Examination of spine is an essential skill to master that will benefit you throughout your medical and surgical career. This article describes the basic anatomy and surface markings of the spine that will aid your examination and also discusses diagnostic tests for common pathologies. The special tests in the spine examination allow clinicians to tailor … [Read more…]

Allodynia is the experience of pain from stimuli that isn’t normally painful. People with migraine will often describe this experience by saying, “My hair hurts.” Brushing the hair may produce pain, as will other simple activities such as washing your face, laying your head on a pillow, or a gentle tap on the wrist. Allodynia is … [Read more…]

Spinal cord stimulation uses pulsed electrical energy near the spinal cord to manage pain. Initially, this technique applied pulsed energy in the intrathecal space.[rx] Presently, neuromodulation involves the implantation of leads in the epidural space. A similar principle utilizes the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system stimulation in deep/cortical brain stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation, … [Read more…]

Frontotemporal Degeneration Disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative, heterogeneous group of non-Alzheimer dementias disorder characterized by loss of intellectual functions, such as memory problems, impaired abstract thinking, reasoning, behavioral changes, and language deficits with frontal and temporal cortical degeneration and executive function, severe enough to hamper activities of daily living. It requires a multidisciplinary approach to … [Read more…]

What is Multiple Sclerosis?/Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune, disabling neurological disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by chronic inflammation, demyelination, gliosis, and neuronal loss. In MS, the immune system cells that normally protect us from viruses, bacteria, and unhealthy cells mistakenly attack myelin in the central nervous system (brain, optic nerves, and … [Read more…]

What Is Spinal Cord Injury?/A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that results in a loss of function, such as mobility and/or feeling. Frequent causes of spinal cord injuries are trauma (car accident, gunshot, falls, etc.) or disease (polio, spina bifida, Friedreich’s ataxia, etc.). Until World War II, a serious spinal cord injury (SCI) usually meant certain death. Anyone … [Read more…]

Lupus Anticoagulant Syndrome/Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune, hypercoagulable, thrombo inflammatory, and thrombosis and/or pregnancy complications syndrome caused by the persistent presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (APL) in plasma of patients with vascular thrombosis and/or pregnancy morbidity along with persistent anti-phospholipid antibodies (APLA), including lupus anticoagulant (LA), anti-β2-glycoprotein I (anti-β2GPI) and/or anti-cardiolipin (ACL) antibodies.[rx] Signs … [Read more…]

What is meningitis? What is encephalitis?/Infections and other disorders affecting the brain and spinal cord can activate the immune system, which leads to inflammation.  These diseases, and the resulting inflammation, can produce a wide range of symptoms, including fever, headache, seizures, and changes in behavior or confusion.  In extreme cases, these can cause brain damage, … [Read more…]

Acute Transverse Myelitis/Myelitis is an acute or subacute rare demyelinating and immune-mediated inflammatory myelopathy disorder of the central nervous system and spinal cord resulting in potentially disabling neurological deficits such as motor weakness and sensory deficits, as well as autonomic dysfunction. It is potentially a devastating disorder with variable outcomes that characterized by a relatively … [Read more…]

Myelitis is an acute or subacute rare demyelinating and immune-mediated inflammatory myelopathy disorder of the central nervous system and spinal cord resulting in potentially disabling neurological deficits such as motor weakness and sensory deficits, as well as autonomic dysfunction. It is potentially a devastating disorder with variable outcomes that characterized by a relatively acute onset … [Read more…]

Post Surgical Pain Symptoms/Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) is a complex set of post-surgical pain symptoms encountered after a patient has had surgery on the lumbar spine for disc-related abnormal pathology. The patient may feel present with recurrent pain and persistent pain, with or without radiculopathy, following spinal surgery. Pain may appear after surgery and … [Read more…]

Failed Back Syndrome/Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) is a complex set of post-surgical pain symptoms encountered after a patient has had surgery on the lumbar spine for disc-related abnormal pathology. The patient may feel present with recurrent pain and persistent pain, with or without radiculopathy, following spinal surgery. Pain may appear after surgery and persist … [Read more…]