GENERAL

A. Anatomy

  1. Normal Spinal Alignment
  2. Anatomy of the Cervical Spine
  3. Stabilizing Ligaments of the Upper Cervical Spine (Occiput-C2)

B. Diagnostics

  1. Cervical Discograms
  2. EMG/NCV- Electromyograms and Nerve Conduction Studies
  3. Epidural Injections and Selective Nerve Root Blocks
  4. Facet Blocks and Rhizotomies
  5. Diagnostic vs Therapeutic Injections
  6. Pain Diary

C. For Your Doctor Visit

  1. How to Describe Your History and Symptoms of Neck, Shoulder and Arm Pain
  2. Best Questions to Ask When Interviewing a Spine Surgeon or Neurosurgeon
  3. When to Have Neck Surgery

D. Risks of Spine Surgery

  1. Overview of Spine Surgery Complications
  2. General Complications of Spine Surgery
  3. Nerve and/or Spinal Cord Complications

NERVE CONDITIONS

E. Nerve Entrapment Compression

  1. Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
  2. Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
  3. Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
  4. Nerve Entrapment/Compression

F. Nerve Injuries and Recovery

  1. Chronic Radiculopathy
  2. How Muscles Recover from Nerve Injuries
  3. Nerve Damage & Healing
  4. Parsonage Turner Syndrome
  5. Peripheral Neuropathy
  6. Spinal Cord and Peripheral Nerve Stimulation
  7. Stingers and Burners
  8. Symptoms of Cervical Nerve Injuries

CONDITIONS

G. Causes of Neck Pain

  1. Cervical Radiculopathy or Pinched Nerve in the Neck
  2. Cervical Herniated Disc
  3. Cervical Central Stenosis & Myelopathy
  4. Isolated Disc Resorption (IDR)
  5. Central Cord Syndrome
  6. Spinal Cord Injuries
  7. Arthritis of the Neck and Back
  8. Cervical Deformity
  9. Cervical Degenerative Kyphosis
  10. Cervical Degenerative Spondylolisthesis
  11. Chronic Radiculopathy
  12. Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease
  13. Cervical Degenerative Facet Disease
  14. Cervical Spine Instability
  15. Cervical Spine Fractures and Dislocations
  16. Failed Artificial Cervical Disc Replacement
  17. Progressive Slip of Cervical Vertebra after a Posterior Laminectomy Surgery
  18. Failed Neck Surgery Syndrome
  19. Klippel Feil Syndrome
  20. Vertebrobasilar Artery Syndrome
  21. Chiari Malformation Type I (Arnold Chiari Syndrome)

H. Other Causes of Pain

  1. Rheumatological Conditions That Affect the Spine
  2. Dangerous Mimics of Back Pain
  3. Multiple Sclerosis
  4. Parsonage Turner
  5. Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)
  6. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) / Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) / Causalgia
  7. Reactive Depression
  8. Rotator Cuff Syndrome/Shoulder Impingement Syndrome

TREATMENTS

I. Surgical

  1. Anterior Cervical Decompression & Fusion (ACDF)
  2. Artificial Disc Replacement (ADR) for Cervical Spine
  3. Cervical Laminectomy, Laminoplasty and Posterior Cervical Fusion
  4. Posterior Cervical Foramenotomy
  5. Myths of Laser Spine Surgery

J. Non-Surgical

  1. Acupuncture
  2. Chiropractic
  3. Cold/Hot Therapies
  4. Epidural Injections
  5. Ergonomics
  6. Neck and Back Pain Medications
  7. Physical Therapy
  8. Prescribed Exercises / Ergonomics
  9. Prolotherapy
  10. Rest

PRE & POST OP

K. Preoperative Information

  1. Patient Preparation
  2. Bone Graft Choices for Cervical Fusion

L. Surgical Recovery

  1. Anterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion Surgery (ACDF) Recovery
  2. Artificial Disc Replacement (ADR) in Neck
  3. Posterior Cervical Fusion (Including Posterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion)
  4. Posterior Cervical Decompression (Including Posterior Cervical Foramenotomy)

M. Post-Operative Instructions

  1. General Post Operative Instructions
  2. Incision Care
  3. Removing the Collar
  4. Driving Test After Cervical Spine Surgery

N. Post-Operative Rehabilitation

  1. Care and Feeding of Your New Neck
  2. “Neck Situp” Exercises
  3. “Yes-No” Neck Exercises
  4. “Around The World” Neck Exercises