What Causes Pain Around the Ribs and Back Symptoms?

On this page: Understanding the thoracic spine Causes of pain around the ribs and back symptoms Treatment of thoracic spine pain The thoracic spine and ribs are like a no man’s land for many physicians, including spine experts. While many physicians are comfortable treating and diagnosing neck and low back problems when it comes to…
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How to Heal a Herniated Disc Naturally

On this page: What is a herniated disc? What is herniated disc surgery like? Can a herniated disc heal on its own? What activities should you avoid with a herniated disc? Is walking good for a herniated disc? Do supplements work? Is there another way to treat a herniated disc naturally? Do you really need…
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Problems with Artificial Disc Replacement? New Research

Artificial disc replacement has been all the rage for the past 5-10 years. The idea is that it’s supposed to help reduce the side effects of bigger surgeries like fusion. Is that true? Are there problems with artificial disc replacement? What is an Artificial Disc and What Problem Should It Solve? Your spine has discs…
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Subtalar Fusion? Do You Really Need This Surgery?

The subtalar joint is sort of the red-headed stepchild of the ankle. Most of the focus is usually on it’s bigger brother, the main tibiotalar joint. However, arthritis in the smaller subtalar joint can cause loads of pain and disability. That pain can lead some patients to consider subtalar fusion. However, do you really need…
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The Curious Case of the Typical/Atypical L5-S1 Disc Herniation

On this page: What can happen to the L5-S1 disc? What’s a subligamentous disc herniation? What is an epidural? What are the symptoms of a herniated disc at L5-S1? What happens when an epidural doesn’t work? How do you treat an L5-S1 disc herniation? This week I saw a patient with an L5-S1 disc bulge/herniation…
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The Vagus Nerve, Neck Pain, Anxiety, Headaches, and Depression

On this page: The function of the vagus nerve Neck pain and the vagus nerve Other symptoms of an irritated vagus nerve We’ve seen neck pain patients for years with lots of seemingly unrelated symptoms. Many have suffered from depression, anxiety, headaches, and some even cardiac problems like runs of tachycardia. So what’s causing all…
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Stem Cell Treatment for Neuropathy? Can You Tell a Scam from Real?

We get sent questions all of the time by patients. One recent question was about the difference between what a clinic chain says it offers as stem cell treatment for neuropathy and what we do. Since this is also a great way to explain the way to look for clinics that have high expertise in…
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SI Joint Fusion: Does This Work?

The Rise of Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Fusion Surgery I have been following with interest the rise of SI Joint fusion surgery. This has exploded over the last five years. So what does SI Joint fusion look like? Can SI Joint dysfunction be cured? How successful is SI Joint fusion? Are there better and less invasive…
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