Know About Diabetic Neuropathy, Cervical Radiculopathy, and Lumbar Radiculopathy

Diabetic neuropathy often originates in a person who has been suffering from diabetes for quite a few years. Diabetes affects the nerves and the patient complains of unbearable burning pain over the lower legs and feet. This pain often occurs in a stocking glove pattern. Discoloration and skin changes might also be noticed as the condition deteriorates. Initial treatment of diabetic neuropathy focuses on medications and glucose control. At times, the condition is so advanced that advanced treatment is required with a spinal cord stimulator. This treatment might be effective for long term pain management.

Cervical radiculopathy and lumbar radiculopathy are caused by irritation or compression of nerves as they exit the spinal column. Radiculopathy symptoms comprise numbness, pain, weakness, or tingling in the legs or arms. Most patients suffering from radiculopathy respond satisfactorily to conservative treatments that include medications, chiropractic treatments, or physical therapy. Radiculopathy can often resolve with six weeks to three months.

Radiculopathy risk factors are activities that put repetitive or excessive pressure on the spine. Those involved in contact sports or heavy labour are more susceptible to developing radiculopathy than people with a sedentary lifestyle.

When radiculopathy occurs in the lower back, the condition is known as lumbar radiculopathy and when it occurs in the neck, the condition is termed cervical radiculopathy. Radiculopathy is a condition caused by a compressed nerve in the spine which may cause pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling along the length of the nerve.

Post Laminectomy Syndrome and Spondylolisthesis

Post Laminectomy Syndrome

Spine surgeons carry out back surgery to get rid of chronic leg or back pain owing to spinal nerve compression. When the surgery fails to achieve all its desired outcomes, the patient is affected with Post-Laminectomy Syndrome aka Failed Back Surgery.

Several factors are known to cause this syndrome. In most of the cases, the spinal nerve root, that tends to be decompressed in the process of the surgery, does not completely recover from its preceding trauma and thus continues to be the major source of sciatica or chronic nerve pain.

Well, in other instances, the body’s healing way which includes scar formation is likely to surround the nerve roots and lead to chronic pain. Yet another fairly common occurrence is the occurrence of structural changes noticed in the spine which develop below or above the position of a spinal fusion. Prompt diagnosis and treatment from a specialist can successfully heal the condition.

Spondylolisthesis 

Spondylolisthesis is a medical condition in which a bone in the back (vertebra) seems to slide forward over another bone below it. This most probably takes place in the lower spine. In a few cases, this leads to the spinal cord or the nerve roots being squeezed. As a result, there is back pain and weakness or numbness in one or both lower extremities. In rare cases, this condition can also result in the patient losing control over his/her bladder or bowels. 

Resorting to the Spine Center of Texas right away will help in the quicker healing process.

Spine Center of Texas Offers Various Pain Management Therapies to Relief Pain

Most of the time, we tend to ignore the pain that we experience in various parts of our body. Thinking these to be minor problems, we never take them seriously and over the time, the pain gets even worse creating more complications. Therefore, it is important for us to be aware of these pains and get quick treatment without failing. One of the mostly felt pains is the back pain and most of the working population experiences this pain. The reasons of back pain are varied including disorder of the spinal cord etc. We can seek help from a spine center of Texas to get quick relief from all our spinal pains.

Spinal cord is an important part of our body that helps us to straighten our back and neck. An injury to the spinal cord can cause major problems in sitting straight, walking and one may experience severe pain. Only the experts can diagnose the disorder in the spinal cord and help you in reducing the pain. Today, there are a number of individual spinal centers providing spinal treatments and pain management procedures. These centers offer treatments and therapies of pain relieve provided by expert and experienced doctors.

If you are living around Texas then Spine Center of Texas would be the best choice for you. If you are suffering from serious back pain then do not just take pain killers but you should go seek help from medical experts since they can only diagnose the actual cause behind your pain and will recommend treatment accordingly to relief you from pain as soon as possible. If you are looking for a reputable expert Orthopedic surgeon then you should opt for Dr. Irvin Sahni. With years of experience and expertise, Dr Sahni is an expert in dealing with spinal stenosis, Spondylolysis etc.

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy & Post Herpetic Neuralgia Affect Nerves

Referred to as a medical syndrome, Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) is characterised by pain, swelling, and extreme vasomotor dysfunction. Its cause is usually unknown but is considered a result of trauma or surgery. Immobility of the limbs may cause RSD. An individual after suffering a stroke may develop RSD in the upper limb and this is usually called as shoulder-hand syndrome. One may also develop this condition in the absence of a particular impulsive event. Studies categorises RSD as type 1 complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), and usually occurs due to a nerve injury. 

At present, medical professionals offer various treatments to relief patients suffering from RSD. Sympathetic blockade and anti-inflammatory therapy are two major approached used in the treatment of patients with this condition. Doctors recommend surgical sympathectomy to patients with refractory Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) that has shown response to sympathetic blockade earlier. Another surgical option for patients with this condition is spinal cord stimulation. Another condition that affects your nerve fibers and skin is the Postherpetic neuralgia. It is a problem of shingles caused by the virus of chickenpox (herpes zoster). 

