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3D model printing is actually pretty rare in relatively routine spinal surgeries. At UCSF, that technology is only used when patients have very unusual anatomy. Even with unusual anatomy, enhanced...

Sorry. I truly never meant to imply that you were trying to influence either surgeon. My point is that everything we say MAY influence what the surgeon does. For many of the procedures that are...

It depends on the surgeon and on the procedure. When you have two experienced surgeons, I think they typically do the procedures (pedicle screws, etc.) on their side of the patient. If you're...

Hi Marie...

Congratulations on doing your research.

I would personally not question or debate a skilled surgeon on their chosen technique, simply because your questions might conceivably cause...

I've always been able to figure out what level is causing pain for me, by looking at a dermatome chart:
...

To show nerve impingement, you'd need a CT myelogram.

I think it's the rare non-fusion that can be seen on plain x-ray. And, they're often not seen on any imaging. I think non-fusion problems can be difficult to diagnose, especially if it's more than...

Yes. Implants are any hardware implanted during surgery.



Take a look at this xray: https://www.bnasurg.com/treatment-options/lumbar-fusion/

Think about what it would look like in a...

I'm unsure whether cadaver bone would be considered bio-medical.



Yes, fusion involves growing bone. And, the theory of bone stimulators is that it helps. Like anything else, it doesn't...

When the surgery is done, the surface of the vertebrae is usually roughed up a bit before bone (usually bone removed from your vertebrae during surgery and morselized), is applied to the surface. ...

I've heard surgeons say to wait 6 months to get pregnant after a spinal fusion, so you will hopefully be fine.

It means that, at one or more levels, the vertebrae that were meant to fuse together, didn't do that. In the image link below, the dark like between L5 and S1 probably means there was a failure to...

Hi...

I was also diagnosed with osteopenia around the time I was starting to consider surgery. I immediately started taking calcium, and have been taking it ever since. I have managed to reverse...

Hi...

I would absolutely not pay $5,000 for a brace. A $100-$200 LSO brace should provide the same lower back pain reduction. There are dozens of different braces available: ...

I personally would not choose to have surgery unless I felt very strongly that my pain was truly intolerable, or if my thoracic curve was so large that it was going to impinge on my heart and lungs. ...

In my opinion, I'd trust your surgeon, who doesn't have any financial interest in selling you a brace. If you look at the photos of the before and during brace treatment at the bottom of the link...

Hi Jackie...

I have a pretty extreme adhesive allergy. Such a pain. I can wear a bandage for about 12 hours, but after that, it causes itching and skin breakdown. Years ago, I had a PT place...

Hi Sherrie...

You might want to edit your post to remove your phone number. Unfortunately, there are people who may try to take advantage of you.

Regarding your scoliosis, I wouldn't...

Degenerative (or, in medical terms, de novo) scoliosis is defined as a later life onset scoliosis. It's usually very easy to diagnose, as it rarely involves the thoracic spine, and the curve is...

At UCSF, the standard of care for deformity surgery follow-up is 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year.

--Linda

He may, indeed, have lied. But, the source photos would not be cropped or masked. That would have hopefully occurred at the time your photos would have been submitted for meeting presentations or...

I'm sure it depends on the doctor. I've had many conversations with scoliosis doctors, and the subject of patients feelings about such photos. Industry standards are that all patient data,...

That reminds me of a time before I even knew I had a significant scoliosis issue. I had started having neck pain, and was seeing a chiropractor three times a week. Nothing seemed to work. At one...

Tina...

It depends on the surgeon, and whether you've enrolled in a study. After a year or two, there's no actual reason to see your surgeon, as long as everything is going OK. If you have...

CTs take significantly less time than MRIs. I have tremendous anxiety about going into an MRI tube, but no problem with CTs. The top of the CT tube is also considerably further away from your face...