Be a good patient? Whether you saw your primary doctor or an emergency room doctor, physicians like follow-up. This is most important if a problem does not clear up or returns. For example, if you head to the doctor with joint pain complaints and are treated with pain relievers and home therapies but the pain doesn’t resolve, you need to see your doctor again. There may be reason for additional tests or a more intense rest period, however there is no way to know that if you don’t call and inform the doctor of changes, or a lack thereof. What it comes down to is being your own advocate. Your doctor may be the medical expert, but you’re the you expert. You know you best and when something isn’t feeling right, calling the doctor to follow-up isn’t a nuisance, it’s a necessity. Sometimes doctors appointments offer little more than reassurance that the mole you’ve been stressing over for months is nothing to be afraid of, but in any case it’s a worthy use of your time.

The most common cause of back pain ? When back pain is chronic (i.e. lasts three months or more and occurs frequently), there is likely a more serious underlying issue that needs to be addressed. A disc problem is one of the most common causes of chronic lower back pain in adults and usually appears as a herniated disc in the lumbar or is caused by a degenerative disc disease. When a lumbar disc herniates, the inner portion of the disc breaks through the tough outer portion causing severe pain in the lumbar spine. The pain is caused by irritation of the nerves in the back, usually as the herniated disc creates swelling in the nerve roots. A degenerative disc disease occurs when the invertebral discs in the back begin to dehydrate over time. This causes the discs to wear down and become more susceptible to injury. Too much force on dehydrated discs can tear, weaken and become painful, often leading to a herniation.

During the surgery, the surgeon will make incisions on the front and right and left sides of the neck in order to enter the space between the two vertebrae. Then, the damaged disk as well as any bone spurs that have occurred in the area as a result of the body reacting to the disrupted disk will be removed. Dr. Yuan uses a drill to widen the opening of the spinal cord to eliminate pressure it was putting on the cord and nerve roots. The vertebrae are then fused using a bone graft, often taken from the patient’s pelvis but sometimes a cadaver bone is used instead. If more than one disc has been damaged or if more stabilization is needed, a titanium plate or screws may be used to reinforce the vertebrae. This can help reduce neck pain after surgery as well as speed up recovery. In most cases the surgery is completed in one to two hours, however, it can take longer in some cases, especially when more than one disc must be removed. The surgeon should be able to provide a more accurate time measurement for the procedure based on the individual’s needs. See extra info on Discectomy Surgery Long Beach.

Many complain of low back and buttock pain. While there are several reasons this could occur, sacroiliac joint pain and dysfunction is one cause, and it often requires some level of medical intervention. SI joint pain and dysfunction is an ailment that commonly affects runners and other athletes as well as some people who do not identify as either. The two SI joints are in a person’s pelvis, part of the stable ring structure that also includes the symphysis pubis. Several muscles including the hamstrings, abdominals, hip flexors and gluteal muscles attach to the SI joints. This joint is different from other joints because it only allows for about two degrees of rotation and less than one millimeter of movement backward and forward, but it is a joint nonetheless. The SI joint connects a part of the spine called the sacrum to the pelvis, and as a result it absorbs a lot of stress between these two bones, which can lead to pain, especially if there is an underlying problem.

In some cases, surgery can be performed to reduce or eliminate SI joint pain. The two most common surgical approaches are SI joint stabilization and joint fusion, both of which are typically done after other therapies have failed. For the latter, minimally invasive Sacroiliac Joint Fusion systems has shown positive results in treating SI joint dysfunction. Individualized rehabilitation programs aim to treat the underlying cause of SI joint pain. By treating the underlying cause, the pain should subside and the runner can return to their routine with little modification. Sometimes bracing will be needed while a person heals. In cases where pain is severe, pain medication or steroid injections may be recommended to keep pain under control while the person rehabilitates, and when the dysfunction is very severe, surgical intervention may be required to eliminate pain and treat dysfunction and its underlying causes.

Dr. Yuan treats a range of spinal disorders in patients of all ages including herniated discs and stenosis in the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. Dr. Yuan never recommends surgery first and is a thought leader in managing degenerative spinal stenosis. Dr. Philip Yuan is a board certified Orthopedic Surgeon and fellowship trained spinal surgeon who emphasizes non-surgical treatment first and only recommends surgical procedures when absolutely necessary to better a patient’s quality of life. Discover additional info on Long Beach spine surgery.