Posts made in May 2020

nerve cells

What is Neuropathy?

There are a number of pain management clinics offering neuropathy treatment in Jacksonville, FL, but what is it, and is it right for you? Neuropathy is damage or dysfunction of one or more nerves that typically results in numbness, tingling, muscle weakness, and nerve pain in the affected area.

People with nerve pain feel it in different ways. For some, symptoms can include a chronic prickling, tingling, or burning feeling throughout the day. For others, it’s a stabbing pain in the middle of the night. Unmanaged nerve pain can be hard to bear, but with neuropathy treatment, it can often be adequately controlled.

Neuropathy is often classified according to the types or location of nerves that are affected and can also be classified according to the disease causing it. For example, neuropathy from the effects of diabetes is called “diabetic neuropathy.”

Four Types of Neuropathy That Can Benefit From Neuropathy Treatment

Peripheral neuropathy is when the nerve problem affects the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord.

Cranial neuropathy – occurs when any of the twelve nerves that exit from the brain are damaged (can include optic and auditory).

Autonomic neuropathy – is damage to the nerves of the involuntary nervous system.

Focal neuropathy – is neuropathy that is restricted to one nerve or group of nerves or one area of the body.

doctor pointing at vertebrae

What You Should Know About Kyphoplasty

There are many medical practitioners and clinics that recommend kyphoplasty in Jacksonville, FL, to treat vertebral compression fractures. Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive spine surgery that helps correct bone deformity and relieves the pain that accompanies spinal compression fractures.

During the Procedure

During a kyphoplasty, a tube is inserted into the damaged vertebrae through a cut in the back. Next, a thin catheter tube, tipped with a balloon, is guided into the vertebra. The balloon is inflated to create a cavity into which bone cement will be injected. The balloon is then deflated and removed, and the bone cement is injected into the cavity. It then takes only about ten minutes for the cement mixture to harden.

As one of many available options for back pain treatment, kyphoplasty has proven to offer patients a significant and sustained reduction in back pain. Its primary benefits include: a short surgical time (usually about a half-hour per spinal level), it is often performed with local anesthesia, short recovery times (with many patients able to walk and return to their normal activities and discharged on the same day).

Contact your doctor or a spinal and pain management clinic to discuss if kyphoplasty is right for you.