Sinus Surgery

October 14th, 2008

Sinus Surgery

ENS Means Significant Nasal Problems

By Walter Ballenberger

If you’ve ever had a sinus operation or are thinking about having one, you need to be aware of one of the most tragic of nasal problems, ENS.

ENS stands for Empty Nose Syndrome. This condition causes nasal problems in some people that can be devastating. The condition is tragic because it is doctor induced. That is, when nasal turbinates are extracted in whole or in part during sinus surgery, the condition can subsequently occur, sometimes taking 5 or 6 years to manifest itself.

Turbinates can swell and cause blockages in nasal cavities, leading to sinus infections. Thus, cutting out turbinate tissue during sinus surgery used to be a common practice. It is now better understood that these turbinates are part of a system that regulates the flow of air through the nose and into the lungs. The turbinates also filter air going into the lungs, and they add humidity such that the respiratory system does not dry out. Furthermore, turbinate tissue produces mucous and contains cilia, which are vital for the proper functioning of the nasal system. Cilia can be permanently damaged, and if that occurs the nasal system will simply break down, and you are bound to feel miserable

Dr. Eugene Kern of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota coined the term Empty Nose Syndrome in the 1990’s after he and his colleagues observed that people who had turbinates or turbinate tissue removed during sinus surgery were still complaining about having stuffiness, sinusitis and other nasal problems, even though their nasal passages were very open, since their turbinates had been removed. These patients also experienced other symptoms, including shortness of breath, nasal dryness and caking, pain in the face, as well as depression and anxiety and a loss of the ability to concentrate. Dr. Kern studied the cases of over two hundred people with this condition and came up with the term “Empty Nose Syndrome” now commonly referred to as ENS. Dr Kern even treated two people who were so miserable with this condition that they committed suicide! He has been counseling surgeons to be conservative in their surgeries, but since the concepts are still relatively new, not every ENT is convinced, and many will still extract turbinates and turbinate tissue. The bottom line is this: don’t let your surgeon cut out your turbinates or their tissue if you are going to have sinus surgery. Another tragic aspect of the problem is that once the tissue is removed it cannot grow back, and techniques currently do not exist for successful transplants of other tissue.

One can learn more details about this condition by going to the web site of the ENS Association. Just do a search for “empty nose syndrome” and you’ll easily find the site. It features a forum in which people share their experiences, and just reading through some of the comments by people who are suffering from ENS nasal problems should be enough to make you extremely cautious if you are contemplating surgery.

One thing to keep in mind is that oftentimes people do not start experiencing ENS symptoms until 5 or 6 years after they have had surgery, as mentioned above. Essentially it can take that long for the remaining cilia left after the surgery to succumb to being overloaded and to fail. I personally had my second sinus surgery about six years ago, and I am watching out for ENS symptoms which fortunately are not an issue in my case thus far. My story and the stories of others can be found at http://www.postnasaldrip.net by checking the article index there.

Anyone who has had sinus surgery or is contemplating it is strongly urged to go to the ENS web site. Scroll down the home page, and you will find a button where you can listen to Dr. Kern presenting a lecture to other surgeons. His talk is about a half hour in length, and it is particularly poignant when he describes the two patients he treated who committed suicide. It quickly becomes clear that this condition is a very serious one. You will learn a lot by listening to this tape and by studying the other information on the site. In fact anyone who suffers from sinusitis or other nasal problems should be aware of ENS in case they are ever confronted with sinus surgery.

Walt Ballenberger is founder of http://www.postnasaldrip.net a resource web site for sinusitis sufferers like himself. For a free report entitled “Sinus Treatment Success Stories”, visit http://www.postnasaldrip.net and click on the Free Report link. This resource can be of significant help to chronic sinus sufferers

Article Source: http://www.free-articles-zone.com


This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Seek the guidance of a licensed physician if you need medical advice.

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Shoulder Surgery

October 8th, 2008

Shoulder Surgery

Shoulder Tendonitis Surgery - Rotator Cuff Tendonitis

By Steve Madigan

First let’s find out what shoulder tendonitis or rotator cuff tendonitis is? There are several other names that this can be called. Some are known as tennis shoulder, pitcher’s shoulder and even a shoulder impingement. These are all common names for a very similar problem.

So what is it? Shoulder tendonitis or rotator cuff tendonitis is the inflammation and can be an irritation and swelling of the tendons of the shoulder. The shoulder joint is a ball and socket type joint. The top part of the arm bone (humerus) forms a joint with the shoulder blade (scapula). The rotator cuff holds the head of the humerus into the scapula.

What is the most common cause of rotator cuff tendonitis?

