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The sciatic nerve is a nerve which is responsible for many aspects of your body, yet we often do not realize it; except when it’s inflamed and we’re in pain. In this post, we’ll be discussing how your walking posture may end up affecting your sciatic nerve. This process of how you walk and how it affects your sciatic nerve is often referred to as a sort of chain-reaction effect. Your posture is extremely important and if it’s not corrected, your sciatic nerve may not be the only party of your body which is affected over time. Read on to learn more about how we may be able to help you correct your posture and relieve your sciatic nerve pain here at Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants.

Types of Walking Patterns Which May Affect Your Sciatic Nerve

The specific types of walking patterns you may find yourself engaged in may end up affecting your sciatic nerve. Below are a few walking patterns we’ve seen amongst our patients:

Walking with Your Pelvis in Front of You

A swayback posture can cause sciatic pressure and pain in certain individuals. The swayback posture is when you shift your upper-back backwards and your pelvis is thrusted forward; all increasing the natural curve of your upper and lower back. This position is not natural and can cause other issues to arise over time. Altogether, this position may lead to an increased level of stress on your lower back muscles, ultimately leading to fatigue within the associated areas.

Walking with a Flattened Back

If you walk with a flat back, you run the risk of increasing the pressure on your vertebrae of your lower back. In turn, your lower back, hips, buttocks, and thigh muscles may become fatigued or weakened over time.

Walking By Excessively Curving Your Back

If you choose to increase the curve in your back through walking with a posture which involves thrusting your abdomen and increasing the lordotic posture pose, thus increasing the pressure on your spinal facet joints, leading to a potential overload of stress. Interestingly, the muscles which work with your spine to support it can become underactive simultaneously and cause your thigh muscles to overcompensate towards your spinal stabilization.

Walking with a Hunched Posture

Also known as a kyphotic posture, walking with a hunched back can cause your chest to tilt forward and increase the stress within the abs and core of your body.

Ways to Protect Your Sciatic Nerve While Walking

Some of the best ways you can proactively protect your sciatic nerve while walking consist of the following:

•Maintaining a neutral postural position where your head is aligned with the top of your spine and your ears positioned above your shoulders.

•When walking, be sure to step between your midfoot and heel and glide into your toes where you push off to the next step. This style of walking can help reduce your stride length and in turn promote a better, all around walking style.

Choosing Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants for Your Sciatic Nerve Pain Needs

If you’ve been experiencing sciatica and have yet to find a resolution for your pain, you’ll want to contact us at Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants. We’ll be here waiting to assist you on your journey towards health and wellness. Feel free to reach out to us using the form below and we’ll be sure to respond to you as soon as possible. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

DISCLAIMER: No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

We all have our favorite spot in the house to lounge about and relax, and it’s often the living room couch. You come back from work after a long day and you’re eager to simply decompress from your daily stress, yet what you may not realize is while your stress is decompressing, your back, neck, and spine are doing quite the opposite. When seated at your couch for an extended period of time, you’ll typically begin to sink into your couch and this causes poor support to occur and awkward seating positions to develop. This is especially true if you’re choosing to watch a longer film or binge-watch your favorite show. Read on to learn more about why you should try to avoid sitting on the couch for too long and how Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants can help you with your back, neck, and spine pain. 

Sinking into the Couch

We’ve all been halfway through a movie and begin to realize we’ve sunken into the couch and our lower back is beginning to experience discomfort. This is primarily due to the lack of support as our weight begins to weigh down on the stuffing of the couch cushions. This is especially true when the couch is multiple years old and lacks proper support when nobody is even sitting on it. We’ve all experienced the couch which just appears to be quite sad and appears as though it’s been sat on for many hours. This is the type of couch you’ll want to avoid to prevent back, neck, and spine pain.

Poor Support of Your Back, Neck, and Spine

As mentioned above, the poor support of couches for your back, neck, and spine is quite commonplace amongst many couches. They’re typically not ergonomically designed with you in mind. This is okay if you’re seated temporarily on your couch for brief instances, yet if you watch a movie or television show every evening for 4+ hours (as most Americans do), then you’ll likely run into some issues along the way.

