SPINE
Dr. Emilio López-Vidriero is a super-specialist in sports traumatology at the University of Ottawa, Canada. He leads a multidisciplinary team specialized in the treatment of both cervical and lumbar spine injuries. In this section you may consult the different spinal injuries and their treatments, both conservative and surgical.
SPINE INJURIES
The spine is the axis which supports the entire body. Muscle imbalances can cause injuries that affect both the joints as well as the nerves that they protect within. Ideally, the lesion should be diagnosed as soon as possible so it may be treated without surgery. If necessary, performing surgery tailored to the sport and athlete is crucial to success.
My neck hurts. What can it be?
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Muscle or joint origin: the pain is of the pinching sort and can be located with the tip of the finger. It worsens with its mobility and does not radiate.
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Neurological origin: the pain is of a burning type, cannot be located with the finger, and is usually internal. It can be accompanied by tingling or numbness in a region such as the shoulder, arm, or forearm.
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Associated with loss of strength in the shoulder or the arm: it can be due to pain or nerve compression. In the second case it can be very serious and must be assessed urgently.
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Depending on the origin, our team has designated different protocols for personalized treatment with a high success rate that can avoid surgery in most cases.
My shoulder and whole arm hurts. What can it be?
When the pain is of neurological origin we call it neuropathic. The pain is of a burning type, cannot be located and is usually internal. It can be accompanied by tingling or numbness of an area such as the shoulder, arm or forearm.
In these cases the nerves or nerve roots are pinched in the neck but generate pain throughout the distribution of the nerve.
Our team has designed a specific protocol in order to avoid surgery by using medication, physiotherapy with neuromodulation, neurodynamics, osteopathy and other techniques.
If the pain is very severe we perform infiltration-discolysis with ozone and ipidural infiltrations that remove the pain immediately avoiding surgery.
If surgery is necessary, we carry it out with a microscope and in a minimally invasive manner, associating our post-surgical protocol of physiotherapy and rehabilitation.
My lower back hurts: what can it be?
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Lumbago: it is of muscular origin, generating a spasm with disabling pain which causes the patient to be caught in flexion.
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Articular or facet lesion: the pain is of the pinching type, can be located with the tip of the finger, worsens with its mobility, especially with rotations, and does not radiate (or it radiates in a belt-like manner).
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Sciatica: it is of neurological origin – the pain is burning, it cannot be located with the finger and is usually internal. It can be accompanied by tingling or numbness of an area such as the buttock, thigh, behind the knee, leg and even sole of the foot.
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Associates loss of strength to walk: it can be due to pain or nerve compression. In the second case it can be very serious and must be assessed urgently.
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Sacroiliac blockages: of the joints of the pelvis with the lumbar spine.
Depending on the origin, our team has designed different protocols for personalized treatment with a high success rate that avoids surgery in most cases.
My buttock and whole leg hurts up to the sole of the foot: what can it be?
When the pain is of neurological origin we call it neuropathic. The pain is burning type, cannot be located with the finger and is usually internal. It can be accompanied by tingling or numbness of a territory such as gluteus, thigh, behind the knee, leg and even the sole of the foot.
In these cases the nerves or nerve roots are pinched in the lumbar region (herniated disc) but generate pain along the distribution of the sciatic nerve.
Our team has designed a specific protocol to avoid surgery by using medication, physiotherapy with neuromodulation, neurodynamics, osteopathy and other techniques.
If the pain is very severe we perform infiltration-discolysis with ozone and epidural infiltrations that remove the pain immediately avoiding surgery.
If surgery is necessary, we carry it out with a microscope and in a minimally invasive manner, associating our post-surgical protocol of physiotherapy and rehabilitation.
My arms or legs fall asleep: what can it be?
The only structure of a body that generates a tingling sensation, numbness or crushing is a nerve or a nerve root.
The nerve is like a live wire that carries current and information about pain (neuropathic), tenderness (hormones) and strength (to the muscles).
When it is compressed and suffers, whether from a protrusion, hernia, extrusion disc or other reasons, it generates these symptoms that radiate or distribute along the path of the nerve in particular.
If the origin of the impingement is in the neck: the tingling can be distributed throughout the shoulder, arm, forearm and even reach the arm along the entire path.
If the origin of the impingement is the lumbar region: the tingling can be distributed throughout the gluteus, thigh, behind the knee, leg and even the sole of the foot.
It must be distinguished from nerve entrapment in other locations such as the elbow (ulnar), forearm (interosseus) or wrist (carpal tunnel).
The diagnosis is confirmed with the specific examination and the appropriate tests.
Our team has designed a specific protocol to avoid surgery by using medication, physiotherapy with neuromodulation, neurodynamics, osteopathy and other techniques with a high success rate.
Professionalism and honesty
Our commitment is to make our extensive experience and professionalism available to all our patients, offering personalized attention to achieve a complete recovery which, depending on each injury, allows our patients to return to their activities in the shortest possible amount of time.
