E. Thomas Chappell, MD - Minimally Invasive Spine and Cranial Neurosurgery

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Why undergo a major operation, when a smaller one could provide similar results?

MINIMALLY INVASIVE SPINE AND NECK SURGERY Back pain is a leading cause of lost productivity at work and diminished quality of life at home. Yet, most of us will have at least one serious episode of back pain within our lifetimes. If that’s all you have to contend with, consider yourself lucky. Many others will face constant pain, rendering some completely disabled.

Conventional treatments, such as avoiding strenuous activity, taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and physical therapy, will prove sufficient to control the symptoms for many back and neck pain patients. A small percentage, however, will become candidates for spine surgery. While it might seem like a quick cure-all, undergoing an operation should be the last resort—after all other means have been tried and have failed. More

The following five part Pain Series was written for ABILITY Magazine (the covers link to free digi-issues):

sandra lee issue Part I — page 32
herschel walker issue Part II — page 28
lainie kazan issue Part III — page 16
robert patrick issue Part IV — page 61
scott hamilton issue Part V — page 19