Cervical Spine
The cervical spine, comprised of seven vertebrae in the neck region, is crucial for supporting the head and enabling movement. Despite its flexibility, it’s prone to injury and degenerative issues. Disorders in this area can cause neck pain and neurological symptoms. Understanding cervical spine anatomy is vital for effective diagnosis and management.
Subscribe to the BlogTreating the Cervical Spine Like It’s 1999!
If you read this blog, you know I often write as a type of catharsis. I see something in our medical care system that seems so nutty that if I don’t write about it, I’ll explode. This morning, a poor, dizzy patient in Australia was being treated like he lived in the last century, not…read more
Artificial Disc Replacement Remains More Hype Than Reality
If you read this blog, you know that I often write about things I experience on a day-to-day basis while seeing patients. This past week a patient came in with a herniated disc in her neck and was offered an artificial disc as a treatment. After a short discussion, she no longer wanted one. What…read more
I’ve Returned and So Apparently Are the Neck Multifidus Muscles after Exercise!
I’ve been out for six weeks sailing the Med. It was another great trip and a much-needed break for an old guy! Today, let’s cover a new study that shows that cervical multifidus muscle atrophy can be recovered with exercise. Getting Back If you recall, we are on a four-year journey to sail the Mediterranean,…read more
Here’s Another Video: How Can We Treat a Growing Cervical Disc Bulge?
I’m on a roll with videos, so I’ll go with it. This is one of Dr. Pitt’s patients who did well with a PRP based functional spinal unit approach rather than cutting out the bulging disc in his neck:
How Does the Body Stabilize the C1-C2 Joint? The Role of the Alar Ligament
Readers: Please excuse this in-depth and very dense discussion of the C1-C2 joint. I am preparing a large case series of PICL patients for publication and began writing this as a paper to be submitted for publication, but I decided that some of the rubber meets the road mechanism of the unique way that the…read more
Cervical Multifidus Muscle Atrophy: A Literature Update
Most patients and many physicians don’t know that we have mounting research that the muscles that stabilize your neck can weaken and this can be easily seen on MRI. Today we’ll go over that research and show patients what this atrophy looks like on their images. Let’s dig in. Spinal Stabilizer Atrophy We’ve known for…read more
The Artificial Disc Replacement Hustle
Medicine is often more about marketing than reality. One area where masterful marketing has overtaken reality is the promise of an artificial disc. Let’s explore the hype and the reality today. The Promise of the ADR Both fusion and disc replacement surgery are performed in patients with DDD (Degenerative Disc Disease). DDD is when the…read more
Injecting the C1-C2 Facet Joint Under Ultrasound: A PA with a Scary Big Needle
I’ve been covering non-physician, mid-level providers performing all sorts of procedures for which, IMHO they lack adequate training. Some of these procedures are less risky than others, but this morning we’ll go over a physician’s assistant wielding a very big needle and sticking it into one of the highest-risk areas of the body. Let’s dig…read more
