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UCLA Spine Center News
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BACK PAIN? 7 SURPRISING CAUSES
Huffingtonpost.com -- Most Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lives. But while that dull ache or sharp pain is an all-too-common problem, many of the causes are a mystery to us until the discomfort kicks in. "Wear and tear on your discs is cumulative -- it all adds up," says Dr. Nick Shamie. Article on huffingtonpost.com » | PDF version »
TEEN W/ SEVERE SPINE INJURY MAKING COMEBACK
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- People with severe spinal cord injuries rarely survive a month or two after an accident. Actor Christopher Reeve managed to live 15 years after his injury. One local teenager is also beating the odds. When it comes to severe spinal cord injuries, all doctors can do is stabilize the spine and hope for the best. Less than two years ago, it looked pretty bad for 18-year-old Cody Williams. View Spine Injury Article »
X-STOP® ALLOWS MACHINIST TO FULFILL HIS RETIREMENT DREAM
One morning back in December 2004 when 58-year-old Mark Casale tried to get out of bed, he fell to the floor. For an entire year afterward, the man who once routinely hiked 6-7 miles a day in the hills above his Southern California home could not walk a step. View pdf and read more >>
View streaming video Download and view video >> (.wmv 2.2MB)
LIVING WITH BACK AND LEG PAIN
Dr. Nick Shamie on Fox Television (MyFOX Los Angeles)
Dr. Shamie talks about new breakthrough procedures for this sometimes debilitating pain.
NICK SHAMIE WEB INTERVIEW - X-STOP®
Dr. Shamie talks about the X-STOP® procedure and discusses the causes and treatments for back pain on Fox TV.
**View streaming video on Fox TV >>
**BACK PAIN TREATMENT VARIES WIDELY
by Karen Pallarito
Your doctor is more likely to reach for opioid drugs to treat your back pain if you live in the South.
(pdf) more >>
NEW SURGERY FOR SPINE FRACTURES OFFERS IMMEDIATE PAIN RELIEF
by Ted Braun
Conventional back surgery for fractured vertebrae caused by osteoporosis and/or injury has been an unappealing option for patients because of the large incisions, substantial discomfort and lengthy recovery period. (pdf) more >>
MANY CAN EMPATHIZE WITH KOBE BRYANT'S BACK SPASMS
by Jonathan Abrams and Alan Zarembo, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
It was the tweak felt around the Southland. As Kobe Bryant writhed and wrenched through lower-back spasms during the Lakers' playoff loss against the Utah Jazz on Sunday, it was an injury with which many across California and the country could empathize. (pdf) more >>
KULONGOSKI'S PINCHED NERVE ALL TOO COMMON
by Don Colburn, The Oregonian
Gov. Ted Kulongoski underwent successful surgery Thursday to relieve pressure on a pinched nerve in his neck -- one of the most common and costly ailments in the United States. (pdf) more >>
UCLA DOCTOR USES IMPLANT SURGERY TO RELIEVE BACK PAIN
by Sue Pascoe, Staff Writer, Palisadian-Post
When Pacific Palisades resident Nancy Howell started having back pain two years ago, she had never heard of lumbar spinal stenosis, which most commonly affects the middle-aged and elderly. (pdf) more >>
HAPPY, HEALTHY TRAVELS
EXACTLY WHAT TO DO TO AVOID COMMON VACATION PITFALLS AND FEEL GREAT ON YOUR NEXT GETAWAY
by Shannon Rouss, freelance writer in New York City
One of the perks of getting older is that you finally have more time to see the world. But while a weeklong vacation is rejuvenating, it can also take a toll on your body. (pdf) more >>
LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS SYMPTOMS & DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT OPTIONS, AND THE X-STOP® IPD® SYSTEM
by MEDTRONIC
Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is the most common reason for spine surgery in people over the age of 65 in the United States.1 This program will cover the clinical issues around LSS: clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatments. (pdf) more >>
CONSTANT POWER PLAYS
YOUNG TENNIS PLAYERS WHO PRACTICE HARD FOR HOURS A DAY MAY SUFFER SPINAL INJURIES BUT SHOW NO SYMPTOMS, AN MRI STUDY FINDS.
by By Jeannine Stein, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
SPENDING hours a day playing tennis may give young, elite players a competitive edge, but all that activity may come with a price -- spinal injuries. (pdf) more >>
SANTA MONICA-UCLA TODAY - NEW NETHERCUTT EMERGENCY CENTER, HOSPITAL ON THE HORIZON
by Editor, Ted Braun, Contributing Writers, Kim Irwin, Steven Wagner
Project officials now expect that construction of the new Nethercutt Emergency Center at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center will be completed in late 2006, with move-in targeted for early 2007. (pdf) more >>
DR. WANG, A YOUNG MEDICAL INVENTOR
by Ulysses Sabuco
One would not pass without noticing the remarkable feat and successes of Jeffrey Wang in the field of medicine. Wang, a Chinese-American, is known to his peers throughout the nation as the inventor of the artificial disk used during spine procedure. (pdf) more >>
GOVERNOR: PRAYERS PREVAILED
by Ulysses Sabuco
With a neck brace, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial lighted up the room when he first sat on his hospital bed after a critical four-hour operation. It was a poignant moment according to First Lady Josie, describing how the chief executive showed signs of fast recovery. (pdf) more >>
NURSE RAISES THE BAR ON PHILANTHROPY
by Aldwin Farjardo
Mauro Sipin grew up not knowing how it feels like to have anything material that may be considered valuable-at least nothing fancier than three square meals a day. Deep in his heart, though, he knew he was headed to something bigger than he could ever hope for. (pdf) more >>
NEW X-STOP IMPLANT PUTS A HALT TO PAIN
by Steven Wagner
After 2-1/2 years of suffering with painful spinal stenosis, Molly Taguchi was losing hope. She had undergone various treatments, including epidural-like injections, but the pain in her legs and buttocks always returned. Then Dr. Arya "Nick" Shamie, a spine surgeon at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery and neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, entered the picture. (pdf) more >>
BACK TALK
New treatments can mean an end to pain. Sit up (straight!) and read on.
by Susan Ince
Your grandmother may have called it lumbago-that grabbing, aching, stiffening, or shooting pain that hits the lower back. But even if the name is out of fashion, the condition is no less common today: Over their lifetimes, an estimated 80 percent of adults will suffer from backache-some for a few days, some with recurrent bouts, and still others with pain that takes up residence and just never seems to leave. (pdf) more >>
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