Should You Do Sit-ups with a Bad Back?
Sit-ups are a standard exercise for those hoping to attain a flat, toned stomach with strong abdominal muscles. If you’re suffering from back pain, though, you may believe that sit-ups can strengthen your lower back and ease the pain. Ultimately, if you push yourself too much or do the exercise incorrectly, your pain will get […]
Glossary of Medical Definitions
Resources Glossary of medical definitions The Southeastern Spine Institute (SSI) wants you to understand what you need to know about your back and spine. We’ve compiled a list of the medical terms we use when talking about back care in Charleston. Find the short, easy-to-understand medical definitions we’ve provided for you as part of our […]
Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection
Conservative care & rehabilitation (non-surgical procedures) Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection A Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection is an outpatient Pain Management procedure designed to treat lumbar (low back) and leg pain. Your doctor injects anti-inflammatory medicine into your epidural space to reduce the swelling. A local anesthetic numbs the root nerves, easing your pain. […]
Caudal Steroid Injection
Conservative care & rehabilitation (non-surgical procedures) Caudal Steroid Injection If you suffer from chronic back and radiating leg pain, one solution may be caudal steroid injections. This pain management treatment delivers a combination of a steroid medication and a local anesthetic to your lower back. The steroid medication can reduce the swelling, inflammation and irritation caused […]
Block Suite
Conservative care & rehabilitation (non-surgical procedures) Block Suite An epidural steroid injection is one non-surgical approach to relieving your back and neck pain. In the past, your back doctor had to perform this injection in a hospital or outpatient hospital suite. The Southeastern Spine Institute (SSI) has its own complete in-house block suite, which means we can […]
Laminectomy
Surgical procedures Laminectomy When pressure builds up in specific areas of your spinal column, it causes pain and other symptoms. Spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal, is just one of the causes of this pressure. A herniated disc is another. Laminectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the back portion of the vertebra called the lamina, which […]
Cervical Posterior Foraminotomy
Surgical procedures Cervical Posterior Foraminotomy Cervical spine disease and herniated discs are fairly common, but most people who suffer from them don’t seek medical attention until the symptoms become too painful to ignore. Symptoms can include neck pain and hand numbness at its mildest, but worse cases include sharp pain radiating down the shoulder and […]
Cervical Laminaplasty
Surgical procedures Cervical Laminaplasty This surgical procedure opens your spinal canal (the hollow space inside your spine) to relieve pressure on your spinal cord and nerves. To accomplish this, your surgeon increases the width, from side to side, of the roof of your spinal canal. Once secured in place, the procedure creates more room for […]
Anterior Cervical Corpectomy
Surgical procedures Anterior Cervical Corpectomy If you’re suffering from nerve compression in your neck, you’ll likely have neck pain accompanied by numbness and weakness extending into your shoulders, arms and hands. While back surgery is often the last resort of our conservative approach, it can be necessary in this case to get you back on […]
Spinal Stenosis
Conditions Spinal Stenosis Spinal stenosis is a condition caused when new bone and soft tissue grow on your vertebrae. As a result, the new bone and tissue reduce the space in your spinal canal for your nerves. When this new growth pinches your nerve roots, it can cause severe pain. SPINAL STENOSIS SYMPTOMS You’ll likely feel […]