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World Class Spine Care In Austin, TX

RANDALL F. DRYER, M.D.

TOP RATED U.S. SPINE SURGEON

Blog

Preventing Lower Back Spasms

There’s no question that muscle spasms of any kind are no fun at all.  But the good news is that they’re preventable and treatable with conservative methods. Because we hear so much from patients about this annoying, uncomfortable problem, we’ve put together this blog about preventing lower back spasms.  We hope it serves as valuable…

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Do You Have Cervical Spinal Stenosis?

Spinal stenosis occurs most frequently in the cervical (upper) and lumbar (lower) vertebrae.  Usually afflicting people over the age of 50, the condition is a narrowing of the spinal canal.  This narrowing may cause pain and stiffness. The good news about cervical spinal stenosis is that it’s treated using conservative methodologies.  While it can be…

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The ABCs of Disc Pain: Annular Tears, Bulging Discs and Collapsed Discs

Your spine is the pillar of your body, supporting you as you move through life and housing your central nervous system.  Its structures are complex because it does a lot of heavy lifting.  But it’s subject to deterioration, especially in the discs. Your spinal discs are crucial supports to your vertebrae.  They hold your vertebrae…

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Artificial Disc Replacement: A Minimally Invasive Solution to Back Pain

A central truth about life and all that comes with it is that nothing lasts forever.  Your spinal discs, for example. Like every other mechanism in the human body, they’re subject to wear and tear.  So, while it’s not necessarily inevitable that you’ll have pain caused by disc degeneration, it’s in the cards for a…

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Chronic Back Issues Lead to Basketball Star Undergoing Second Surgery

Basketball star Dwight Howard has been sidelined by back surgery. It is the second time that the athlete has required minimally invasive surgery to address a herniated disc in his lower back, and this time it is expected that his recovery and return to the game could take as long as 3 months. For anybody…

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Study Identifies Pulsed Radiofrequency as Potent Answer for Low Back Pain

According to a recent study, patients suffering from chronic low back pain for whom conservative treatments haven’t worked may find significant relief from the use of a minimally invasive protocol called pulsed radiofrequency. The study’s results were presented at the recent meeting of the Radiological Society of North America by its authors, researchers from Sapienza…

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Neck Pain and Cervical Discography

While most people are familiar with Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI tests, discography is a procedure that is much less known. Discography is a procedure that a back or neck surgeon may request in cases where a patient is reporting neck pain that is not connected to a herniated disc or cervical radiculopathy.  In these…

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Keeping Workplace Back Pain at Bay

As much as we love to complain about work, the truth is that the daily grind is pretty dear to us. Work gives us a sense of self worth, and for many of us, it holds true meaning. So what happens when your workplace is causing you neck or back pain? The truth is that…

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Helpful Hints for When Airplanes Cause You Back Pain

As much as we all look forward to visiting family and friends during the holidays (or any other time), if you live more than a car-ride away, then there’s a good chance your travel will include a flight. And if you suffer from back pain, that can be a real problem. Unless you have an…

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Does a Herniated Disc Automatically Mean You Need Surgery?

Maybe you’ve been having some pain in your back, or some tingling in your legs or butt. You’ve done some quick internet research and keep coming back to a herniated disc as a possible diagnosis. Now you’re in a panic. What does that even mean, and what are you supposed to do about it? Will…

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