Treatments

All About Back Pain Treatments

Lumbar Total Disc Replacement vs Fusion: Which to Choose

What’s stopping total disc replacement from being a more common surgical option for lumbar spine issues? Find out from our expert.

What is the Right Medication for Your Back Pain?

When it comes to back pain medications, you have options—a lot of them. How do you know which one is right for you?

New Technologies in Anterior Cervical Spine Fixation

Recent advances in several different fields are significantly impacting anterior cervical spine fixation. Material engineering has developed several types of new materials to replace traditionally used bone products and titanium.

An Underdog Story: One Accident, 28 Surgeries, and the Will to Keep Fighting

After an accident left him with devastating back injuries, Dave Robinson endures more than two dozen surgeries but still finds the strength to reach out to others in pain.

Are Antidepressants Effective for Back Pain?

Antidepressants have long been part of back pain treatment but a 2021 study questions their effectiveness.

Laser Spine Surgery: Help or Hype?

Laser spine surgery: Help or hype? Get our experts' assessments.

4 Prep Tips for Successful Back Surgery

Prep for spine surgery the right away so your recovery goes more smoothly.

Control Your Pain After Back Surgery With These Tips

Here are a few factors that influence pain after back surgery, and some tips for ensuring a successful back surgery recovery.

Spinal Surgeries: Laminotomy versus Laminectomy

Laminectomy and laminotomy are types of spinal decompression surgeries that involve full or partial removal of the lamina, the vertebrae's bony plate that protects the spinal canal.

Why You Shouldn’t Quit Physical Therapy for Back Pain

Physical therapy is one of the most effective treatments for back pain. Give it a chance to work.

Platelet-Rich Plasma for Back Pain: Help or Hype?

If platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, is good enough for pro athletes, it should be good enough for your back pain, right? Truth is, it’s more complicated than that. Read what our experts think.

Could Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Help Heal Your Spine?

Usually used for decompression sickness, hyperbaric oxygen therapy may help accelerate wound healing after spine surgery and may even have a place in treating spinal cord injuries. Learn more about this as-yet-unproven but promising treatment.

Make the Most of a Second Opinion for Your Spine

If you’re considering spine surgery, you might want a second opinion. Here’s how to make the most of that visit.

Spinal Injections and Nerve Blocks Treat Neck and Back Pain

Spinal injections and nerve blocks may reduce back or neck pain, such as cervical or lumbar radiculopathy, and may confirm the cause of a spinal disorder.

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

Minimally invasive spine surgery (MIS) may be a better surgical option than traditional or open spinal surgery to treat different causes of back pain and neck pain.

The Straight Dope on CBD Oil

CBD oil is not medical marijuana and it cannot get you high. It may, however, give many people some relief from back pain. Find out what the research shows and how to ensure you get a quality product.

Can You Meditate Away Back Pain? An Expert Weighs In

Meditation is praised for its many mental health benefits, but does it have the power to soothe back pain? Find out here.

Neuroplasty: Your Questions, Answered

Neuroplasty is an intimidating-sounding name for a minimally invasive procedure that can bring back pain relief for two years or more. Find out what neuroplasty is, and if you’re a candidate.

Should You Get ACDF or Cervical Disc Replacement Surgery?

ACDF and disc replacement surgery can both take your neck pain and radiculopathy away. Which one’s right for you? Learn about how they’re similar and different to help you choose.

Could This Drug Be the Next Big Thing in Back Pain Treatment?

New medications such as tanezumab may provide options for treating back pain. Is it available? Is it effective? Is it right for you? Learn more about tanezumab for back pain.

When Your Spinal Cord Stimulator Needs to Come Out

Spinal cord stimulation is cutting-edge pain management, but does it always work? No, and sometimes your device needs to be removed. Here’s when—and why.

PT and the Pandemic: Physical Therapy at Home

The coronavirus pandemic has changed how healthcare is practiced and delivered, and physical therapy is no exception. Learn how you can get your PT done safely and effectively in your own home.

Is Opioid-Free Spine Surgery the Way of the Future?

Is opioid-free spine surgery viable? These experts say yes. Read about their work and why they believe opioid-free spine surgery to be the future.

The Essential Guide to Essential Oils for Back Pain

Essential oils for back pain may be a viable complementary treatment—as long as you use them correctly.

Beware These Lumbar Stenosis Surgery Pitfalls

Lumbar stenosis surgery isn’t always 100 percent successful. That’s why it’s important to carefully assess your personal risk factors before going under the knife.

