Following a back injury, lots of athletes are choosing motion-preserving disc replacement surgery over a traditional spinal fusion – so much so that this story has been in the news several times recently with professional athletes. It’s a topic that comes up often for athletes at all levels who want to preserve motion after spine…
In this episode, we are talking about what’s possible after back surgery. We interview an Air Force Veteran and wounded warrior who is back to competing in the warrior games following two back surgeries. We hear her inspiring story and talk with her doctor – Spine Surgeon Dr. Christopher Good – about how she got…
People want to know how to find the best spine surgeon in the country. As one of the premier spine surgeons, the National Spine Health Foundation has named Dr. Thomas Schuler (and his three partner physicians at VSI) as one of America’s Top 50 Spine Surgeons. Dr. Schuler weighs in to help people find the…
Back Pain
Spi
Heather Wright is an Air Force Veteran set to compete in the Invictus Games just months after life-changing spine surgery with Dr. Good at VSI. This Air Force Veteran set a goal after spine surgery to walk just three minutes, and now she’s going to be competing on an international stage at the Invictus Games…
Heather has been a life-long athlete, but when she first came to visit Dr. Good, she was experiencing debilitating pain, had been for years and she was frustrated. “I was 22 years old when the pain started,” she told me. It began as a minor inconvenience, a nagging ache, but over time, it developed into something larger…
Being told you need spine surgery is one of those life-changing moments and can be a scary time for anyone. Your mind starts racing and you forget all of the important questions that you want to ask your spine surgeon before agreeing to this procedure. The good news is that I’ve heard it all with…
When people have a back injury, they’re often concerned they won’t ever get better. But I’m here to tell you that modern spinal healthcare is one of the great advances over the past decade. Whether it’s through robotic surgery, stem cell therapies or minimally invasive procedures, people are getting better faster, spending less time in…
I’m considering an artificial disc replacement, but which disc is right for me? Are you considering disc replacement surgery for your neck or back condition, but are unsure which artificial disc is right for you? There is a lot of information out there to help you in your research which can also be overwhelming. We…
Bertolotti Syndrome is when the bottom lumbar vertebra, also known as L5, grows extra bone that rubs against the sacrum, or the bottom part of the functional spine. This is a commonly misdiagnosed condition, largely because imaging doesn’t always tell the full picture. Very commonly, people without back pain may have the imaging characteristics of…
