Common Conditions
Alabama Neurosurgeons provides the most advanced treatment for conditions of the brain, spine and nerves. Below you will find more information about several conditions we treat.
SpondylolisthesisNormal Pressure Hydrocephalus
Low Back Pain
Sciatica
Slipped Disc
This is a rather ancient term referring to pain in the sciatic nerve distribution. The pain starts frequently on the back on one or both sides, goes down the hip, thigh, and occasionally the leg as far as the foot and toes. While multiple causes can cause the above complaint, the most common ones are a simple disc herniation or arthritis causing compression of the nerve root in the spine. The majority of the patients with sciatica have an identifiable abnormality on the lumbar MRI scan. However, some patients do not.
Included in those are individual who have pain down the hip and leg for multiple years (where the original cause has resolved) and now the patient has intrinsic nerve damage, direct trauma to the nerve root such as a fall on the buttocks precipitating pain, or a more unusual syndrome such as piriformis syndrome.
Arachnoiditis is scarring of the nerve roots inside the spinal sac and is less common then it was some decades ago, when a material called pantoque was used for myelograms.
However, this still is seen at times now, especially if blood was ever present inside the thecal sac that caused scarring. The thecal sac is the sac that is filled with spinal fluid inside the spinal canal, which contains the nerves going to the legs.
Of course, it is best to treat the cause if possible, but if this is not an option, symptomatic relief can be obtained by following sciatic “precautions”, pain blocks, and rehabilitative care. It should be cautioned that hamstring stretching or straight leg raising could irritate this nerve. “Whenever the hip is flexed”, we encourage patients to “bend the knee.“
Brain TumorsSubaracnoid Hemorrhage
Mechanical Disorders and Disc Herniation
Inflammatory & Infectious Disorders
Tumors of the Spine and Spinal Cord
Neck Trauma
Herniated Disc and Arthritis
Mechanical Disorders
Inflammatory & Infectious Disorders
Back Truama
Osteoporosis
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome