If you are dealing with a herniated disc, you have probably heard the term microdiscectomy. It is one of the most reliable, minimally invasive procedures available. But there is a common misconception that a disc herniation is treated the exact same way regardless of where it happens. In reality, location changes everything.  What Does a Microdiscectomy Do? Despite what the name implies,…

Cervical and lumbar artificial disc replacement both remove a worn disc and replace it with a motion preserving implant, but the neck and the lower back put very different demands on that device. A cervical disc is small and built for turning your head, while a lumbar disc is larger and carries your body weight with every step. That difference changes the surgical approach, who qualifies, and…

Most patients scheduled for artificial disc replacement ask the same question before their procedure: "When can I get back to my life?" The answer is faster than most people expect. Most patients return to light activity and desk work within 1-2 weeks. Full recovery typically happens by 3 months. Dr. George S. Naseef, board-certified fellowship-trained disc replacement specialist at The…

You have done the hard work of getting your child to this point. You saw the early warning signs of scoliosis symptoms, got the diagnosis, and made the decision to move forward with a pediatric scoliosis surgery. Now you need a clear picture of what recovery looks like: when your child goes back to school, when they can play their sport again, and what the next several months of daily life…

If you have been told that more than one disc in your spine is damaged or degenerating, you are probably wondering what your options are. For many patients, the default answer they hear is spinal fusion. But for the right candidates, artificial disc replacement (ADR) is a motion-preserving alternative that can be performed at more than one level. Here is what patients across New Jersey and…

A scoliosis diagnosis, or even a flag at a school screening, tends to catch parents off guard. But for most families, it is the beginning of a manageable process, not a crisis. Scoliosis in growing children is one of the most common spinal conditions we treat, and the overwhelming majority of children who are diagnosed and monitored appropriately go on to live full, active lives without…

You have scoliosis. At some point, leg pain entered the picture too. Maybe it started as numbness, a tingling that travels down the back of your thigh, or a foot that just feels off going down stairs. You've probably been treating it like a separate problem: a sciatica diagnosis, physical therapy focused on the leg, maybe an injection or two. Some of it helped for a while. Some of it didn't…

As a parent, you know your child better than anyone. You notice when they favor one hip while standing or when their clothes seem to hang unevenly on their body. These subtle changes might make you pause and wonder if something's not quite right. When it comes to early morning signs or symptoms of scoliosis in children, these seemingly minor observations can be incredibly important. If…

A lot of patients arrive at the artificial disc replacement conversation knowing very little about it. Getting here usually takes a while. Failed injections, rounds of physical therapy, maybe a second opinion or two. At some point the conversation shifts from managing the pain to addressing the source of it, and artificial disc replacement enters the picture. If you're doing your research…

You've tried the conservative route of physical therapy, injections, maybe a few different medications. Nothing has worked and your pain is still there. Now the conversation is switching to surgery, and artificial disc replacement is on the table. Your surgeon will be working from a specific clinical baseline when evaluating your case. Who qualifies for artificial disc replacement generally…