My Own Non-Surgical Spondylolisthesis Recovery

If you read this blog, you know I have a chronic back issue called spondylolisthesis. However, this past year, I have had my crew at our Colorado HQ working on it and there’s nothing like results to again show me how important our treatments can be. Let me explain. What Is Spondylolisthesis? Spondylolisthesis means that…read more

Lumbar Stenosis Treatment Without Surgery

One of the more amazing changes in our spine practice over the last several years has been on how we look at lumbar stenosis. I’ve gone from referring almost all of these patients to surgery to referring very few. Why? We reimagined what was going on with these patients. Lumbar stenosis treatment without surgery is…read more

Is Scoliosis Surgery Worth It?

Several years ago, one of our employees had severe scoliosis and was in severe pain. Given that this was a structural problem, I wasn’t sure we could help, but I developed a procedure called a percutaneous scolioplasty that did eventually make a difference. Let me review another patient today whose nonsurgical treatment results surprised me.…read more

What Is Foraminal Stenosis?

What is foraminal stenosis?  Is it necessarily the cause of your back or neck pain, and does foraminal stenosis require surgery?  Let’s start from the beginning… Your spinal column, or backbone, is made up of vertebrae, stacked one on top of the other, with a disc between each level to provide cushion and absorb shock.…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

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

Stem Cells for Disc Regeneration?

Across the Internet right now, you can find countless websites advertising stem cells for disc regeneration. Is this for real or is it a scam? A recent patient post on our RIP fusion blog can help explain what’s real and what’s likely not. What Is a Degenerated Disc? The reason for trying to regenerate a…read more

Epidural Steroid Injection Reviews: Is There a Better Way?

My patients’ epidural steroid injection reviews through the years have been mixed. On the one hand, the injection can help prevent the need for surgery; on the other, the side effects can be big and awful. Hence, a few years back, we invented a new approach using platelet lysate to replace the steroid. This is…read more