Because I Was an Athlete

There’s a back problem that is most frequently seen in people who are athletically active in their teenage years.  It’s called spondylolisthesis which is where one vertebrae slips over another.  It’s often the result of a spinal crack or defect, but is common in people who have been ballet dancers or football players or involved [...]

The Many Facets of Facet Syndrome

You have a facet joint in your back. Actually you have many facet joints, because a facet joint is the joint that exists between two vertebrae. These joints are what give your spine mobility while keeping the vertebrae lined up. Without the joints, the spine wouldn’t have controlled movement.
Facet joints can cause [...]

It Hurts but It’s Not Serious

Diagnosing the cause of a back problem can be very difficult.  The source of pain can be almost impossible to pinpoint in many cases.  A muscle strain won’t show up on a MRI or X-ray making it hard to say exactly what’s been injured.  But one of the most common diagnosis is muscle sprain.  A [...]

Explain the Difference

There’s a difference between a bulging disc and a herniated disc.  The disc, if you remember, is the cushion between vertebrae in your spine.  A bulging disc is a disc that pushes out but doesn’t actually rupture the wall of the disc.  A herniated disc is a disc that bulges toward the back of the [...]

All Dried Up

Getting a diagnosis of degenerative disc disease can be scary.  It sounds so awful in several ways.  Degenerative means a steady decline and disc disease indicates something abnormal is happening to your back.   In essence, degenerative disc disease is when the disc between vertebrae starts drying out.  If it gets dry enough the disc can [...]