Have you ever been sucked into a social media video promising to cure your back pain? With statistics showing back pain on the rise, it’s no wonder that home hacks are trending and going viral online. Thousands of videos with millions of views claim to know why you’re hurting and offer numerous ideas to relieve…
Modern spine surgery bears almost no resemblance to the spine surgery your parents or grandparents had. Innovation and technological advances have drastically transformed the field. So what does that mean for patients? How different are things today? Wendell and Katie Sissler are uniquely positioned to help tell this story. The father/daughter duo had spine surgeries…
When it comes to back surgery — you might be surprised to know that many patients here in the U.S. hop on a plane and travel several hours to Europe and Germany — where they’ve historically done more artificial disc replacements than the U.S. But is that really necessary? I get asked several questions on…
Recovering from surgery can be a fairly predictable journey. But not always. Sometimes it’s more of a rollercoaster. When that happens, it can be disappointing, frustrating and even painful. One of my patients, Dori, discovered that after she underwent spine surgery. “Generally most people have a pretty linear, upward trajectory of recovery and I assumed…
More people than ever are turning to weight lifting and bodybuilding — nearly 200% more year over year! Weight lifting and strength training come with a ton of health benefits — when done correctly. But injury is also common given the demands of the sport and a common question that comes along with that is…
THE ULTIMATE CHOICE FOR ULTIMATE SOLUTIONS™️ As Director of Regenerative Medicine at VSI, I help patients every day who are dealing with terrible back, neck, and body pain. When surgery isn’t the right answer — or isn’t possible — regenerative medicine procedures like platelet-rich plasma or stem cell therapy often come into play to help…
As a spine surgeon and President of VSI, I am thrilled to share the exciting changes happening in our organization. Our recent podcast discussion shed light on the transformative journey we’re embarking on, and I’m eager to delve deeper into what this revitalization means for us and, most importantly, for our patients. Our early experiences…
For Valentine’s Day this year, I want to share a powerful love story — not the kind that focuses on first dates, first kisses or over-the-top marriage proposals. I’m talking about partners in pain — and how you help the one you love when debilitating back pain takes over their life. 80% of Americans experience…
People have all sorts of reasons they’re looking to drop a few pounds — to feel better, have more energy, more confidence — and often to reduce pain, inflammation and injury. Data shows that about half of adults in the US (49.1%) are trying to lose weight in any given year and anybody who has…
They say sitting is the new smoking, which might explain the enormous growth and popularity of walking pads or walking desks. Are they the key to solving the problem of our sedentary lives or are there risks to consider? I’m in Northern Virginia so this time of year — I often get a lot of…
