Spinal Health

Fusion Surgery No Better than No Surgery

Does fusion surgery work? I have blogged before about the research showing that this surgery is often no better in the long-run than no surgery. However, I’ve also pointed out that surgeons have a way of interpreting data in studies that benefit their preconceived notions of efficacy. Today’s blog is about one such study which…read more

Cervical Disc Replacement Complications: Metal Ions

We ended the 20th century with the idea that we could cut out parts of a person, like a joint or a disc, and insert metal and achieve great things. Then reality got in the way, in that studies began to show that these metal or plastic or ceramic parts wear down and those particles…read more

What Is an Annular Tear?

Many patients don’t know that it’s possible to tear the disc in their neck and back. When this happens it’s called an annular tear. So let’s explore what happens. The annulus is the tough, fibrous outer covering of our spinal discs. The spinal discs live between each of the bones that make up our spine,…read more

Watch a Stem Cell Disc Treatment: Step into Our Procedure Suite with Dr. Pitts

With over 2,000 posts on this blog, I’ve given you a lot of material to read over the years about what we do; however, there’s nothing quite like watching an actual procedure. I hope you are enjoying this series of videos allowing you to step into one of our procedure suites so you can observe…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

Stem Cell Disc Injection: The Hammer and the Nail

There’s a saying in medicine, “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”. Meaning that if all the doctor knows how to do for a given problem is one treatment, then he or she tends to use that treatment when it’s not appropriate. This morning I’d like to highlight a stem…read more

Lost Low Back Curve: Why Too Little or Too Much Curve May be Causing Back Pain

The body is intricately and precisely designed, and every structure has a purpose. The spine may be the most important structure in our body for without it our bodies would flop around like a rag doll, unsupported, and our delicate bundle of nerves that connects our central nervous system to the rest of our body…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