Back Talk Doc

Correcting structural spinal problems involves techniques that will take years to practice and master for any neurosurgeon. Procedures not only need to effectively fix the issue, but make sure that no additional damage is done to adjacent areas, the skin and to the spine itself! Nowadays, patients are recommended a specific variety of surgery that does the job with lower risks compared to an open spine surgery.

This episode of Back Talk Doc features Dr. Mark Smith, a practitioner who has been with Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates for 17 years, specializing in brain tumors, spine disorders and surgeries. He talks about what exactly Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (MISS) involves and the many benefits it affords to patients with spinal issues.

While the risks are relatively the same as any open surgery, MISS, when performed correctly can help achieve the desired patient outcome without affecting the nearby areas or the spine overall. This is because prior to a diagnosis, the medical team will locate the specific location of the pathology that has an issue and focusing the treatment only in that spot. Additionally, there are lower pain levels, reduced risk for infection and quicker recovery times post-surgery.

Dr. Smith also explains how a patient can become a candidate for MISS, how soon can they get back to their regular activities after the procedure, and the downsides to this type of surgery. He also discusses the new technologies and techniques being studied today so doctors can improve the effectivity of MISS.

For Dr. Smith, it’s also important that you consult with a clinic that’s able to offer you a comprehensive variety of techniques that can help you have a better patient outcome.

• How to stay on top of your game as a neurosurgeon 04:07
• Basics of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery or MISS 13:18
• Tools typically used in MISS 16:22
• Benefits of MISS versus an open procedure 18:19
• Standard recovery times 23:03
• MISS for correcting cervical spine issues 25:50
• Downsides to MISS 27:05
• Use of lasers as standard of care in neurosurgery 28:52
• Success rates of standard MISS surgeries 29:41
• Possible insurance hurdles 30:51
• New technologies 32:58
• Using robotics in MISS 34:41
• Important factor in deciding to go for MISS 35:44

Every episode of Back Talk Doc includes a Health Matters segment intended to provide actionable health information you can immediately put into practice in your life. This week, Dr. Lakhia dives into how using a far-infrared sauna promotes wellness and offers a range of health benefits that can help you stay active. Using this piece of equipment not only helps improve blood circulation and tissue oxygenation, it also eliminates toxins and cleanses your body, to name a few. 06:52

• High Tech Health
• Detoxify or Die by Sherry Rogers M.D.
• Far infrared radiation (FIR): its biological effects and medical applications

Back Talk Doc is brought to you by Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, with offices in North and South Carolina. To learn more about Dr. Lakhia and treatment options for back and spine issues, go to backtalkdoc.com. To schedule an appointment with Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, you can call us at 1-800-344-6716 or visit our website at carolinaneurosurgery.com.

The statistics surrounding back injuries among adults is alarming and reflects how grave this problem is in society today. About 80% of adults will experience this type of injury, and at least 1 million of recorded cases are caused by manual labor, with trailer truck drivers as the top type of workers suffering from it. Even employees who sit still at their desks for at least 8 hours in a day can sustain these injuries too. Low back pain, which is the leading cause of disability, is common among office workers.

Dr. Sanjiv Lakhia talks about the prevalence of back injuries among those in the workforce and what people are doing to cause them. He discusses how incorrectly pushing, pulling and lifting objects, as well as bending your back and twisting your waist can lead to serious consequences. If you can’t avoid doing manual labor, especially if your job calls for it, then it’s important to know how you can safely execute your tasks to prevent injury.

Dr. Lakhia also shares practical tips and strategies to keep in mind as you go about your work day. These include checking your posture, stretching and using equipment like footrests. Further, he stresses the importance of being proactive at preventing back injuries from happening in the first place by using common sense and taking care of your health at home.

• Top occupations that report cases of back injuries 02:03
• Other effects of back injuries at work 03:40
• Preventing workplace back injuries 11:35
• Questions on ergonomics 14:49
• Tips when lifting heavy objects 16:36
• Most important strategy in preventing back injuries 16:51
• Advice from the physical therapy department 17:08
• Things to avoid doing 17:43
• Why prevention and personal fitness is important 18:14

Every episode of Back Talk Doc includes a Health Matters segment intended to provide actionable health information you can immediately put into practice in your life. This week, Dr. Lakhia shares Consumer Lab, an online tool that he uses to check the authenticity and true effectivity of nutritional supplements. This independent company conducts its own evaluations and provides results that may have been overlooked by regulating bodies. (05:50)

• Top statistics on workplace back injuries
• Preventing workplace back injuries, Univ of Virginia
• Ergonomics plus exercise handout
• Dynamic stretching warmup routine video
• Vitamin D review
• Information on the DSHEA of 1994 regulation of supplements

Back Talk Doc is brought to you by Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, with offices in North and South Carolina. To learn more about Dr. Lakhia and treatment options for back and spine issues, go to backtalkdoc.com. To schedule an appointment with Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, you can call us at 1-800-344-6716 or visit our website at carolinaneurosurgery.com.