A lot of the time the problem occurs with sports. Inflammation of the tendons of the shoulder muscles occur in sports using the arm being moved over the head repeatedly. Such sports are tennis, baseball (pitching mainly) swimming and even lifting weights over the head. What happens sometimes is you get the inflammation or injury and can cause the tendons of the rotator cuff to tear. Sometimes this occurs in people over 40 years of age.

Some of the symptoms

Pain when the arm is moved
Arm is weak when rising over your head
Pain in shoulder at night, especially when lying on the affected shoulder.
Pain in arm when performing overhead activities

How to find out if you have shoulder tendonitis

X-ray’s or MRI. X-ray’s can show a burn spur. The MRI can show the inflammation in the rotator cuff. There could also be a tear in the rotator cuff and the MRI will show this.

Shoulder Tendonitis Surgery

Before shoulder tendonitis surgery, you should try physical therapy to strengthen the muscles of the rotator cuff. If the pain is too great to start physical therapy a steroid injection (cortisone) may reduce pain and inflammation enough to start effective therapy.

If there is a tear in the rotator cuff or therapy has not helped and symptoms persist, shoulder surgery may be necessary. For most shoulder surgery, this can be accomplished with arthroscopic surgery. This type of surgery is effective in removing the bone spur and inflamed tissue around the shoulder.

You can also treat small tears with shoulder tendonitis surgery and arthroscopic surgery. There are even some new techniques that allow even large tears to be repaired with arthroscopic surgery. Now there are some large tears that are going to require open surgery to repair the torn tendon.

Shoulder Tendonitis Surgery Expectations

Once the shoulder tendonitis surgery is completed and the bone spur or tear has been repaired arthroscopic ally, you can expect the use of the shoulder to pre-injury levels. The activities that you performed prior to the injury should be able to perform them once again.

There are a couple of factors in determining the success of the shoulder tendonitis surgery. People with tears of their rotator cuff that have had the shoulder tendonitis surgery (arthroscopic) will do well. It will depend upon the size and the duration of the tear. The age of the patient will also have a bearing on the outcome and what the pre-injury level of function was.

So there are some things that you can do and the success of the shoulder tendonitis surgery should have a successful outcome in most cases. In another article I will discuss the rehabilitation of shoulder tendonitis surgery.

Other Tendonitis topics visits: Shoulder Tendonitis Surgery or for Pain Relief visit Tooth Pain Relief

Have had many articles published on a variety of subjects. Co author of the best selling golf ebook called “Putt Lights Out”. You can find this ebook at http://www.puttlightsout.com. For more information on tendonitis topics visit http://www.tendonitistypes.com

Article Source: http://www.free-articles-zone.com



This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Seek the guidance of a licensed physician if you need medical advice.

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Surgery For Back Pain

July 15th, 2008



Surgery For Back Pain

By Frederic Madore

Unless you absolutely need an emergency surgical procedure, surgery for back pain should be the very last solution to look at to get rid of your back problems. If you are suffering from extreme back pain, you should immediately consult with your physician, and only if he recommends it, you should seek surgery for your back pain. People usually do this type of procedure when every other back treatment fails or if the causes of your back problems can only be cured by surgery for back pain

Proven Herniated Disc

Of course there are situation where surgery for back pain is inevitable. One of those cases would be to suffer from a proven herniated disc which is quite painful. The surgical procedure consists in decompressing the nerves in your back relieving you of your pain.

Other conditions requiring surgery for back pain:

- Fracturing your spine
- Dislocating your spine
- Spondylolisthesis (This is when one of your vertebra slips forward under another one)
- If you are suffering from a Neurologic deficit that is a result of a nerve compression.

Even in spite of the most serious conditions that may warrant having to undergo surgery for back pain, statistics report that there is approximately only a one percent chance that you would actually need to resort to surgery for your back pain problems. The major factor that will decide whether you need surgery or not, is the severity of your condition. Is the condition preventing you to perform your day-to-day activities? Will you back problem will get worse if left untreated? All these aspects will be taken into account.

Now days there are many surgeon and experts that are of the view that in the past there as been too much surgery for back pain that where not successful. Many of those surgeries did not help the patient and in some cases even made the condition worse. They are now convince that before performing surgery for back pain, the individuals must be selected carefully and the surgery will be performed only on those that are most suited for this kind of procedure.

There are many types of surgery for back pain, for example there is the surgery for:

- Discs problems
- To stabilize the spine
- To create more space in the spine
- And more

You physician or doctor is the only person qualified to help you determine what is the best surgery for back pain according to your condition.

