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 BlogWhat is a Disc High Intensity Zone on MRI?
You have low back pain and get an MRI performed and on the report it says you have a “high intensity zone” in one of your low back discs. What does a high intensity zone on MRI mean? Is it a big deal and is it causing your pain? The low back discs have an…read more
The Dirty Little Secret of Rotator Cuff Surgery
You’re middle aged or older and you do something like reaching out too fast, or lifting, or maybe just bracing yourself to prevent a fall and you tear your shoulder rotator cuff. Surgery seems to be the definitive treatment, but recent research on the efficacy of rotator cuff surgery has a dirty little secret that should…read more How to Read Your Own Hip MRI Video!
An empowered patient gets better quicker-that’s what I’ve observed over the years. One of the biggest medical “black holes” for patients is their MRI. They have a report that might as well be written in Greek and they have an MRI CD whose images look like a cross between their body and the surface of…read more Neck Nerve Ablation: Why Ablate When You Can Regenerate?
A revolution in medicine quietly occurred in the 90’s that didn’t make the press or get screamed from the mountaintops, but it was a game changer none the less. Smart people figured out that neck joints were being injured in what was amorphously known as “whiplash”. The revolution came when someone figured out that neck…read more Foot Arch Knee Pain? Research Links Your Foot Navicular Bone Position to Your Knee
Can you have foot arch knee pain? Yesterday I watched the inaugural Boulder Iron man Race. As the runners filed by, I couldn’t help but notice their gait. In some, according to a new study, not paying attention to a little bone in their feet may be frying the cartilage in their knees. First, as…read more Severe Buttocks Pain After a Fall: A Patient’s Story
On this page: RP’s story Diagnosing the severe buttocks pain Treating a hematoma in the buttocks RP is an elderly physician who I met in the most unlikely of circumstances. He was performing a life insurance physical on me and I noticed he had a cane. We struck up a conversation about his severe buttock…read more Hip Replacement Pain: A Frustrated Patient
I’ve blogged before on hip replacement pain, or when patients still have pain after hip replacement. Likely the most detailed study to date showed continued pain in patients who had hip replacement surgery-for example, on average 53% of hip replacement patients reported pins and needles 6 months after the surgery. Yesterday a new patient came…read more What Causes Shoulder Arthritis?
What causes shoulder arthritis? See that shoulder x-ray up there with that big bone spur in the bottom of the joint? That scares me. This past month or two, my shoulders have been aching. As a now 50 year old physician who loves to lift weights, maybe this shouldn’t be too surprising? However, I’ve also…read more 