Awkward Seating Positions

The couch is also much more likely to encourage you to eventually position yourself in some awkward seating positions, especially if your television is not in line with your direct line of sight. Say for instance your couch runs the length-wise, perpendicular to your television. This may end up causing you to lay on your side with your neck titled and craned uncomfortably to be able to watch the television from the right perspective. While this may be optimal for the viewing experience, it’s less than optimal for you back, neck, and spine. If you must sit on your couch, avoid shifting into an awkward seating position, as this may exacerbate any pre-existing issues you currently have.

Extended Seating Times for Movies or TV Shows

Most movies are approaching two hours these days and with that extended running time, you’ll begin to sit for longer periods of time on the couch. With this extended seating time, you’ll most likely begin to experience additional aches and spins after sitting for so long. It’s important to take a break and stand up and stretch if you’re going to be watching a longer film. Similar to intermission back in the day, think of this as your personal intermission moment for your back, neck, and spine health.

Avoid Sitting On the Couch for Too Long

All in all, you’ll want to avoid sitting on the couch for too long. While yes, it may be tempting to lounge around for multiple hours after a stressful day; you’ll want to avoid it. Sitting in general is not the best for your overall health, yet when you pair sitting for long periods of time with an unsupportive couch; you’re most likely going to develop uncomfortable aches and pains.

Choose Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants for Your Back, Neck, & Spine Needs

If you’ve noticed an increase in neck, back, or spine pain and have yet to see improvements; you may want to consider reaching out to us here at Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants. Our team of physical therapists, physician assistants, and doctors will be able to help you rebound from your aches and pains. Through our advanced technology and comprehensive care, you can trust Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants to provide you with the care you’ve been searching for. Feel free to reach out to us using the form below and we’ll be sure to respond to your message as soon as possible. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

DISCLAIMER: No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

Spine health is something which we all should value, yet some of us need direction on how to potentially improve our spine health through basic lifestyle improvements. In this post, we’ll be discussing how you can incorporate basic changes into your livelihood and have a whole new outlook on your spine health over time. While these changes may seem to be common sense, it’s still important to have a reminder every now and then to ensure we’re all treating our spines with the utmost care. Read on to learn more about how to best go about possibly improving your spine health with easy to implement lifestyle changes everyone can do.

Incorporate Exercise into Your Actual Lifestyle

The human body is made to move. We’re not meant to be sitting in a chair or laying in bed all day. Any type of movement is beneficial for our health. Whether it’s walking, running, hiking, etc… It’s just important to stand up and begin to move. Your joints and muscles need to be stimulated in order to maintain their healthy components. Without movement in the form of exercise, you run the risk of having your muscles become atrophied over time and in turn may make you much more prone to injury down the line. Incorporating exercise into your lifestyle, and not just something you do once per month, will help you maintain greater health in all areas of your body.

Stimulate Your Mind

Your mind sends signals to all areas of the body, and with this mechanism, it’s important to ensure your mind and brain are active and stimulated. This will allow your mind and body to continue interacting with one another and not become dulled over time. The last thing you’ll want to happen is have cognitive decline paired with physical impairment. Stimulating your mind with intellectually focused activities may help assist in ensuring your brain continues to properly fire signals throughout your body.

Readjust & Reevaluate Your Sitting Posture

Your sitting posture, especially if you’re a 9-5/office-style worker, is extremely important. The way you sit for extended periods of time will greatly influence your spinal health. If you possess a strong, healthy posture with good form and confidence, you’ll most likely experience little to no pain in your spine area. Now, if you have poor posture with a slouching, dipped form; you’ll most likely eventually experience severe pain and discomfort within your spine and back area. Be the former, not the latter, and aim for the best posture you can as often as possible.

Go for a Morning & Evening Walk

Walking is one of the best ways to recalibrate everything from the legs, to the waist, to the back, neck, and spine. Going for a morning walk is a fantastic way to start the day and going for an evening walk is a fantastic way to wind down in the evening. Walking can be done nearly anywhere in the world. As long as you’re able-bodied and have the motivation to do so, daily walking can be done quite easily. It’s up to you to make it happen.

