Fusion Surgery

Pain After Neck Fusion: Adjacent Segment Disease

This past week, I have have seen several patients with neck fusions. All of whom had pain caused by the fusion. For some, the fusion had helped one problem and caused another. For others, the fusion didn’t help and just made things worse. So what’s going on? An Overview of the Spinal Column To understand…read more

They Were Going to Amputate This Finger Before PRP!

Several months ago a patient I was seeing for another issue showed me the results of her finger-fusion surgery to treat arthritis. As she unwrapped her finger, I was a bit startled by its appearance (left above). It had the classic “mummy finger” dry-gangrene look, and her surgeon wanted to amputate it. She asked about whether…read more

Neck Fusion Side Effects in the Low Back?

While it seems common sense that all the parts of our spine are connected, because of orthopedic hyperspecialization, most patients believe that their necks and their backs are separate areas. After all, they have different names. Adding to the long list of neck fusion side effects, a new study shows just how wrong they are…read more

My Letter About How SI Joint Fusion Likely Won’t Help Patients in the Long Run

I’ve blogged a few times about why I think the new “minimally invasive” SI joint fusion is not a good treatment option. After that I was asked by a professional organization in Oregon to write a letter explaining my views to their Health Evidence Review Commission, which is considering coverage for the device. This is that…read more

Pain After Back Fusion: Adjacent Segment Disease

Your spine is built for movement, but it also has to be stable. In essence, it’s this duality that confuses many physicians and patients and often leads to a back fusion, which stops movement in patients with degenerative or painful back issues, such as degenerative disc disease, and spinal stenosis (arthritis that’s putting pressure on nerves). But…read more

Laser Back Surgery vs. Traditional Spine Surgery

Is LASER surgery a back surgery alternative? The picture above of Dr. Evil is arguably the world’s most famous air quote. He does this as he describes the laser he has placed on the moon to disintegrate the earth. I feel a little like making this air quote as I speak to some patients about “LASER” Spine…read more

Back Fusion Outcome: Fusion Leads to Dead Multifidus

Decisions in Medicine like most things are based on risk vs. benefit.  There are life saving procedures and surgeries where the answer is clear, but in non emergency situations, are we doing greater good than harm?  A new study looks at the potential damage done to the multifidus in the common surgery, back fusion. So what is…read more

SI Joint Fusion Surgery Side Effects: This is a Dumb Idea

The sacroliac joint (SI) has always been a controversial topic in medicine. How to effectively treat patients with chronic SI joint problems has also been a mystery to many physicians. A new take on an old and defrocked surgery called SI Joint fusion is now becoming all the rage, but should patients with SI joint…read more