If you are tired of suffering from back pain, click the following link to find the best back pain relief available.

I hope this article about “Surgery for Back Pain” was informative, visit my website for more quality information.

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This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Seek the guidance of a licensed physician if you need medical advice.

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Vasectomy Reversals

April 28th, 2008

Vasectomy Reversal

Is A Vasectomy Reversal The Solution For You?

If you have previously had a vasectomy but now have a desire to father a child, then the encouraging news for you is that the process may well be reversible. We take a look at the vasectomy reversal process and see how likely you are to regain your fertility.

You’ll find that a vasectomy reversal is more likely to be successful the sooner that it is undertaken. It is believed the ideal time period to have a reverse vasectomy is the initial three years from the time that you first underwent your vasectomy. Your chances for a successful vasectomy reversal will slowly begin to deteriorate the more time passes by after these opening three years.

When you undergo a vasectomy reversal, the surgeon will perform either a vasovasostomy or a vasoepididymostomy. With a vasovasostomy, the surgeon will attempt to sew your vas deferens back together. This is the most likely procedure that your surgeon will perform. A vasoepididymostomy is a bit more complicated and this is normally carried out if there happens to be a blockage in the epididymis. When performing a vasoepididymostomy, your surgeon will look to join your vas deferens to your epididymis.

Anyone who is considering a vasectomy reversal will want to know what the chances are for success. Well, recent studies have indicated that those men who underwent a vasovasostomy, sperm was found to be present in approximately 90 percent of cases and that 50 percent of those had later gone on and fathered a child. As for those who had undergone a vasoepididymostomy, sperm was found to be present in approximately 65 percent of cases and just 25 percent of those men had later gone on and fathered a child.

If you do intend to go on and have a vasectomy reversal, then you can help improve your chances for a successful operation by finding a surgeon who is experienced in this line of work and particularly with microsurgical procedures.

No one is guaranteed to have their fertility restored unto them. But by selecting a surgeon who as a solid background in microsurgical procedures and by having your vasectomy reversal performed as soon as you can; you can really help to increase your chances of being a father to a newborn child.

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About the Author: Mark Gardner is a popular webmaster and publisher of vasectomyreport.com To get more information on vasectomy reversal check out his website today!

This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Seek the guidance of a licensed physician if you need medical advice.

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Varicose Vein Surgery

March 31st, 2008

Varicose Vein Surgery

Varicose veins are swollen, twisted and unsightly veins (usually on the legs) that look lumpy and bluish through the skin. Blood is collected in the superficial veins of the leg, just below the skin surface, and delivered to deeper veins that run within the calf muscles. There are several different ways to remove varicose veins. Surgery is usually the best option for varicose veins visible beneath the skin. It is usually most effective in the largest varicose veins which will be completely removed. It is also effective for smaller varicose veins. Treatment can be undergone for therapeutic or cosmetic reasons. surgery can get rid of your varicose veins. Surgery is likely to improve the way your legs look. Surgery is likely to help any symptoms you have, such as aching, heavy and tired legs.

Surgery will not help thread or spider veins which are found within the layers of the skin itself and cannot be physically removed. The surgeon makes a cut at the bottom (ankle end) and the top (groin end) of the varicose vein. A thin, plastic, tube-like instrument is placed into the vein and tied around it. When the tube is pulled out, it pulls the vein from out under the skin. Small surgical cuts can also be made over individual veins to remove them. The operation is usually performed under a general anaesthetic and you are asleep and unaware throughout the procedure. The commonest operation (high tie or saphenofemoral ligation) is where a cut is made in the groin over the top of the main varicose vein. The risks for any surgery include Bleeding ,infection and bruising.

The commonest operation (high tie or saphenofemoral ligation) is where a cut is made in the groin over the top of the main varicose vein. Surgeons can remove varicose veins in several different ways. You can talk to your surgeon about how he or she plans to do your operation. The surgeon will usually remove only the section of vein between your groin and knee. Less often, the whole vein is taken out from groin to ankle. Surgeon makes two cuts: a five-centimetre (two-inch) cut along the crease in your groin, and a one-centimetre (half-inch) cut lower down your leg, usually on the inside of your knee.The surgeon then looks inside your groin and finds the top of the main surface vein in your leg. This vein is tied off at the top (and sometimes the lower end) to stop blood flowing through it.