Try Out Heat Therapy

Heat therapy, whether it’s a hot tub, a hot spring, or any type of warm, comforting activity with a direct focus on your back, neck, and spine will allow you to relax and ease up muscle tension. With heat therapy, there are many options available, yet it could also be as simple as letting warm water spray against areas of your back which you feel would benefit from such a therapy. Trying so,etching as simple as this is cost-effective, easy to incorporate in your next shower, and will likely help you decompress from physical and mental stress.

Choose the Right Pillow for YOU

A pillow is something you should carefully choose and invest in. It may seem silly,,yet it’s not a laughing matter when you consider you should be spending upwards of eight hours per day on your pillow. When you’re choosing a pillow, be sure it supports your head and neck properly. If it does not, you may encounter discomfort and pain upon waking up the following day. This discomfort and pain could lead to spine pain as well. Start off on the right pillow and choose whichever pillow seems to work best with you, even if it costs a bit more than you’d usually spend; as you’ll most likely save money over the long run by investing in your neck, back, and spine health.

Craft a Healthy Diet Which Caters to Your Needs

You are what you eat. If you’re consuming garbage food all day long, you’ll most likely feel like garbage as well. This garbage feeling may be transferred into your spine area as well through an inflammatory response. Eating healthy, anti-inflammatory foods can be a great way to help improve not only your spine health, yet also improve your entire body’s health.

Fluid-Motion, Swimming Exercises for Low-Impact Aerobics

Swimming is a great way to work nearly every muscle and joint throughout the human body with very low impact when compared to other activities such as running or hiking. Swimming is also a great skill to learn with the proper instruction or even become an expert at due to how useful it can be if you’re ever in a situation where you must swim and save yourself or others.

Get a Massage

A massage is often touted as a luxury for many, yet it should be viewed as something which you should aim to treat yourself with every now and then at least. Massages can help relieve tension and strain in the back and neck. This in turn can provide relief and relaxation over time and help you bounce back with a nice, relaxing day.

Quit Smoking

We all know smoking is bad for our health, yet it’s very bad for spine health. The reasoning behind this is our spine is composed of sensitive tissues and discs with cushioning in between each disc. When you’re a chronic smoker, you may end up causing deterioration of your discs and spine over time and this in turn could increase your chances of spinal injury in the future. Aside from the spinal cord issues associated with smoking, it’s also associated with some of the top causes of death as well (cancer, heart conditions, etc…).

Be the Best You Can Be with Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants

If you’ve been searching for ways to improve your spine health and would like to request an evaluation, feel free to do so using the for, below. We’ll be sure to have you seen by one of our amazing doctors here at Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants and have you back on your way to a healthy lifestyle once again. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

DISCLAIMER: No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

Spinal stenosis can be a very serious condition if left untreated. For this reason, and many more, it’s important to be able to recognize some of the warning signs early on to best prevent anything from worsening over time. With spinal stenosis, it primarily occurs when the foramen (the bony openings of your spinal nerves) or the spinal cord itself begin to narrow. This narrowing may eventually cause your spine to compress and can cause a whole host of symptoms to appear. In this post, we’ll be discussing those symptoms to look out for and how we can help here at Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants.

Neurogenic Claudication

Neurogenic claudication typically occurs when the nerves in your lower back become compressed. Over time, this may lead to the following:

•Pain/numbness in your legs while standing

•An increase in pain/numbness when walking

•An increase in pain when performing upright exercises, stretches, or activities

•A noticeable improvement in your pain when choosing to rest and reduce mobility

There’s a common misdiagnosis between vascular claudication, which is known for mimicking neurogenic claudication. The telltale signs of neurogenic claudication consist of relief felt when you lean your spine forward while performing tasks such as grocery shopping with a pushcart. This often signals neurogenic claudication.

Sciatica

With compression of the nerve roots within the lower back, you may begin to experience sciatica symptoms. These symptoms are often described as weakness and nerve pain most commonly felt in one leg or the other. Where the nerve root is affected will ultimately determine which part of your lower extremities are affected the most. For some individuals, it may be the back, buttock, and thigh. While for other individuals, it may be the calf, leg, or foot. Additionally, there will commonly be weakness, tingling, or numbness within the associated lower extremity if you have sciatica.

