Patient Questions Questions submitted by our patients. Select the questions you would like answers to and click the button.

What are common causes of back pain?

I am a nonsmoker in excellent physical condition. I recently started having irritating, nagging low back pain during the day. I am OK in the evening but sometimes I am awakened by the pain. A hot shower generally relieves my back spasms. What should I do?

What are the risks of spine surgery ?

When is surgery necessary for patients with spine problems?

Is my shoulder and arm pain caused by a problem in my neck?

How do disc injuries cause back pain?

What are common symptoms I should be aware of?

What is lumbar instability?

My doctor told me that I have arthritis of my spine and that I should learn to live with the pain. Is this true?

Will fusing my spine cause damage to adjacent areas?

How quickly can I expect to recover from surgery?

Why do some surgeons approach the spine from the back and others through the abdomen?

Will the epidural steroid injection correct my back or neck disorder?

Are there any complications associated with an epidural steroid injection?

For the past six years, I have been suffering with on and off low back pain. This pain goes down to my knee and sometimes into my lower leg. It seems to be worsening. It increases when I walk as little as one block. Leaning on a shopping cart enables me to walk farther. I have been taking over-the-counter pain medications but do not feel it is helping. Can you suggest something that would relieve my pain?

I am 35 and am in excellent health. Six months ago I started having severe cramps in my right leg and back, which kept me in bed for two weeks. Eventually the cramps disappeared but I was left with constant numbness and tingling in my right calf and foot. X-rays confirmed a problem with my sciatic nerve. Can you tell me what to do to relieve the constant ache and numbness in my calf and foot? Also, my lower back has been weak and I am unable to resume a regular exercise program.

If I have a fusion does that mean I will never be able to bend?

Is a bulging disc normal?

My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer many years ago. She had a mastectomy and we thought she was cured. A few months ago, she started complaining of back pain. She saw her doctor, and he found that her cancer had spread to her spine. Is there anything that can be done?

I fractured my lower back when I was in a car wreck 3 years ago. I was operated on and had steel rods put in my back. I now suffer daily pain in my back with severe spasms that sometimes goes down into my legs. My doctor tells me that my fusion did not take, a pseudarthosis. What is this and is there anything that could be done?