People who live with chronic pain can feel frustrated because there is no way to scientifically quantify their pain responses. However, a recent analysis of MRI scans of people in chronic pain show that there may be a way to map pain in the brain.
Though you don't have to know as much as a spine surgeon, it is important to understand the type of spine surgery you are signing up for, and what types of implants will become a permanent part of your body during a fusion surgery.
A recent study published in the journal Spine and conducted by the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) determined that one in five spine surgery patients develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after having a low back fusion surgery.
It is often said that no one should have spine surgery unless they receive a second opinion from another surgeon. On the surface, this advice would sound like good old common sense, as two opinions are better than one. However, there is a trap in this line of thinking.
Research presented at the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) shows that “an acute session of moderate aerobic exercise” can improve the amount and quality of sleep for people with insomnia (without resorting to pharmaceutical sleep-aids).