Foot Drop

When there’s compression of the L4 and L5 nerve roots within the lower spine, you may notice a condition which is referred to as “foot drop”. This condition may cause a feeling of weakness or inability to raise the foot upwards with the toes pointed upwards as well. Additionally, the compression of the S1 nerve may cause weakness or difficulty while walking on your tip-toes. Foot drop is not something to mess around with, as it can cause you to stumble and fall and have an additional injury or condition develop over time.

Gait Issues

Gait issues may occur within a couple of different areas of the spine itself. Lumbar spinal stenosis may occur when the lower back area is affected and may subsequently cause gait problems associated with foot drop, weakness in the thighs and leg muscles, specifically within the calves and quads. Gait issues may occur as a result of issues within the neck as well. If there is compression within the neck through cervical spinal stenosis, it may cause an imbalance while walking.

Radiating Arm pain

This symptom is typically caused by cervical spinal stenosis and may be mild to moderate depending on the severity. Patients often report feelings of burning or shocking in the neck, shoulders, and/or arms. Crawling, tingling, numbness, and weakness are also reported in some cases. 

Loss of Motor Skills

When you have spinal stenosis of the cervical spine, you may notice difficulty in doing simple tasks such as tying your shoes. In more advanced stages, you may be unable to write with a pen or hold a utensil steadily enough to eat food.

Choose Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants for an Evaluation

If you’ve noticed or experienced any of these symptoms, you’ll want to request an appointment with your doctor right away and request a referral to us for further, specialized evaluation. We’ll be here to properly diagnose and treat your condition and have you back on your way to a healthy lifestyle once again. Feel free to contact us using the form below if you have any questions in the meantime.

DISCLAIMER: No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

Being a patient here at Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants means so much more than simply being a patient. When you become a part of the Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants family, you’re going to realize we’re so much more than just a medical center with a focus on treating your neurosurgery and spinal care needs. We strive to provide you with the comprehensive care you’d expect with the advanced technology you’ll come to discover. There are so many reasons to choose Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants for your care, and below are some of the top reasons we believe you’ll love everything about our practice. Enjoy!

Our Modern Practice

From the moment you walk up to our medical practice, you’ll very soon realize you’ve stepped into one of the best Neurosurgery & Spine Centers around. We know first impressions are very important, and we’ve gone to great lengths to showcase just how much we care about the first impressions you’ll encounter upon seeing Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants for the first time. We’ve read many of our reviews which have stated just how much patients loved everything about our office. While our office is quite the initial experience, the medical equipment and technology we utilize each and every day mirrors our office space as well. Everything is top of the line and thought out with you, the patient, in mind. We’ve spared no expense in order to offer you a spectacularly successful result with your surgery. We know this is probably a very stressful time for you and we’re here to provide you with the highest quality of care, every step of the way.

Our Amazing Doctors

Our amazing surgeons here at Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants consist of Dr. Gerardo Zavala II and Dr. Ladislau Albert, Jr.; both board-certified and highly-rated across reviews. You can rest assured you’re in great hands here at Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants with the expertise and experience in which our doctors possess. Through their combined decades of experience, both of our doctors have been able to transform and grow Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants to a whole new level where we’ve been able to help more patients than ever before. We’re pleased to say we’ve been able to maintain a 99% patient satisfaction rating throughout our practice’s history and we look forward to providing you with the highest level of care possible.

Our Fantastic Physicians’ Assistants

Our physicians’ assistants help our doctors operate at their peak efficiency and effectiveness to help ensure your treatment is as best as it can be. Without their help, we wouldn’t be where we’re at today. We’re extremely grateful to have such a dedicated staff who cares about your success as a patient. It’s quite rare to find a team of physicians’ assistants such as ours, and we could not be happier to have them be a part of your treatment protocol you’ll experience here at Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants.

Our Talented Physical Therapists

Our talented physical therapists help our patients both with their pre-operative and post-operative care. The physical therapy team has a dedicated wing within our practice to best focus on what needs to be done in order to have you back to a pain-free lifestyle once again. They’ll diligently work with you to ensure you’re prepared for surgery and also help you successfully rebound, post-surgery, to help promote a greater overall healing regimen.

