libbi traveling after spinal fusion surgery
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When Back Pain Has a Name: Solving Bertolotti Syndrome

Key Facts For years, Libbi Logan planned her life around calculating her next move and how it would impact her pain. If she went to her son’s game tonight, could she work tomorrow? If she played tennis, what would it cost her afterward? Today she is back to being active and doesn’t have to plan…

two men running with the bright sun
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Why Men Shouldn’t Ignore Chronic Back Pain: Lessons From Patient Testimony

Chronic back pain in men can affect work, family, fitness, your mental health, and the ability to show up for the moments that matter. During Men’s Health Month, this VSI patient story is a powerful reminder that pushing through pain is not always strength and asking for help is not weakness. Tim is an active…

a mother's patient success story
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Chronic Back Pain in Women: Why Pain Should Never Be the End of the Story

Key Takeaways: Chronic Back Pain, Motherhood, and Hope Women Who Spend Decades Searching for Answers May is Women’s Health Month, focusing on the challenges and solutions to living with pain while managing motherhood – and all of the joys and demands that bring. Motherhood is filled with a lot of joy. The first steps. The…

spine surgeon and physical therapist on disc replacement vs spinal fusion
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Disc Replacement vs. Fusion: Decision-Making, Prehab and Recovery

Disc Replacement vs. Spinal Fusion: Quick Takeaways Disc replacement or spinal fusion surgery: It is one of the most common and yet most confusing decisions patients face when spine surgery becomes part of the conversation. In this episode of Get Back to Your Life®, VSI spine surgeon Dr. Colin Haines and physical therapist Larry Grine…

surprising advice from leading spine surgeons
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The Back Pain Roadmap: How to Own Your Path to Recovery

Key Takeaways If you are trying to figure out what to do about back pain, you are not alone. Many patients reach a point where they are researching diagnoses, wondering whether they have the full picture, and trying to understand whether conservative care, surgery, or something in between makes the most sense. This Get Back…

doctor in blue scrubs with basketball
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How to Prevent Back Injuries While Playing Basketball

Key Takeaways A love of basketball runs deep. Once you’ve played the game, it’s hard to give it up. That’s why so many adults are part of recreational basketball leagues – long after they’ve stopped competing as student athletes. But beware! Americans are more likely to injure themselves playing basketball than any other sport. For…

close up of man making medical decision
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How to Choose Between Disc Replacement and Spinal Fusion: A Patient Testimony

Discovering Disc Replacement: Key Takeaways What should you do if you’ve been told you need a spinal fusion? This episode of the Get Back To Your Life® podcast follows Nick, a patient from Chicago and lifelong athlete who spent more than half his life managing back pain that kept returning in cycles of endless pain….

the downside of pushing through the pain
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The Hidden Risk of Pushing Through Pain: The Smarter Path Back to Fitness

Stop Pushing Through Pain: Overview When It’s Time to Reassess: If your fitness goals keep getting derailed by pain, the answer usually isn’t more grit, it’s a better plan. In this episode, Dr. Niteesh Bharara and physical therapist Greg Morris explain why pain is information, not something to ignore, and why “waiting to get better…

disc replacement recovery story
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Disc Replacement After Years of Chronic Back Pain: Rachel’s Story

What does chronic back pain really cost? For Rachel, a 35-year-old teacher and mother of two from Maryland, the price was 20 years of her life spent watching from the sidelines. Twenty years of declining invitations, making excuses, and slowly shrinking her world to fit around constant pain. Her symptoms began as a teenager and…

neurologist on headaches and migraines
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Understanding Headaches and Migraines: Expert Insights for Finding Real Relief

If you’ve tried everything for headache relief with no lasting results, you’re not alone. Headaches affect an astonishing 40% of the global population, impacting more than 3 billion people worldwide. Yet despite being the most common form of pain, headaches remain one of the most misunderstood and dismissed health conditions. Dr. Ella Akkerman, a board-certified…