As we come into the holiday season and the end of the year, it is routine to take stock, remember the good times and set New Year’s resolutions. I suspect the conversations will be different this year for most of you given the suffering, challenges and uncertainty brought by what I refer to as “Annus […]

Are you someone who has been putting off a surgical consultation? Has a health care provider recommended an evaluation because of your neck or back ailment? If the answer is yes, then let’s have a conversation. There are many effective nonsurgical modalities for most common spinal conditions that cause chronic back pain. I only recommend […]

When you are shopping for a car or new furniture, you wouldn’t think twice about visiting multiple stores or driving extra miles to find what you need — why should your health care be any different? The fact is that where you get treated, even for common conditions makes a huge difference — but not […]

More often than not, the last thing patients suffering from neck or back conditions want to hear is that they need spine surgery. When conservative approaches like pain management, chiropractic modalities, physical therapy, and others can only provide temporary relief, surgery may serve as a pathway to better health and long-term success. At New Jersey […]

In the lumbar spine, the frequent causes of many common conditions include repetitive pulling, straining, reaching, twisting, and bending motions. However, several spinal injuries can be attributed to poor lifestyle choices beyond moving the body in harmful ways, including pre-existing conditions like diabetes and even tolerance from strength-training and conditioning. Therefore, it’s important to recognize […]

The feeling of anxiety before going under surgery, also known as preoperative or preoperational anxiety, is incredibly common. A lot of patients who know they will have surgery will start to experience it. Anxiety before surgery is essentially described as unpleasant stress, uneasiness, or tension that results from the fears and doubts of patients. What […]

The vertebrae at the base of your spine are called lumbar vertebrae. You have five lumbar vertebrae and your surgery will name which ones surround the damaged disc. For example, you may have been told you “need a discectomy at L4-L5.” You may hear your surgeon say that your disc herniation was due to “degenerative […]

Nobody wants to have spine surgery, but it is sometimes necessary. Naturally, trying alternative remedies and treatments is always the first course of action. If you have experienced neck pain for some time and you have followed the available treatment options but you didn’t experience the results you were hoping for, then you may need […]

One of the most common conditions that may require spinal surgery is called “stenosis,” a word that you may see on your MRI report. Most people have some degree of stenosis in their vertebrae that causes discomfort and pain, and can compromise quality of life to a degree that requires surgical intervention. While stenosis is […]