RANDALL F. DRYER, M.D.
TOP RATED U.S. SPINE SURGEON
Blog
Helpful Hints for Managing Sciatica
The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body, and that comes as no surprise to anybody who has ever experienced sciatica. The burning, shooting, tingling pain of sciatica is impossible to describe, and equally impossible to forget once it has happened to you. Some people only experience sciatica briefly, while they’re pregnant, but…
Finnish Study Identifies Lifestyle Factors Impacting Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is one of the most common problems faced by adults in the United States. It has been estimated that 8 out of every 10 people will experience it to some degree at least once in their life, and many people suffer from chronic lower back pain. For some of us, the cause…
Lower Back Pain? There Are Plenty of Non-Surgical Options
It is estimated that approximately 80 percent of the adult population in America will suffer from lower back pain at some point in their lives, yet remarkably, many of those enduring the worst pain are suffering in silence instead of seeking medical treatment. The reason? They are fearful of being told that they need spine…
Study Warns Against Recommending Bariatric Surgery Before Spine Surgery
In many cases, spine surgeons working with obese patients considering lumbar fusion surgery will suggest that they first undergo bariatric weight loss surgery. This recommendation is based on a general understanding that obesity leads to serious health issues, and that a patient with a lower Body Mass Index is healthier and better able to tolerate…
Study Reveals Power of Understanding How Pain Works
The experience of lower back pain can be truly excruciating, and something that is hard to understand for anybody who hasn’t gone through it themselves. The goal of healthcare professionals in providing care for patients suffering from this type of agony is to solve the problem that’s causing the pain while also providing relief. A…
Is Surgery the Only Answer for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis?
If you’ve been experiencing relentless lower back pain with tingling or burning in your legs, you’ve probably done enough internet research to know there’s a good chance you may have lumbar spinal stenosis. The condition is a narrowing of the spinal canal or of the small openings that are on the sides of the vertebrae,…
Poor Posture, Perpetual Pain
Here’s a question for you: how many hours can you get into your work day before you start rolling your shoulders and arching your neck, trying to get rid of back and neck pain? If you set up a hidden camera aimed at the cubicles in almost any American office, you’d see plenty of people…
Tips for Avoiding Summer’s Most Common Causes of Back Pain
Back pain is awful no matter what time of year it hits, but there’s an extra level of misery that comes when it strikes during the summer when you want to be outside. Unfortunately, summertime is when a lot of people end up hurting themselves, as they rush outside and engage in injury-prone activities. You…
Your Sleep Position and Your Back
Do you ever wake up with a stiff or aching back? More importantly, do you find it difficult to find a comfortable sleeping position as a result of your already-existing back pain? Pain is one of the most common reasons for insomnia, and insomnia represents a huge health problem. Getting enough sleep each night is…
Penn and Teller’s Magic Show Shuttered By Intense Back Pain
Anybody who has experienced intense lower back pain will tell you that just trying to get through the normal activities of daily living can be excruciating. So imagine what it must feel like to endure back pain while performing a strenuous, even athletic magic act. That is exactly what 70-year-old Raymond Teller of Penn and…