Surgical Management Of Low Back Pain

The second edition presents the current diagnostic and surgical treatments for low back pain as well as the anatomic and physiologic rationale for their application. New sections cover the evidence-based assessment of emerging biological strategies for the treatment of degenerative disk disease and more.

Not since White and Sweet published Pain and the Neurosurgeon in the 1960s has there been a comprehensive review of the entire field of neurosurgical pain management. You will find a complete synthesis of all current concepts of pain neuroanatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology; new procedures that minimize invasiveness and postoperative neurological deficits; and the entire scope of surgical and medical management of chronic pain. In addition, you will benefit from the expertise of the international board of contributors, a virtual who's who in pain medicine, management, and surgery. Special features of this encyclopedic resource: * Special Considerations highlighting important practical, clinical information * Point/Counterpoint giving the pros and cons of different treatment methods * Expert commentary offering insights and alternative views of each topic

Low back pain is a very common problem that is increasingly being treated surgically. This book aims to evaluate carefully the possible surgical approaches to low back pain, with detailed appraisal of the factors leading to their success or failure. It begins by explaining the scientific basis for surgery and considering the different diagnostic techniques that may be employed, thereby elucidating the surgical rationale, indications, and contraindications. The value of conservative options is also assessed to help the reader weigh the need for surgery. The various surgical modalities, including the most recent, are then fully described and evaluated with the aid of numerous illustrations. The book concludes with a chapter devoted to evidence-based analysis of the outcome of surgery in patients with low back pain. This book will be invaluable to orthopaedic and neurosurgeons, rheumatologists, neurologists, and all who are concerned with the effective treatment of this often debilitating condition.

The Spine: Medical and Surgical Conditions is a complete, two volume, evidence based study edited by an internationally recognised team of spine surgeons based in the USA, China, Canada, Germany, Japan, Brazil, Egypt and India. The two volumes are divided into 137 chapters, across fourteen sections. The first section covers general topics in spinal medicine, including anatomy, biomechanics, physical and neurological examination, interventional diagnostics and therapeutics, and anaesthesia. This is followed by sections on the development of the spine, metabolic disorders, and bone grafting. Subsequent sections focus on surgery for particular parts of the spine, including cervical, lumbar and thoracic, as well as sections on spinal cord injuries and motor preservation. Later sections in the book provide information on the spine in paediatrics, adult deformity, tumours, vascular malformations and infections, complications of spinal surgery, and a final section on minimally invasive techniques. Enhanced by 1500 full colour images, The Spine: Medical and Surgical Conditions is also made available online, complete with text, images and video, with each physical copy. Key Points Comprehensive, two volume guide to spinal medicine Covers anatomy, biomechanics, examination, diagnostics, therapeutics, anaesthesia, surgery and complications Enhanced by 1500 full colour images Includes access to online version with complete text, images and video

This comprehensive text is the most current and definitive source for information related to the care of adult and pediatric patients with spondylolisthesis. It contains a complete analysis of this common, yet intricate spinal condition, including basic science, diagnosis, non-surgical management, surgical techniques (including minimally invasive options) and outcomes. The management of the various types of spondylolisthesis requires a thorough understanding of both fundamental principles and subtle nuances, which are highlighted here in three sections. Part I details the basic principles, diagnosis and non-surgical management of spondylolisthesis, including imaging and classification. Part II covers surgical management, including a step-by-step discussion of strategies, techniques and tips that are necessary to apply standard procedures to this specific disorder. Procedures that are covered include decompression, spinal fusion from various approaches, and the latest minimally invasive techniques. Part III discusses the outcomes and complications of surgical treatment. Written and edited by top clinicians in the field, this book will be an invaluable resource for orthopedic and neurological spine surgeons, rehabilitation physicians, residents, fellows, and any caregiver who treats the spine.

Covering all commonly used interventions for acute and chronic low back pain conditions, Evidence-Based Management of Low Back Pain consolidates current scientific studies and research evidence into a single, practical resource. Its multidisciplinary approach covers a wide scope of treatments from manual therapies to medical interventions to surgery, organizing interventions from least to most invasive. Editors Simon Dagenais and Scott Haldeman, along with expert contributors from a variety of clinical and academic institutions throughout the world, focus on the best available scientific evidence, summarizing the results from the strongest to the weakest types of studies. No other book makes it so easy to compare the different interventions and treatment approaches, giving you the tools to make better, more informed clinical decisions. A multidisciplinary approach covers treatments from manual therapies to medical interventions to surgery, and many others in between. An interdisciplinary approach enables health care providers to work together. A logical, easy-to-follow organization covers information by intervention type, from least invasive to most invasive. Integration of interventions provides information in a clinically useful way, so it's easier to consider more than one type of treatment or intervention for low back pain, and easier to see which methods should be tried first. 155 illustrations include x-rays, photos, and drawings. Tables and boxes summarize key information. Evidence-based content allows you to make clinical decisions based on the ranking the best available scientific studies from strongest to weakest. Patient history and examination chapters help in assessing the patient's condition and in ruling out serious pathology before making decisions about specific interventions. Experienced editors and contributors are proven authors, researchers, and teachers, and practitioners, well known in the areas of orthopedics, pain management, chiropractic, physical therapy, and behavioral medicine as well as complementary and alternative medicine; the book's contributors include some of the leading clinical and research experts in the field of low back pain. Coverage based on The Spine Journal special issue on low back pain ensures that topics are relevant and up to date. A systematic review of interventions for low back pain includes these categories: patient education, exercise and rehabilitation, medications, manual therapy, physical modalities, complementary and alternative medicine, behavioral modification, injections, minimally invasive procedures, and surgery. Surgical interventions include decompression, fusion, disc arthroplasty, and dynamic stabilization. Additional coverage includes patient education and multidisciplinary rehabilitation.

The learning curve in the management of painful degenerative lumbar spine patients is steep because every case has singular characteristics. Surgical Care of the Painful Degenerative Lumbar Spine: Evaluation, Decision-Making, Techniques by Edgar Weaver reflects more than 35 years of neurosurgical practice devoted to refining degenerative spine disease evaluation and techniques. The book emphasizes and instructs a symptom-focused approach in the surgical decision-making process, with determinant radiographic features used mainly supportively. The text begins with a thorough overview of anatomy, spino-pelvic and sagittal balance metrics, stabilization, and clinical evaluations. Throughout 11 chapters, step-by-step guidance is provided on therapeutic decision-making to achieve optimal individualized outcomes. From the fundamentals of open and minimally invasive techniques to the impact of socioeconomic factors on the treatment of PDLS patients, the authors offer invaluable firsthand insights. Key Features Discussion of techniques including en bloc laminectomy, the U-turn approach to root decompression, hemilaminectomy – a safe and versatile decompressive technique, and the lateral intra-muscular planar (LIMP) procedure The use of a descriptive clinical sub-classification system for low back pain and grading scale based on a simple testing maneuver Extensive post-operative care chapter emphasizes pain and infection control Challenges including chronic axial lumbar pain, post-operative junctional stress, sagittal imbalance, spondylolisthesis, and coronal deformity Uniquely insightful, this concise guide covers the fundamental clinical and technical skills necessary to care for patients with degenerative lumbar spine pain. It is essential reading for neurosurgical and orthopedic residents, spine fellows, spine surgeons and all clinicians involved in administrating surgical and nonsurgical spine care.