments, excess growth of bone around the spinal nerves, an injury or blunt trauma that creating pressure on the nerve roots or spinal cord, tumors in the spine and people born with a smaller spinal canal (congenital condition).

What are the different spinal stenosis treatments?
Typically, a combination of treatments works best to treat spinal stenosis. Treatment options may include:

• Exercise
• Activity modification
• Medication
• Physical therapy
• Heat and ice therapy
• Injections
• Surgery

Does spinal stenosis require surgery?
In some cases, surgery is required. SpineOne is dedicated to minimally invasive options whenever possible and will do everything we can to avoid surgery.

Where can I get treatment for spinal stenosis?
If you suffer from chronic or acute back pain and cannot find relief, you should always contact a spine specialist like the physicians at SpineOne.  SpineOne offers a comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment plan tailored to meet the needs of each individual patient. The physicians at SpineOne practice minimally invasive procedures combined with other practices to get you back on your feet and enjoying your life again. SpineOne provides doctor consultations, MRIs and treatments all from the same facility for your convenience. Same-day appointments are also available upon request.

Visit www.SpineOne.com or call 303.500.8611 today.

Are You at Risk for Sciatic Pain?

What is sciatica?

Sciatica refers to a type of pain affecting the sciatic nerve which extends from your lower back down into the back of each leg. Sciatic pain occurs when the sciatic nerve or its origins along the lumbar spine are pressured, irritated or damaged causing pain, weakness, numbness and/or tingling in the lower back and extremities. Sciatica is symptomatic of other medical conditions such as a herniated disc, disc degeneration or spinal stenosis. 

While a spine specialist can determine whether you are showing symptoms of sciatica, it is important to educate yourself on the risk factors for sciatic pain. To assist you, SpineOne has provided an online infographic that explains some of the key contributors to sciatic pain. Simply click on the image to enlarge, save and/or print it.

If you or someone you know is experiencing chronic neck or back pain and is unable to find a solution, it may be time to schedule an appointment with a spine specialist like the ones at SpineOne.

The physicians at SpineOne provide each patient with a comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment plan. SpineOne physicians subscribe a personalized treatment plan to ensure that patients receive the highest level of medical and rehabilitation services specifically tailored to meet each person's individual health needs.

Call us at 303.500.8611 or visit www.spineone.com to learn more about our services.  For your convenience, SpineOne offers same-day appointments with consultation, imaging and treatment all within one facility.

Congratulations Kendra!

SpineOne Employee of the Month for October!  Learn more about Kendra at http://dlvr.it/CbyCSY

Two Simple Tests to Diagnose Sciatica Pain

Two easy tests to determine if your back, buttock, leg and/or foot pain is sciatica. 
dlvr.it/CSl3sw

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.

Do You Have Back Pain?

Your symptoms could be from one of these commonly acquired spinal conditions. Find out more at http://dlvr.it/CJLBnf

What is Lumbar (Low Back) Spinal Stenosis?

According to the National Institutes of Health, back pain will affect eight out of every 10 of us at some point during our lifetimes. Lumbar (lower back) spinal stenosis—a narrowing of the spinal canal—is a common cause of this problem, and can occur as a part of the aging process. 

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Symptoms

Nearly all of us will experience some type of spinal condition, as we get older.  The level of deterioration and associated symptoms of spinal stenosis varies greatly from one person to the next. For example, some won’t notice any discomfort or back pain at all.  Others may complain of mild to moderate pain in the legs and/or buttocks, and some people afflicted with the condition won’t be able to stand or walk. Those whom suffer from severe spinal stenosis often notice leg, buttock and/or foot pain or weakness. Clumsiness may also be experienced while standing or walking. Numbness, tingling and loss of bowel or bladder control may also be telltale signs of more advanced spinal stenosis.

Spinal Stenosis Causes

There are many culprits that may lead to spinal stenosis including, but not limited to:

Watch this lumbar spinal stenosis causes, symptoms and treatment video:

• Arthritis
  As people age, changes occur in the soft tissues and bony structures of the lower back. The intervertebral discs, once hydrated to help absorb shock and support the vertebrae, can become dry and weak. These changes place undue stress on the joints of the spine, which can in turn lead to a degenerative condition known as osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease that occurs when the protective cartilage of a joint wears down and leaves the bony surfaces to rub painfully against one another. To help resolve this problem and support the weakening spine, new bony outgrowths may develop. These bone spurs can eventually grow into the spinal canal and cause the narrowing seen in spinal stenosis.

• Disc Herniation
  In addition to playing a role in the development of arthritis, the intervertebral discs may also be involved in spinal stenosis through herniation. Disc herniation occurs when a crack or other vulnerable spot in the disc allows the jelly-like interior to escape. This substance can place pressure on the spinal cord or the spinal nerves.  Disc herniation may occur from an injury or blunt trauma to the spine.

• Congenital Causes
  Then, there are those of us whom are just lucky. Some people are just born with a smaller spinal canal, have bone diseases, thickened spinal ligaments or excess bone growth around the nerves of the spine which cause stenosis.

Treatments

There are a variety of nonsurgical treatments available to help relieve the symptoms associated with lumbar spinal stenosis. To learn more about your treatment options, consider scheduling a consultation with the experts at SpineOne. Our medical team wants to help you improve your quality of life through advanced-nonsurgical options. 

Call our Denver-area practice at (303) 500-8611 or click www.spineone.com to schedule your appointment today!

About SpineOne

• SpineOne offers same-day appointments.
• SpineOne provides consultation from a board-certified physician, imaging and treatment all in one location.