The things that you do in a single day, no matter how minor you think they may be, is going to have a profound effect on your body soon. Are you feeling sharp pain in your legs, for instance? It may be because you’re putting too much pressure on your spinal cord or your unhealthy habits are already taking a toll on your spine.

In this episode of Back Talk Doc, neurosurgeon Joe Cheatle, MD – whose interests spans brain tumors and degenerative spinal disorders to name a few – dives deep into spinal stenosis. While this illness is pretty common, there’s little knowledge and understanding among patients about what it truly is. Joe then talks about the causes and symptoms to watch out for. There’s no one reason for spinal stenosis, with genetics and lifestyle playing a huge role in acquiring this condition.

Although getting surgery is an option to treat lumbar spinal stenosis, Joe recommends exhausting all nonsurgical treatments and therapies first. Undergoing surgery should be the last resort as even medical professionals like himself want to avoid it if possible. Of course, if the pain is unbearable and changes the way you do your normal activities, then surgery would be the best option. There are different kinds of surgeries that you can take, which have their own risk levels and recovery times too, depending on the patient.

At the end of the day, Joe believes that building habits like avoiding vices, eating right and exercising regularly, and properly is what’s going to keep your spine healthy and strong.

• Personal habits to keep spine healthy and strong, promote wellness 04:28
• What is stenosis 06:47
• Common symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis 07:55
• Factors that contribute to the development of lumbar stenosis 11:52
• Is spinal stenosis preventable 15:03
• Percentage of patients who need to spinal surgery 16:41
• Pain as an indication for surgery 17:46
• Treating spinal stenosis symptoms to avoid surgery 26:02
• Reasonable time frame for nonsurgical care 27:13
• Indications for when surgery is needed 28:57
• Common neurosurgical approaches 31:01
• Recovery and rehab time for surgeries 36:14
• New innovative surgical techniques for treating spinal stenosis 38:02

Every episode of Back Talk Doc includes a Health Matters segment intended to provide actionable health information you can immediately put into practice in your life. This week, Dr. Lakhia talks about gratitude and how having an attitude of gratitude can make a difference in a person’s overall physical and mental well-being. He provides scientific research that shows how doing activities such as journaling reduce physical ailments and mental stress. (18:19)

·     Joe Cheatle, MD

·     Lumbar spine anatomy video

·     The Grateful Brain by Dr. Alex Korb

·     Article on neural biology of gratitude

·     Five Minute Journal App

·     6-Phase Meditation

Back Talk Doc is brought to you by Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, with offices in North and South Carolina. To learn more about Dr. Lakhia and treatment options for back and spine issues, go to backtalkdoc.com. To schedule an appointment with Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, you can call us at 1-800-344-6716 or visit our website at carolinaneurosurgery.com.

Have you ever heard of gluteal amnesia or dead butt syndrome? Did you know that this can happen when you sit for long periods of time without standing or moving around? Many of us are in this same situation every day, our backs hunched over the computer finishing tasks and projects at work. And if your glutes are weak, chances are you’re experiencing pain in your lower back.

In this episode of Back Talk Doc, Ryan Klomparens – who is a Physical Therapist at the Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates – discusses why it’s important to keep your gluteal muscles strong and functioning correctly, while also promoting flexibility. He reveals how we need to have a comprehensive look at our body’s muscle groups as having weakness in one can affect how the other performs.

The glutes, in particular, help keep the pelvis level to reduce stress on the lumbar spine and decrease the pressure put on the back muscles. Forgetting to strengthen these in your exercise routine will have detrimental effects on your knees, feet and ankles too. Ryan also specifically talks about runners and CrossFit athletes, and how strong gluteal muscles can reduce the risk of injuries when doing this sport. He also provides tips and basic exercises you can do at home for your gluteal muscles, which include pelvic bridging, step-ups, reverse lunges and goblet squats, while carrying hand weights or kettlebells.