Our Welcoming Staff

Our front office staff are known for their welcoming demeanor and excellent communication skills to best assist you with anything you may need. They’re always willing to go above and beyond to help ensure you feel comfortable, welcomed, and at ease when you’re waiting to be seen by our doctors. You’ll find our waiting area to be one of the best and you’ll surely appreciate the level of service you’ll receive from the moment you step into Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants.

Choosing Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants for Your Care

If you’ve been searching for a neurosurgery and spine care center, you’ve come to the right place. Feel free to fill out the form below and we’ll be sure to respond to your inquiry as soon as possible. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

DISCLAIMER: No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

Determining what may be causing your tailbone pain may be an arduous task, yet with the proper steps and medical care, you can better determine what is causing your tailbone pain. In this post, we’ll be discussing how tailbone pain typically comes about in patients, how to temporarily relieve tailbone pain, and why we at Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants are here to help every step of the way.

Why Your Tailbone is So Important

Your tailbone is an area of your body which is crucial for comfortably walking, sitting, or standing. If you have tailbone pain, you’ll certainly know it. Additionally, it provides control and attachment to several surrounding muscles and ligaments in your pelvic area. It supports your pelvis, helps to control bowel movements, and facilitates childbirth in women by naturally moving backward to increase space for the child’s delivery. Your coccyx is extremely important to your bodily functions and helping you function properly.

Possible Causes of Tailbone Pain

Below is a list of possible causes of tailbone pain. While this list is not conclusive, it’s a good starting point to compare and contrast your symptoms against.

Coccyx Bruising, Fracture, or a Dislocation

You’ll most likely notice moderate to severe pain with this symptom, as any type of fracture or dislocation will signal to your pain centers something is not right. One of the best ways to initially determine if this is the case is to have an x-Ray or MRI ordered to see the extent of the injury.

Changes in the Anatomy of Your Coccyx

Over time we all change. Whether this is due to a previous injury, the way we sit or stand, or even how much or how little we exercise. All of these factors, and more, can lead to an anatomical change within your coccyx. It’s important to have yearly, physical evaluations to catch any noticeable changes before they become a bigger issue.

Bone Spurs within Your Coccyx

Just as a bone spur within your foot is extremely painful, a bone spur within your coccyx will be equally painful as well. Bone spurs may occur naturally due to many factors involved, yet they may also occur due to certain injuries or movement patterns over time.

A Coccygeal Arthritis Condition

Arthritis can affect nearly any joint or bone, and the coccyx is no exception. Arthritis within your coccyx may seem unlikely, yet it could be what’s causing your tailbone pain. A physical evaluation would determine just how severe the arthritis is within the area and there will most likely be additional arthritis tests performed to assess if your arthritic condition is elsewhere throughout the body.

A Rare Condition of Coccygeal Infections & Tumors

While this is extremely rare and unlikely, it’s important to rule out anything and everything. When there’s an infection or a tumor, it could end up becoming worse over time. For this reason, it’s important to address anything which may be related to this rare, yet serious associated condition.

Why Sitting is So Painful with a Tailbone Condition

The reason why sitting is typically quite painful with a tailbone condition is due to the fact your tailbone is right where you sit. You may experience even greater pain if you have a profession which requires long hours seated at your desk. Pairing these long hours with a tailbone condition or symptom listed above will only exacerbate the problem.

How to Possibly Relieve Tailbone Pain

Tailbone pain can be resolved when the proper medical care approach is enabled. With our team of experts on staff here at Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants, you can rest assured knowing your tailbone pain will be resolved through our advanced technology and comprehensive care.

Choosing Neurosurgery & Spine Consultants for Your Tailbone Pain

If you’ve been experiencing chronic tailbone pain and have yet to determine what the true cause may be, you’ll want to contact us using the form below. We’ll be sure to respond to your inquiry as soon as possible. We look forward to hearing from you soon and we’re eager to begin treating your tailbone pain efficiently and effectively.

DISCLAIMER: No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.