Brent A. Felix, MD - Blog
Visiting the doctor for low back pain? Expect something different now
If you visit your family doctor with low back pain (LBP), you may be surprised at the treatment options they suggest now. Recent changes to major international guidelines for the management of LBP mean that general practitioners (GP) are now unlikely to recommend pain medicines which were previously the go-to treatment. Instead of pain medicines, GPs might suggest non-medicinal approaches including yoga, mindfulness and various types of physiotherapy and psychological therapies.
Researchers use novel imaging technique for precise assessment of spinal degeneration
Research by a Barrow Neurological Institute neurosurgery team on novel imaging technique assessment of patients with lumbar spine degeneration was published in the Aug. 28 issue of PLOS ONE.
Study provides insights into potential causes of spinal stenosis
A new study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research indicates that certain genetic changes are linked with an increased risk of developing lumbar spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the open spaces in the lower spine that can lead to pain in the legs when individuals walk.
Young athletes commonly develop bone marrow edema in the joints of the lower spine
Young athletes commonly develop bone marrow edema in their sacroiliac joints, and this damage is most frequent in the posterior lower ilium, or the lowest part of the spine where it connects to the pelvis, according to new research findings presented this week at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego.
MRI reveals sacroiliac inflammation in both healthy runners, patients with spondyloarthritis
Although sacroiliac MRI has been extensively relied on to diagnose axial spondyloarthritis, research presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting demonstrated that similar inflammation of sacroiliac joints was observed among even healthy individuals, highlighting the need for complementary diagnostic measures.
Low-dose CT of the whole spine found more sensitive than conventional radiographs in monitoring AS
In patients with ankylosing spondylitis, low-dose CT of the whole spine delivered greater sensitivity than imaging with conventional radiographs, according to a study presented at the EULAR Annual Congress.
Loss of estrogen a risk factor for disc degeneration and lower back pain
'Oh, my aching back!' It's not an uncommon complaint heard from both men and women as they age and experience lumbar disc degeneration. Now a new study suggests that menopause is associated with severity of disc degeneration in the lumbar spine.
New class drug significantly reduces spine fracture risk in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis
The results of a study presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) 2017 press conference showed that, in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, 12 months treatment with romosozumab was associated with rapid and large reductions in their risk of a vertebral fracture compared to placebo.
Study explores image guidance based on MRI for spinal interstitial laser thermotherapy
Researchers retrospectively reviewed 13 patients who underwent implantation of 47 laser catheters with image guidance based on intraoperative MRI during spinal laser interstitial thermotherapy. Investigators measured discrepancy in millimeters between trajectories of the predicted placement to the actual placement to assess the accuracy of the image guidance. The median changes in thickness of the epidural tumor and change in the epidural spinal cord classification were also assessed.
Age no barrier for back surgery benefits
Seniors can benefit from herniated disc surgery, according to the results of a study conducted by Mattis A. Madsbu, a medical student at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and colleagues at the Department of Neurosurgery at St. Olavs Hospital in Trondheim, Norway. Madsbu's supervisor was NTNU consultant neurosurgeon Sasha Gulati.