For Ryan, we should focus on working to make our bodies healthy and keeping our joints strong, by minimizing the workload we put on them on a daily basis.

• What are the gluteal muscles? 05:20
• Having strong hips reduces back pain 07:20
• Effects of prolonged sitting on the back and hips 09:26
• Self-correcting sitting posture 10:56
• The importance of strong gluteal muscles for runners 12:28
• How the glutes affect the knees, hips and ankles 21:33
• Balancing strengthening muscles and promoting proper flexibility 24:00
• Basic exercises for the gluteal muscles 25:49
• Lowering the risk of injury when doing deadlifts and squats 27:54
• Recommended exercise apps and online programs 30:19
• Ryan’s personal exercise routines 31:44

Every episode of Back Talk Doc includes a Health Matters segment intended to provide actionable health information you can immediately put into practice in your life. This week, Dr. Lakhia explores organic vegetables and fruits, and how it’s necessary for us to nourish our bodies with only clean food. He mentions the Environmental Working Group’s 2019 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce. (14:44)

Ryan’s recommended apps:

• Nike Training Club
• The Prehab Guys
• The Ready State

Ryan’s recommended gluteal and back strengthening exercises

• Goblet squat
• Single leg RDL
• Safe spine positioning for dead lifts
• Nordic Hamstring Curls
• Glute Bridges
• Front Foot Elevated Dumbbell Reverse Lunge
• Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat Tutorial

 Back Talk Doc is brought to you by Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, with offices in North and South Carolina. To learn more about Dr. Lakhia and treatment options for back and spine issues, go to backtalkdoc.com. To schedule an appointment with Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, you can call us at 1-800-344-6716 or visit our website at carolinaneurosurgery.com.

Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates welcome you to Back Talk Doc, a podcast dedicated to empowering you to take control of your back pain and enhance your quality of life. On this inaugural episode, we introduce our host, Dr. Sanjiv Lakhia, a board certified physiatrist and specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates.

Dr. Lakhia is passionate about educating patients on how to care for their back by combining the best of holistic and conventional medicine approaches. He is the author of the patient education booklet, Back Talk, that addresses common questions you may encounter when searching for back and spine care options.

On this episode, Dr. Lakhia provides a straightforward approach to treating and preventing back and spine issues. Additionally, he addresses health and wellness issues, navigating the healthcare system, and safe and effective treatment options for back problems.

Future episodes of Back Talk Doc will feature interviews with prominent neurosurgeons, physiatrist, physical therapists, nutritionists, and other experts in the field of spine care and wellness.

• Myth #1: Most patients with low back pain need surgery. 3:09
• Myth #2: All herniated lumbar discs need surgery. 4:31
• Myth #3: Sit-ups are good for your low back. 6:20
• Myth #4: All back injuries need x-rays and MRI studies. 7:46
• Myth #5: Only overweight individuals have low back pain. 9:04
• Myth #6: If you hurt your back, bed rest is critical. 11:05
• Myth #7: Over-the-counter drugs are totally safe for treating back pain. 16:59
• Myth #8: Muscle relaxers, relax muscles. 19:19
• Myth #9: Exercise causes back injuries. 20:54
• Myth #10: Back braces help low back pain. 22:22

Every episode of Back Talk Doc includes a Health Matters segment intended to provide actionable health information you can put into practice in your life immediately. This week Dr. Lakhia discusses the importance of sleep. He details the overall benefits of sleep and the strong correlation in medical research between sleep and pain. (11:50)

·      Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker

·      Back Talk by Sanjiv Lakhia

Back Talk Doc is brought to you by Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, with offices in North and South Carolina. To learn more about Dr. Lakhia and treatment options for back and spine issues, go to backtalkdoc.com. To schedule an appointment with Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, you can call us at 1-800-344-6716 or visit our website at carolinaneurosurgery.com.

Here on Back Talk Doc you’ll find answers to some of the most common questions about back pain and spine health. Brought to you by Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, where providing personalized, highly-skilled, and compassionate spine care has been our specialty for over 75 years. And now, it’s time to understand the cause of back pain and learn about options to get you back on track!

If you'd like to learn more about Dr. Lakhia and treatment options for back issues, go to BackTalkDoc.com. We look forward to having you join us for more insights about back pain and spine health on the next episode of Back Talk Doc. Additional information is also available at: CarolinaNeuroSurgery.com.

New Episodes Coming Soon!