Cold and heat therapy can alleviate pain, but how do you know which one to use and when?

Spinal injections can be very helpful for patients looking for pain relief without surgery.

Laminoplasty is a surgical technique for the cervical spine, which gives more room to the spinal cord in the neck when it is compressed by disc material, bone spurs, or ligaments.

A laminectomy, or removal of the lamina, provides access to the inside of the spinal canal, and allows more room to remove a herniated disc or to open up a tight nerve hole (foramen).

Open discectomy is the most common surgical treatment for ruptured or herniated discs of the lumbar spine.

Zygapophysial joints (also known as facet joints or z-joints) are located on the back (posterior) of the spine on each side where two adjacent vertebrae meet.

Many clinicians including osteopathic physicians, chiropractors, physical therapists and massage therapists have undergone specialized training to develop the skill-sets to evaluate and treat patients with spinal disorders using various hands-on techniques.

Medications can play a useful role in patients with spine pain when used in conjunction with rehabilitation, spinal injections, and/or surgery.

A microdiscectomy is useful to relieve pain due to a disc herniation that is pressing on a nerve.

Minimally invasive techniques for spine surgery were initiated in the 1980’s and have evolved and improved in the past three decades thanks to technical innovations.