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Be a good patient? This is an important step to making the most of your doctor’s visit as being face to face with your doctor is often the best time to ask medical questions. Your questions may be related to your diagnosis, treatment or personal preferences. Be proactive and don’t limit your questions to the reason that sent you to the doctor initially (however don’t bombard your doctor with questions either). Seeing a doctor is about continued health, not just curing the ailment at hand. A good practice is to ask your doctor what health-related items you could work on before your next visit. It could be a simple diet change, a challenge to exercise more or a more general piece of advice, such as stress less. Either way, when you’re face-to-face with a medical professional that has access to your personal health history, what better question could you ask about continued health?

The most common cause of back pain ? Scoliosis is curvature of the spine. It is considered a deformity and depending on how severe the curvature is and where it is located, it can result in back pain. Scoliosis can also lead to the breakdown of discs and joints in the back. For this type of affliction, severity and pain levels often determine treatment. Some with minor curvature can benefit from stretching and massage appointments, others result to chiropractors for correction of the curve but in other cases a brace or surgery is recommended.

During the surgery, the surgeon will make incisions on the front and right and left sides of the neck in order to enter the space between the two vertebrae. Then, the damaged disk as well as any bone spurs that have occurred in the area as a result of the body reacting to the disrupted disk will be removed. Dr. Yuan uses a drill to widen the opening of the spinal cord to eliminate pressure it was putting on the cord and nerve roots. The vertebrae are then fused using a bone graft, often taken from the patient’s pelvis but sometimes a cadaver bone is used instead. If more than one disc has been damaged or if more stabilization is needed, a titanium plate or screws may be used to reinforce the vertebrae. This can help reduce neck pain after surgery as well as speed up recovery. In most cases the surgery is completed in one to two hours, however, it can take longer in some cases, especially when more than one disc must be removed. The surgeon should be able to provide a more accurate time measurement for the procedure based on the individual’s needs. See even more details at Cervical Discectomy.

Many complain of low back and buttock pain. While there are several reasons this could occur, sacroiliac joint pain and dysfunction is one cause, and it often requires some level of medical intervention. SI joint pain and dysfunction is an ailment that commonly affects runners and other athletes as well as some people who do not identify as either. The two SI joints are in a person’s pelvis, part of the stable ring structure that also includes the symphysis pubis. Several muscles including the hamstrings, abdominals, hip flexors and gluteal muscles attach to the SI joints. This joint is different from other joints because it only allows for about two degrees of rotation and less than one millimeter of movement backward and forward, but it is a joint nonetheless. The SI joint connects a part of the spine called the sacrum to the pelvis, and as a result it absorbs a lot of stress between these two bones, which can lead to pain, especially if there is an underlying problem.

Those who enter into a SI joint rehabilitation program can usually return to running with minor modifications. The more severe the case is, the more modifications will have to be made and longer rest period a physician may recommend. Many runners can return to running immediately by making modifications, but others with more severe pain may need to rest and rehabilitate for a while. In the latter case, it’s important that athletes take time to recover so they aren’t doing permanent damage to their body. Usually, a rehabilitation protocol and possible intervention to treat underlying cause (biomechanics, physical attributes, muscle problems) will result in complete recovery and zero residual pain. Surgical intervention offers similar results for more severe cases. With minimally-invasive Sacroiliac Joint Fusion procedures, doctors have reported less post-surgical bleeding and bruising as well as a shorter operating time.

Dr. Yuan treats a range of spinal disorders in patients of all ages including herniated discs and stenosis in the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. Dr. Yuan never recommends surgery first and is a thought leader in managing degenerative spinal stenosis. Dr. Philip Yuan is a board certified Orthopedic Surgeon and fellowship trained spinal surgeon who emphasizes non-surgical treatment first and only recommends surgical procedures when absolutely necessary to better a patient’s quality of life. Read additional details on Spine surgery.