Stories and news about treatment advances that improve your health and quality of life

Spine and Back

Learn about the techniques that Duke spine specialists use to diagnose and treat back and neck conditions -- and the people who have benefitted from these innovative treatments.

Showing 1 - 12 of 21 results
Could Peripheral Nerve Stimulation Eliminate Your Chronic Pain?
Could Peripheral Nerve Stimulation Eliminate Your Chronic Pain?

Peripheral nerve stimulation is becoming a popular treatment option for everything from stubborn back pain to rare neuropathies. Compared with opioid pain kill ...

Have Pain but Don’t Want Surgery? See a Physiatrist Instead
Have Pain but Don’t Want Surgery? See a Physiatrist Instead

If you experience chronic pain from an injury or medical condition, a physiatrist may be able to help you find relief without surgery. Physiatrists are medical ...

When Can a Doctor Help Your Back Pain?
When Can a Doctor Help Your Back Pain?

More than eight in 10 people will experience upper, mid, or low back pain at some point in their lives. Low back pain is the most common back pain. In most cas ...

Stay Awake During Spine Surgery to Recuperate Faster, Go Home Sooner
Stay Awake During Spine Surgery to Recuperate Faster, Go Home Sooner

Awake spine surgery is an alternative for people who can’t tolerate or don’t want general anesthesia. With perks that include a shorter hospital stay and an ea ...

Teen Plans for Future After Vertebral Body Tethering Corrects Scoliosis
Teen Plans for Future After Vertebral Body Tethering Corrects Scoliosis

Ausley Rudd was diagnosed with scoliosis as a child. The condition worsened as she grew until surgery was needed to stop her spine’s worsening curvature. Rathe ...

Should You See a Chiropractor for Back Pain?
Should You See a Chiropractor for Back Pain?

Nearly everyone suffers from back pain at some point. One treatment option is chiropractic care, which often includes spinal manipulation (also called manual m ...

Ready to Do Something About Your Back Pain?
Ready to Do Something About Your Back Pain?

When it comes to treating back and neck pain, starting with conservative treatments like physical therapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic manipulation is better ...

When Diabetic Neuropathy Made Him Miserable, A Spinal Cord Stimulator Got Him Back on His Feet
When Diabetic Neuropathy Made Him Miserable, A Spinal Cord Stimulator Got Him Back on His Feet

For Army veteran Kerry May, staying active has always been an important part of managing his diabetes. But worsening diabetic neuropathy -- nerve damage caused ...

Back and Neck Pain? Spine Injections Offer Relief Without Surgery
Back and Neck Pain? Spine Injections Offer Relief Without Surgery

If back pain is making it difficult to accomplish daily tasks, spine injections are a low-risk treatment option that provide quick relief without surgery. Here ...

Nerve Transfer Surgery Relieves Pain, Restores Function Lost to Nerve Damage
Nerve Transfer Surgery Relieves Pain, Restores Function Lost to Nerve Damage

If you experience chronic pain, numbness, or weakness in your spine, arms, or legs due to nerve damage, a procedure called nerve transfer surgery may improve o ...

EOS Imaging Reduces Radiation Exposure for Children with Scoliosis
EOS Imaging Reduces Radiation Exposure for Children with Scoliosis

Children with scoliosis require frequent X-rays to check their progress and monitor their growth. Over time, that can mean a lot of exposure to radiation. Fort ...

Raleigh Man Gets Life Back Thanks to Spinal Cord Stimulation Device
Raleigh Man Gets Life Back Thanks to Spinal Cord Stimulation Device

For 17 years, James Moharter suffered from a painful back injury that required increasingly powerful doses of pain medicine just to get him out of bed. That ch ...