Warsaw Health and Spine

Adjacent Segment Disease (ASD), sometimes called Accelerated Adjacent Segment Degeneration, occurs after a spinal fusion surgery. Due to the fusion of multiple vertebrae, there are bio-mechanical changes to the way the spine functions; the area that is fused loses its ability to move properly. When this occurs, the vertebrae and their joints, immediately above and below the fusion will degenerate at an accelerated rate due to an increase in stress on the joints and spinal discs. So let's back up for a minute. Common causes for spinal fusion surgery included degenerative, bulging, or herniated discs which creates stenosis of the spine and puts pressure on nerves causing nerve pain, numbness/tingling, and loss of function in the extremities. Usually, these types of disc issues are caused by excessive stress on the spinal discs and joints over a long period of time which slowly weakens the discs until they collapse. So once a spinal fusion has been done to "correct" the ...

It is estimated that up to 85% of Americans will suffer from low back pain at least once in their life. Often, the problem will go away with treatments such as stretching and exercise, chiropractic care, or ice and heat. But what do you do if the problem is not going away with common treatments and the symptoms have gotten so severe that normal activities such as walking, driving, or occupational duties are nearly impossible? At this point, it is common for people to seek treatments like spinal injections, heavy doses of pain medications, or exploring the possibility of spinal surgery. Although these treatments are common, they can be invasive, have long term side effects, and do not always have great long-term outcomes because they do not address the root cause of the problem. For these reasons, people are often in search of effective options without the use of invasive procedures, drugs, or surgeries. This is where Non-surgical Spinal Decompression Therapy (often called Spinal Dec...

Cell phones have basically take over our lives and as society we spend a lot of time on our phones. Research conducted by British psychologist estimate that young adults spend up to 5 hours a day on their phone. With the dramatic increase in our cell phone use, doctors are now starting to see more and more cell phone related injuries and conditions. Here are three common conditions that are caused by spending too much time on your phone. 1. Blackberry Thumb Blackberry Thumb is a repetitive stress injury that is caused by over use of the thumb when typing on your phone or playing games. (Since Blackberries are no longer made, maybe Ithumb would be a better name). The actual condition could be called a couple different names including De Quervain syndrome, Tenosynovitis, or just tendonitis of the thumb. The general symptoms include pain, swelling, or tenderness in the thumb and/or wrist. Because this is an over use injury, it usually heals on its own if you give your thumb enough tim...