This is called ligation. A thin, bendy wire is then passed down through the vein to the lower cut. There’s a stripping tool at the upper end of the wire. Surgeons can use an electric device that sucks small bits of vein out of your leg. The surgeon uses a light, which goes under your skin to see the veins that need to be removed. This operation is called transilluminated powered phlebectomy. Surgery seems to work for longer than injections do. Anaesthetics can have side effects. These are more likely with a general anaesthetic. Some of the common side effects of varicose vein surgery include swelling, scaring although scars tend to be less noticeable than varicose veins and fade with time and skin and calf muscle may be painful, swollen and bruised.
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About the Author: Juliet Cohen writes articles for health beauty tips and womens health blog. She also writes articles on health and beauty advice.

This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Seek the guidance of a licensed physician if you need medical advice.

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Back Surgery Options

March 21st, 2008

Back Surgery

Back surgery - Neurosurgeon or Orthopedic Surgeon? Does it Matter?

If your back pain is chronic then chances are good you’ve tried all manner of conservative back pain remedies, stuff like resting, medication, heat or cold therapy, physical therapy, visits to the chiropractor and even cortiscosteroid injections. If the back pain persists it may be time to consider a more invasive approach.

Your primary care physician can help you find the right Neurosurgeon for your procedure. Here are some questions you should ask your surgeon well before your surgery date:

1) Are there alternatives to surgery? You may think you’ve tried them all, but your neurosurgeon could have suggestions beyond what you’ve attempted thus far. Further, he’s seen your type of pain a great deal and may know just the conservative remedy for you.

2) What are the risks of this surgery? It’s important that you know all the long and short term risks that accompany your potential surgery. This is a tough question to ask but it will help you to weigh your decision and it’s better to know the risks up front.

3) What are the benefits of this surgery? This may sound like an obvious question, but it will help you make sure that the surgeon knows exactly what pain you’re having and that he’s discussing the operation that’s best for you. Further, there might be some benefits of the surgery that you don’t really need. Talk this one all the way through and help diagnose yourself fully.

4) What will happen if I don’t have this surgery? There might be more factors than your continued back pain. If so, you should know these factors before making your final back surgery decision.

5) Where can I go for a second opinion? This may seem like an odd question, but it’s a great test of your neurosurgeon’s mettle. If he’s quick to rattle off second opinion options then it’s clear that he’s confident in his diagnosis. His confidence should NOT be your only deciding factor. Even if you really like your doctor it’s imperative that you get that second opinion. You’ll have your back for the rest of your life so make sure you’re getting it the best care possible.

6) How long can I expect to be in the hospital? The answer to this question gives you an idea of how invasive the procedure really is, plus it will give you an idea of how to plan for other aspects of your life such as work and family responsibilities.

7) How long will it take me to recover? Full recovery from the surgery could potentially take longer than your stay in the hospital. Talk this one through with your surgeon to get a good idea of the full extent of recovery, and even some things you could do to speed recovery.

8) What if I still have back pain after surgery? Be sure to ask this question of any and all neurosurgeons you see prior to surgery - it’s vital that you have a road map of the potential lengths you have to go through to achieve relief from your pain. Ideally, should pain persist, you’ll be able to relieve it using more conservative methods.

9) When can I resume normal activities? This question should give you the final analysis on how long you’ll be out of commission due to the surgery. Be sure to have a list handy of all the activities that are important to you and go down the list with your neurosurgeon to see if there are any special cases that may have longer or shorter wait times.

10) What is your experience with this surgery? Make sure you get at both angles of this question… You’re asking not only how many times your surgeon has performed the operation, but how well the operation has achieved its goals over time. Take your time with this question and get a thorough answer. You could also consider looking up your doctor’s online profiles to check his experience. Mine are here: Dr Steven Gelbard (from SpineUniverse.com) and here Dr Steven Gelbard (HealthGrades).

So there you have it, the top ten questions to ask your neurosurgeon before surgery. I also suggest that you ask him about costs, and what items or people you should bring with you to the hospital on the day of your surgery.

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About the Author: Read out healthy diet . Also check out for mens health and no smoking .

This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Seek the guidance of a licensed physician if you need medical advice.

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Is Back Surgery Needed

February 22nd, 2008

Back Surgery

Back Surgery Is Not Always The Answer

by: Robert Gould

So many people suffer from chronic low back pain. Its the number one reason Americans miss work. Back pain can either come on slow and get worse, or all at once you wake to find you cant get out of bed like a lighting strike out of the blue. Either way its a terrible thing to cope with. When after a few days or a couple of weeks at tops, most people end up going to the doctor. Upon going to the doctor, a lot of the people hurting with low back pain are told by physicians that surgery is needed. This news alone can be devastating in itself. Back surgery required recovery time that most people cant afford to take from work. Back surgery also is very expensive. Not only does it take a to recover and expensive, its also sometimes not even necessary.