Usually, a person get relieved of shingles complications within a few weeks, but if one suffers from pain even after rashes and blisters have disappeared then it is postherpetic neuralgia. It also causes severe pain that may further impede your sleep and appetite. Elderly people are more at risk to get affected with this condition. Though medical science fails to offer cure for this condition, it has many treatment options easing symptoms. Some of the common symptoms include: 

• Pain: It is commonly described as burning, sharp and poking, and aching.
• Itching and insensitivity: It causes a feeling of itching or deadness making the affected are insensitive.  
• Weakness or paralysis: One may also suffer from muscle weakness or paralysis; however, it happens in rare cases.

Diabetic Neuropathy: Nerve Damage Caused Due To Diabetes

Diabetic neuropathy is a condition in which diabetes is the main cause of nerve damage in your body. The nerve fibers all over your body can be damaged due to high blood sugar but if you suffer from diabetic neuropathy than usually, the nerves in your legs and feet are damaged. Depending on the affected nerves, symptoms of this condition can vary from pain and deadness in your extremities to issues with your digestive system, urinary tract, blood vessels and heart. While these symptoms may be mild of some patients, for others they can be painful, uncomfortable and even fatal. It is a most common and serious complication of diabetes. 

Nerve damage may also cause other health issues like spondylolisthesis; it is a painful health situation in which one bone in your spine slips ahead of the bone underneath it. It usually occurs in the lower spine and in some cases, this may further results in squeezing your spinal cord or nerve roots. People with this condition may suffer from back pain, numbness or weakness in one or both legs. Patients in exceptional cases may also lose control over their bladder or bowels. Sometimes people with spondylolisthesis may have no symptoms at all or until years later. 

If you are suffering from long term lower back pain or any nerve damage then you should immediately consult a doctor. You should first look for a reputed spine center and if you already looking for one then you can opt for Spine Center of Texas. This is an organization of independent medical professionals and practices that offer complete spine care, including diagnostic services, traditional treatment modalities, spine surgery and chronic pain management. The center is supported by a comprehensive team of doctors who work together to deliver the best care doable for patients with neck and back pain.

Learn About Pain Management Procedures to Relieve Pain

Pain is one of the greatest health issues we often suffer in our daily life. Pain in any of its kind extremely affects the quality of our life hindering us from leading a healthy and active life. If you suffer from pain continuously then just getting up in the morning seems like asking for too much. When you simply can’t remember when you weren’t in pain then it is quite natural for you to be in constant fear and get depressed that further may drag you to downward spiral making your pain even worse. You can lessen or eliminate your pain with pain management procedures. It is an interdisciplinary approach that relives or helps in relieving pain.

There is a variety of techniques used in pain management procedure. Each of the technique is based according to the type and strength of pain. The team for pain relieving procedures includes medical practitioners, clinical psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses and specialists etc. Kyphoplasty is a new technique that involves surgery to eliminate the pain caused by spinal fracture. This process also helps in stabilizing your bones and restoring some or all of the lost vertebral body height as well. This surgery can immediately reduce the pain that a patient has been suffering for a long time making it possible for the patient to mobilize the day after surgery. 

Another pain management technique that is widely been used is anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). It is an anterior approach that is used to remove a cervical herniated disc relieving spinal cord or root pressure in the neck and lessen related pain, weakness, and numbness. In this surgery, the cut is made in the front of the spine around the throat area. Removing the disc, a bone graft is inserted to combine the bones together within the disc space.  Recovery from the surgery takes 4 weeks.

Spondylolisthesis - One of the Main Causes of Spinal Stenosis

Spondylolisthesis is a painful condition in which one suffers due to the slip of a bone in the spine. The bone may slip forward or backward forward out of the proper position onto the bone below it. The condition in which the vertebra slips forward on a lower vertebra is referred to as anterolisthesis and if it slips backward, is called as retrolisthesis. This condition in a person may further lead to an abnormality of the spine as well as a contraction of the spinal canal or solidity of the exiting nerve roots. It commonly occurs in the low back but can also occur in the mid and upper back and neck.

One of the most common causes of Spondylolisthesis is irregular wear on the cartilage and bones, such as arthritis. Other causes include bone disease and fractures. Sportsperson performing sport activities such as gymnastics, weight lifting, and football, suffers from great deal of stress on the bones in the lower back. These activities also require that the contestant continually overstretch the spine. Over-stretching can cause a stress fracture on either sides or both sides of the vertebra making a spinal bone weak and shift out of place. Some of the common symptoms of this condition are lower back pain, pain, numbness, tingling sensation etc.

The narrowing of spaces in the spinal canal is called Spinal Stenosis. It is mainly caused due to Spondylolisthesis causing pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. This condition can lead to severe leg pain. One can suffer from this condition due to many reasons including aging, arthritis, tumors in the spine, heredity, or trauma. It causes pain in low back and in the legs. The nerves that direct muscle power and sensation in the legs may be pinched by stenosis. Other symptoms include-

• Frequent falling, clumsiness
• Difficulty in walking and pain
• Deadness, tingling.