Diagnosis
Diagnosis is the cornerstone of effective medical care, enabling healthcare providers to accurately identify and address patients’ health concerns. Through a combination of clinical evaluation and diagnostic tests, healthcare professionals can formulate tailored treatment plans to meet individual needs.
Subscribe to the BlogLeg Feels Disconnected? It May Be Your SI Joint
I always love hearing how patients describe what’s going on in their body. This last week, a patient with SI joint instability described her problem as her “leg feels disconnected.” This is such an accurate description that I thought it was worth exploring in a blog. The SI (Sacroiliac) Joint The SI joint is where the…read more
Listening to the Body on Exam: An Old Car Crash Upper Back Injury Speaks…
One of the most famous physicians of all time is Sir William Osler, the father of the modern residency program that uses real-world clinical experiences to train young doctors. One of his most famous sayings was, “Listen to your patient; he is telling you the diagnosis.” I’ve heard that same mantra paraphrased through the years…read more This Self Test for Loose Knee Ligaments Can Help Prevent Arthritis
On this page: The 4 knee ligaments and how they work The knee tibial rotation test When to be concerned about loose knee ligaments Is there a way to tell if you have loose knee ligaments, and if one of your ligaments is loose, do you really need to do anything about it? Yes and…read more
Spondylolysis Treatment Options: Healing the Spine with an Injection Rather than Surgery
What happens when a precise stem cell injection is used instead of surgery to treat spondylolysis? This is the story of NH, an Ivy League wrestler whose career was stopped in its tracks by a traumatic fracture of the spine called spondylolysis. His parents knew that fusing this young man’s spine at his young age…read more Why Is My Arm Throbbing?
In this article: What’s causing the throbbing or pulsing The referred-pain phenomenon Examination and treatment Does your arm feel tight? Do you sometimes see pulsations or little areas that jump around randomly? Although you might think that you have a muscle twitch, it’s most likely caused by the nerves in your neck. When those nerves…read more
Her Neck Goes Out All the Time: Definitive Treatment?
Every physician has patients who challenge his or her skills, and it’s the reaction to those patients that determines what kind of doctor that physician is —Chris was one of those patients. She would tell me consistently that “my neck goes out all the time,” but every tool I had to use couldn’t seem to really put…read more How to Read a Low Back MRI Report : What Type of Disc Problem Do You Have?
I find that one of the most confusing things for patients learning how to read a low back MRI report is understanding that there are different types of disc problems that each require a different therapeutic approach. So without understanding their type of disc issue, there is no way to understand which of the newer…read more What Is a Flexion-Extension X-Ray?
On this page: What is spinal instability? Can instability be seen on an x-ray or MRI? What is a flexion-extension x-ray? The problem with flexion-extension x-rays How to make sure your test is worthwhile Back and neck pain patients and doctors are often confused by the idea of instability in the spine. From the patient’s…read more