What to Expect From a Spinal Tap

Odds are you’ve heard of a spinal tap—but you may not know exactly what it entails. Also called a lumbar puncture, it’s a procedure performed in the lower part of your back to diagnose a health problem, administer medicine, or assist with imaging.

Cervical Epidural Steroid Injections: Injections for Neck Pain

Cervical epidural steroid injections can help with neck pain and radiating pain. Find out how they work and if you're a candidate.

Back Pain and Drug Interactions: What You Need to Know

Medication can be an effective way to treat back pain, but it’s not as simple as just popping a pill when you need one. Learn how pain meds can interact with other medications you’re taking and conditions you may have.

Acupressure for Back, Neck and Upper Back Pain

Acupressure can reduce back, neck and upper back pain by pressing on certain acupoints to unblock Qi, the body's vital energy force. Acupressure is an Asian practice related to TCM.

Alternative Treatments Center

The SpineUniverse Alternative Treatment Center can help you find trustworthy information about complementary and integrative alternative practices.

What to Do About Back Pain When You Can’t See Your Doctor

Stay-at-home orders often mean you can’t see your ortho or neurosurgeon for back pain, but you still have options. From PT to telemedicine, here’s what to do instead.

Do’s and Don’ts for a Successful Back Surgery Recovery

Are you ready for back surgery? Look to the postop future and follow these tips for a successful recovery.

The Buzz on TENS Units for Back Pain

When your back hurts—and when it doesn’t—an electric shock is the last thing you want, right? Don’t be so sure. A TENS unit may relieve your back pain. Find out how.

Should Your Spinal Hardware Be Removed? Here’s How to Tell

Many spine procedures use hardware like plates, screws and rods to stabilize your spine. But what happens when hardware breaks or gets infected? Find out here.

Depression After Back Surgery Is Surprisingly Common

You might be surprised that depression after back surgery is a real thing, even if it relieves your pain. Learn to recognize the signs.

Lumbar Laminectomy

Lumbar laminectomy makes more room in the spinal canal by removing part of a vertebra. The procedure takes the pressure off nerve roots and relieves pain, limb weakness and other symptoms.

Home Workouts May Speed Your Recovery From ACDF Surgery

New research suggests that patients starting an exercise program right after surgery may have less pain and be less reliant on opioids.

Questions to Ask Your Neurosurgeon

Not every patient with back or neck pain needs a neurosurgeon. Usually, the patient's primary care physician or chiropractor makes the referral to a neurosurgeon.

What Disorders Do Neurosurgeons Treat?

Neurosurgeons treat many different dieases and conditions affecting the brain, spine, nervous system, and related structures.

Neurosurgeon Education and Training

Neurosurgeons are highly educated and specially trained spine specialists. It can take upwards of 8 years after medical school to become a neurosurgeon.

What Is a Neurosurgeon?

A neurosurgeon is a medical specialist who treats diseases and conditions affecting the nervous system, which includes the brain, the spine and spinal cord, and the peripheral nerves.

Spine Injections: What You Need to Know

Spine injection questions? We've got answers about how it works, how to prepare, how it feels and much more. Learn more from our expert, Dr. William Mosenthal.

Romosozumab Added to Osteoporosis Drug Therapy Guideline

Osteoporosis drug treatment includes romosozumab (brand name, Evenity) for postmenopausal women per the Endocrine Society’s medication management guideline.

How Often Is Chiropractic Needed for Low Back Pain?

How many chiropractic treatments are necessary to treat low back pain? Do chiropractors recommend other types of treatment besides spinal adjustments and manipulation?

Robotic Spine Surgery: Q&A with a Pioneer in the Technology

Misconceptions about robotic spine surgery are dispelled by Isador H. Lieberman, MD, a pioneer in the technology. Why he thinks this technology will be the standard of care for complex spine cases within the next 5 years.

What Disorders Do Orthopaedic Spine Surgeons Treat?

Orthopaedic spine surgeons treat all disorders and conditions that affect the spine.

What is an Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon?

Orthopaedic spine specialists are orthopaedists who further specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal diseases and conditions.

Questions to Ask Your Chiropractor

These sample questions and guideline will help you prepare for your appointment with a chiropractor.

Cannabis and CBD for Back and Neck Pain Q&A

Cannabis, hemp, and cannabinoid products, such as CBD oil, are gaining public popularity to treat back pain. Spine doctor answers 10 key questions.

Prescription Lidoderm Patches May Help Relieve Back Pain

Lidoderm is a topic lidocaine patch 5% that may help reduce nerve-related back or neck pain.
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