So many people have low back surgery when other alternatives could have been used. Other methods of dealing with back pain can be physical therapy, biofeedback, traction, exercise, steroid injections, and electric stimulation therapy of muscles and nerves just to name a few. People that rush into back surgery have found that their back actually hurts worse than it did before the surgery. Some people also need follow up surgery either to correct mistakes made in the initial surgery, or problems in the back that crops up later. Either way this is also devastating. By this time, the patient has been out of work so long, that a financial hardship has occurred, medical bills have piled up, or some people have lost their employment, and find their back pain is no better or even worse.

People needlessly put themselves in this situation. I blame this on a couple of things. Physicians are quick to suggest surgery for the simple reason they do not believe in treating people with pain medicine. Some physicians are more worried about writing prescriptions for pain medication, than the pain your suffering from. This is due to people abusing the system when it comes to prescription drugs, or the lack of knowledge the physician sometimes has towards chronic pain sufferers. Either way the true chronic pain patient suffers tremendously.

When it comes to your back, going under the knife should always be the last resort. Everything under the sun should be tried, and tried again before anyone should have surgery. There are a few exceptions when having back surgery right away is necessary, but for the most part, other measures and therapy are out their and should be used. As a low back pain sufferer myself, though Im not a medical doctor, I would suggest something like this. First find a doctor who believes treating pain with pain medication. Combing physical therapy with pain medication can relieve pain tremendously. Do physical activities such as stretching, walking, sit-ups if possible, this strengthens the muscles around the disc taking the pressure off the nerves that cause such pain. A good program of pain medicine combined with other pain management tactics can do wonders over a period of time. A lot of people have found that the pain has actually went away with this type of therapy.

Worse case scenario, its better to have your back still in tact with pain, compared to the many complications, the severe pain, permanent nerve damage, loss of physical mobility, being unable to work, and even becoming disable due to having low back surgery. Remember no matter what anyone tells you, its your back, not theirs. Its easy for someone to tell you what you should do, but they don’t have to walk in your shoes after a failed back surgery.

Copyright 2006 Robert Gould

About The Author

Robert Gould is an advocate in pain managment, helping people who suffer from chronic pain to get the proper pain medication to treat their pain for a better quality of life. For more information go to: http://www.rxscripts4u.com

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Back Surgery

October 5th, 2007

Back Surgery

Will Surgery Help My Back Pain?

 
by: Katherine Martin

Everyone experiences back pain at some time in their life. In fact, it is in the top three complaints that people bring to the doctor’s office.

In most cases there is soft tissue inflammation, muscle spasms, or degenerative arthritis. These respond well to conservative treatments such as anti-inflammatory medicines, stretches, and osteopathic manipulative therapy. Physical modalities such as heat or cold, massage, and acupuncture are also helpful.

So when should you worry? Any loss of bowel or bladder control needs immediate attention. Surgery can release the pressure on the nerves and full function usually returns.

The longer the loss of bladder or bowel control continues without treatment, the higher the risk of permanent damage. This also includes weakness of any muscles in the legs or feet. Plus you can reduce the risks of falls and fractures.

Contrary to popular opinion, a thorough history, neurological and structural exams, plus basic X-rays of the spine can diagnose the problem 80-90% of the time. Expensive MRI studies certainly can be helpful looking at the cross-sections of the spine into the discs and spinal cord. But, in most cases it will not change the eventual conservative treatment anyway.

Consider an MRI if surgery is likely. Certainly if there is no improvement in your symptoms after several weeks or there is worsening of your pain.

Besides the obvious causes of low back pain from muscle spasms, degenerative discs and osteoarthritis, chronic structural imbalances play a major role. Wear and tear to the spine from old trauma, sports, and obesity cause the discs to lose their cushioning ability. They also may bulge or protrude backwards.

Visit The Back Pain Forum

Over 50 years of age almost everyone has changes I the discs loosing height and acquiring some bone spurs. However, not everyone has pain. Again, unless the nerve root coming out of the spinal cord or the spinal cord itself is squeezed, surgery will not help. Even radiating leg pain called sciatica along with numbness and tingling in the legs can go away over time with proper treatment that includes osteopathic manipulation therapy.

Studies show that back pain sufferers who have surgery have no better pain relief or function than those who didn’t have surgery after five years passed. Certainly if surgery is recommended it is wise to get a second opinion.

About The Author

Katherine A Martin, D.O. - Board Certified Family Practice Physician. Medical Coaching and Consulting. Health for the whole person. Visit my web site at http://www.DO-Medicine.com.

Posted in Health, Back Pain, Surgery | 126 Comments »