Common Types of Incomplete Spinal Cord

A resident of Denton, Texas, Dr. Jamie Gottlieb received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College and subsequently completed a Spine Surgery Fellowship at the Texas Back Institute. Dr. Jamie Gottlieb practices at Orthopedic Specialists North, I-Spine Institute, and GBS Spinal Associates as a spine surgeon where he treats patients with spinal cord injuries (SCIs).

SCIs are classified as either complete or incomplete. Complete injuries prevent the brain from being able to transmit signals below the area of the spinal cord that has been injured, whereas incomplete injuries reduce signaling below the damaged area.

Incomplete SCIs can involve different areas of the spine and are referred to by different names. For example, an anterior cord syndrome involves injury to the front of the spine, which leads to interference with sensation and motor function. Central cord syndrome involves injury to the middle of the cord and the associated nerves, thus leading to arm paralysis and partial paralysis of the legs. This type of injury may also cause bowel and bladder problems and loss of sexual function. Brown-Sequard syndrome involves damage to only one side of the spinal cord causing a loss of movement on one side but not the other.

Types of Knee Injections & Benefits

For more than 20 years, Dr. Jamie Gottlieb has been practicing medicine. He is the CEO and a spine surgeon at I-Spine Institute and GBS Spinal Associates, and he also serves as a spine surgeon at Orthopedic Specialists North Texas in Denton, TX. Dr. Jamie Gottlieb has written an article on intra-articular knee injections.

Knee injections are often necessary in sports medicine, general practice, and rheumatology to treat various conditions and reduce the impact of lifestyle-limiting knee injuries. Most commonly, intra-articular knee injections use corticosteroids, which relieve inflammation and pain in knee joints and address osteoarthritis pain. However, people who have psoriatic arthritis, pseudogout, rheumatoid arthritis, or juvenile idiopathic arthritis also may benefit from intra-articular corticosteroid injections.

Doctors also use other agents in knee injections, including hyaluronic acid and infliximab. Infliximab treats refractory knee synovitis or monoarthritis in patients who have rheumatoid arthritis or Behcet's disease. Typically, these patients have not had success with systemic treatment. Hyaluronic acid benefits patients who have osteoarthritis in the knees.  

An Overview of Ankylosing Spondylitis

Spine surgeon Dr. Jamie Gottlieb is experienced in treating a wide range of conditions of the spine, from back injuries to spinal tumors. Dr. Jamie Gottlieb is based in Denton, Texas, where treats a variety of conditions with innovative procedures and technologies.

A condition of the spine that currently has no cure is ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory disease that can lead to the fusion of some of the vertebrae, reducing the flexibility of the spine and causing pain and stiffness, usually in the lower back and hips. The pain is more common to occur in the morning or after periods of inactivity.

The areas affected are usually, though not only, the joint between the spine and pelvis, the lower back, hip, and shoulder joints. While the causes of ankylosing spondylitis are not certain, it appears that genetics can have an impact as people with the HLA-B27 gene are more likely to develop the condition. Furthermore, men appear to be more at risk of developing the condition, which usually occurs between late adolescence and early adulthood.

The diagnosis can be done through an X-ray or an MRI. X-rays are only able to detect the visible signs of the condition, that are often not present in the early stages. An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) can detect evidence of ankylosing spondylitis also in the earlier stages.

While there is no cure for ankylosing spondylitis, there are treatments meant to help alleviate the pain and even slow down the progression of the condition. The treatment often consists of medication and physical therapy, mainly range-of-motion and stretching exercises. Surgery may only be necessary in the case of severe pain or joint damage, but it’s quite rare.

Yoga for Chronic Back Pain

A spine surgeon based in Denton, TX, Dr. Jamie Gottlieb treats spine conditions such as arthritis of the neck, back injuries, chronic back pain, herniated disc, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and more. A member of several medical associations such as the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery, and the North American Spine Society, Dr. Jamie Gottlieb aims to help his patients increase their quality of life by providing personalized treatment and advice.

While medication or even surgery can be necessary to treat back pain, exercise can often be enough to alleviate moderate and even severe chronic back pain. Yoga, in particular, is a form of exercise that has proven effective in alleviating back pain, as long as it is performed carefully and even better under the guidance of a trained instructor.

A 2017 research found that specific yoga classes for low back pain can be as effective as physical therapy in reducing pain and improving function, while also leading to lowering the use of medicine. The same findings were found in a 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis of 18 randomized controlled trials. Furthermore, it won’t come as a surprise that practicing yoga has proven more effective in reducing pain than not performing any type of exercise.