RANDALL F. DRYER, M.D.
TOP RATED U.S. SPINE SURGEON
Blog
Why Bed Rest Is The Wrong Answer for Back Pain
It’s easy to understand why so many people retreat to their beds or easy chairs when they’re experiencing back pain. Bedrest is not only a traditional way to recover, but it also is one of our ultimate forms of comfort – after all, when you were a child and not feeling well, didn’t your mom…
Spinal Cord Stimulation Provides Greatest Relief for Neuropathic Pain
Patients who live with relentless neuropathic pain have traditionally had few options for relief. Neuropathic pain is caused by damage or disease to the nervous system, and results in pain coming in response to stimuli that wouldn’t bother another person. For some people this pain is a constant while for others it happens in episodes…
The Benefits of Exercising Your Back
If you have been suffering from chronic pain in your back, it is essential that you make an appointment with a spine specialist who can diagnose your problem and put you on the road to recovery. But if your back pain is only an intermittent thing that resolves itself quickly, there’s a good chance that…
The 5 Habits That Are Causing Your Neck Pain
Neck pain can be excruciating. In many cases it is caused by very real physical damage in your cervical spine, including herniated discs or degeneration or narrowing of the spinal column caused by osteoarthritis. But in some cases, neck pain is a matter of putting too much strain on the muscles that support your head,…
Recovery Tips Following Microdiscectomy
When a patient is suffering from a herniated disc that does not respond to conservative treatment, we frequently turn to microdiscectomy. A herniated disc puts pressure on the nerves, and this can cause sciatica pain, weakness in the legs, numbness and relentless pain, and the microdiscectomy procedure removes herniated tissue, providing almost instant relief. The…
Herniated Disc Pain Goes Beyond the Actual Damage
A herniated disc is a common, painful condition that occurs when one of the rubbery cushions between the vertebrae of the spine is damaged, forcing some of the disc’s jelly-like interior to push outside of its tough exterior and come into contact with nearby nerves. This can happen in either the lower back (lumbar spine)…
Innovative New Imaging System Expected to Enhance Future Back Surgeries
Though it is several years from being available, a new imaging technology created by researchers at Dartmouth College is already being hailed as a medical breakthrough that will make back surgery even safer and less costly. The system is a 3-dimensional real-time optical tracking system that will be able to guide surgeons as they operate…
Global Study of Back Pain Encourages People to Get Up and Move
If you’re one of the millions of people across the globe who experience occasional or chronic back pain, you’ll be very interested in a new study published in the esteemed journal Lancet. The report expressed concern that many people around the world aren’t getting proper treatment for back pain. And what does the co-author conclude…
Back Stretches That Ease Pain
Maybe you spent the weekend doing yardwork, or you’re stiff and uncomfortable following a long week spent hunched over your computer. Whether it’s that or any of a thousand other possibilities, you’re now suffering from lower back pain that’s making your life miserable. Back pain has almost become an adult rite of passage, but it…
Travel Season Is Coming Up – Protect Your Back!
After a long winter, it’s nice to look forward to spring and summer and to start planning for vacations. What do you have in mind? A daytrip to a local amusement park? A bucket list trip across the Atlantic, or to a tropical getaway? Wherever you’re going and whatever you’re doing, you want to enjoy…