Life is a degenerative process! This sums up the ugly reality that plagues all of us. Due to my family’s strong genetic predisposition for degenerative changes in the spine, I have experienced at a younger age than most the problems that come from a degenerating spine, and consequently the miracles of modern spinal health care. This…
Dr. Schuler, Founder of VSI, recently spoke with Becker’s Spine Review about his experience performing cervical arthroplasty, his experience as a patient, and about the future of the field. QUESTION: After performing your first disc replacement with spinal fusion, is there anything you do differently now that you’ve had time to reflect? DR. SCHULER: The only thing I…
A cervical disc replacement can be an excellent option for many candidates, but what exactly does that mean? Often times my patients will schedule an initial consultation when they are experiencing arm pain and numbness, but their neck doesn’t necessarily hurt. This could be a sign of symptomatic nerve or spinal cord compression and may require a…
Disc replacement surgery continues to be one of the great, exciting developments in spinal health care. Five years of research data have shown that disc replacements outperform spinal fusions, especially when more levels of the spine are involved. When one suffers from a severe impingement of a spinal nerve or suffers from severe, intractable neck…
The goals of modern spinal surgery are to maximize patient function and accelerate a return to a full life. As spinal surgery has evolved, more focus has been placed on minimizing trauma to the body during surgery and expediting a return to function through the use of minimally invasive techniques. The era of modern spinal surgery has blossomed over…
Series Recap: When it comes to spinal fusions, even for the same condition and for similar patients, it is critical to note that all spinal fusions are not created equal. There are many ways to go about fusing a single level of the spine, mainly related to the direction that the surgeon uses to approach the spine and…
It has been established that many of the patients I see, especially for a second opinion, are successfully cared for without surgical intervention. Sometimes, however, I will recommend surgery to patients if I feel it offers the greatest chance of resuming normal activities. This does not mean the only option is a spinal fusion surgery! In spinal care…
“This is the end of my life…I will never be able to do anything again…” This reaction is an all too common and, in many cases, unnecessary first reaction many patients have when speaking to their doctor about back or neck pain. Let’s face it – we would all like to live our lives without…
At this point in your treatment journey, you’ve likely consulted with your doctor, completed preoperative requirements, and perhaps already undergone a spinal fusion surgery – now what? One aspect of surgery many doctors fail to emphasize is the postoperative recovery process. Taking care of your fusion during the recovery period is just as important as the surgery itself….
RELEASED JANUARY 4, 2016 Once again, VSI is honored to receive national recognition, as two of our Spinal Specialists were highlighted in Becker’s Spine Review recently published list of “326 Spine Surgeons to Know.” Dr. Schuler and Dr. Good received high accolades among their peers because of their dedication to pioneering innovative surgical techniques. Spine Surgeons to Know Thomas Schuler,…
