Paraplegia
Overview
Paraplegia is lower body paralysis. You lose feeling and control when nerve signals can’t travel up and down your spinal cord. This paralysis affects your legs, sometimes also affecting your trunk and pelvic organs.
Causes
Paraplegia happens when you injure your spinal cord or th…
Nerve Conduction Study (NCS and NCV)
Overview
A nerve conduction study (NCS), also called a nerve conduction velocity (NCV), is a noninvasive exam that measures how quickly nerves conduct electrical signals through the body. It helps your doctor diagnose nerve damage and devise an appropriate treatment plan.
Exam
You are pos…
Neck Pain (Cervical Spine)
Overview
Neck pain is common and can severely impact your quality of life. Neck pain can limit your ability to work, do activities of daily living, and sleep. There are may causes of neck pain.
About the Cervical Spine
Your neck is made by the seven vertebral bones in your cervical spine…
Myelography and Myelogram
Overview
A Myelography (also called a Myelogram) is an outpatient diagnostic procedure to examine the spine. It allows doctors to identify problems involving the spine, the spinal cord, and the nerve roots that are often not clearly revealed with x-rays, MRIs, or CT scans.
Preparation
To …
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
Overview
A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan lets doctors see inside your body. Unlike x-rays that use radiation to show bony structures, MRIs use magnets and radio waves to show soft tissues.
Preparation
You will need to remove glasses, jewelry, hearing aids, dentures, and other item…
Medial Branch Block
Overview
A Medial Branch Block is an injection of numbing medicine. The medial branch nerves attach to the facet joints of your spine and can hurt when the joints are injured or diseased. The injection provides tempporary pain relief and helps the doctors find the source of your pain.
Pre…
Lumbar Sympathetic Block
Overview
A Lumbar Sympathetic Block procedure is an injection that numbs nerves in your lower back. It helps doctors find and treat sources of pain. Usually, multiple injections are needed to treat a problem.
About the Sympathetic Nerves
The sympathetic nerves travel along both sides of …
Lumbar Radiculopathy (Sciatica)
Overview
Radiculopathy occurs when a nerve root is compressed as it exits the spinal canal, causing pain and symptoms in the spine and down to the body areas where that nerve extends. Lumbar radiculopathy is often called sciatica and causes pain in the low back, hips, buttocks, lets, and feet.
&…
Lumbar Discoscopic Discectomy
Overview
A Lumbar Discoscopic Discectomy is a minimally-invasive, outpatient surgery that relieves nerve pain caused by herniated discs. It is performed through a small tubular device under local anesthesia.
Guide Wire Inserted
The surgeon uses a fluoroscope (video x-ray machine) to find t…
Low Back Pain (Lumbar Spine)
Overview
Lower back pain is a common problem that impacts quality of life. It can vary in frequency and intensity. There are many different causes of low back pain.
About the Lumbar Spine
Your lumbar spine is your lower back. There are five lumbar vertebrae, with spinal discs in between….