Back Talk Doc

Back pain can feel impossible to control. However, there are things that you can do to reduce pain. In this episode, Back Talk Doc host Dr. Sanjiv Lakhia empowers listeners to reduce back pain through mindful eating and nutrition.  As Dr. Lakhia explains, “It's important that we zoom out and ask ourselves, what's really going on with our food and our diet? ”  By mastering the basics of h...

In a bomb shelter under attack in the Middle East, Dr. David Berceli, PhD observed what would become the foundation for much of his work. As mortar shells assaulted the shelter’s exterior, David observed as young children shook in terror and adults sat, stoic and unmoving.  “We train ourselves out of these endogenous rhythmic movements of the human body that actually are designed to help us r...

Sometimes, the greatest struggles can bring forth the greatest innovations.  That is certainly true for Dr. Eric Goodman, DC, the founder of Foundation Training . As a young man in chiropractic school, his severe back pain from multiple disc herniations became unbearable. “I had about a year left of chiropractic school when my back got bad to the point that I was like, ‘I don't want to be a c...

Regenerative medicine has great potential. It empowers the body’s own healing mechanisms to cure injuries that would normally require surgery or other invasive measures. In this episode of Back Talk Doc, Dr. Peter Bailey discusses his work in regenerative spinal care.  Research on regenerative spinal care is steadily progressing, despite a lack of funding. Most companies fund research into dr...

For Dr. Stuart McGill, surgery should be the last resort. In fact, for many patients who don’t properly address their pain, surgery is, at best, a temporary option . Consider this: following a disc hernia procedure, many patients, including those Dr. McGill sees, usually fall back into old habits and run the risk of re-injuring their damaged spine. “So you are going to have to change the way that...

What if back-pain relief was just a few steps away? Esther Gokhale’s work with posture and movement finds that just changing the way you sit, stand, lie down, and walk can eliminate your back pain.  Esther grew up in India helping her mom treat orphaned babies and she studied biochemistry at college. Later, she became a licensed acupuncturist. So when her own pain and herniated disc issues em...

Dr. David Schechter didn’t always buy into the idea of the mind-body pain connection. As a medical student, he relied on conventional and traditional approaches to pain management. But that was before he developed knee pain that felt almost impossible to resolve. He tried mechanical therapy and strengthening exercises as is typically recommended, but nothing seemed to work. So he approached an NYU...

Bryana Gregory works at a compounding pharmacy, an option that many physicians in traditional medical circles have never considered. But compounding could be the key to recovery and better long-term health for some patients. Rather than seeking only to relieve pain, compounding pharmacists take a holistic approach to a patient’s health to create personalized treatments. “It’s like back in the day,...

Have you ever been told you have “Uncle Arthur,” more commonly known as arthritis? This ailment affects so many that either you or someone you know likely has pain from arthritis. With so many ways for a back to hurt, how do you tell if your back hurts from arthritis? Back pain from arthritis is a somewhat different affair than disc pain or structural pain. Instead of the pain radiating, it stays...

Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates’ Dr. Andrew Sumich is one of a handful of physiatrists across the country participating in trials of Relievant Medsystems' revolutionary technology that can reduce long-term pain for patients with chronic low back pain: the Intracept Spine Procedure. The secret to the procedure lies in new research, which deepens the medical understanding of spinal anat...

As a CrossFit level 1 trainer with a 13-year physical therapy career and an interest in golf, running, skiing, and hiking, it’s fair to say that Dr. Jackson Bellis practices what he preaches when it comes to maintaining a healthy back. Dr. Bellis is always challenging his own body and encouraging his patients to safely challenge their bodies to see what they can do. “I really think we can make a b...

Lumbar spinal injections can help reduce back and leg pain and are a highly requested treatment at our offices. But there are also plenty of misconceptions about them. Can epidurals be a first-line treatment for low back pain? How well can they help us determine a source of pain? Can injections heal discs? We brought on Dr. Joseph Zuhosky, who recently joined our team at Carolina Neurosurgery &amp...

Health care has been a constant presence in Matt Parks’s life for much longer than most people. His mother is an ER nurse. His older brother was born with a rare condition and was often hospitalized as a child. And as a college baseball player, Matt started taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to cope with a shoulder injury. He became dependent on the medications and started to exp...

Being told your pain is only in your head is maddening when it’s your back that hurts. But is there more truth to this statement than we have long believed? NeuFit founder Garrett Salpeter says that pain is sometimes not an accurate depiction of the extent of an injury, but rather an overreaction by your nervous system. At NeuFit, Garrett draws on his background in engineering and neuroscience to...

Sometimes imaging doesn’t explain a patient’s pain, and when that is the case, many will feel discouraged if not flat-out alarmed. Trigger points can offer answers, and it’s the topic of this episode of Back Talk Doc. Marty Kestin joins the podcast to explain more about trigger points and how they are involved in causing pain. At Ensoma Bodyworks , Marty teaches both patients and students how to r...

Just like the spine — the clinicians, doctors, and practitioners who practice spinal care comprise a complex system. In this episode of Back Doc Talk, we are talking about the team it takes to manage your spinal health, and especially the role of Physician Assistants (PAs).  PAs like Mike Nido of Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates are responsible for a range of treatments and assistan...

We’re talking about healthy relationships on this episode of Back Doc Talk. What does that have to do with back and spine health? A lot.  With power couple and relationship coaches Jocelyn and Aaron Freeman at the helm, this episode examines how back and spine issues can affect your relationship and vice versa.  Physical pain influences how we feel and how we interact with others, and de...

The general public’s understanding of spinal fusion often starts with a misconception. When Dr. Hunter Dyer talks to people about lumbar fusion, many think that it’s the screws doctors place that are the fusion. But that’s not true — the hardware just holds the spine in alignment until the vertebrae or spinal elements grow back together. As an expert in spinal fusions, Dr. Dyer is familiar with wh...

With fifteen years of experience as a spine physician, Dr. Sanjiv Lakhia is always on the lookout for ways to help his patients improve their back health, particularly with natural, less invasive methods that can be easily integrated into their day-to-day lives. Today, we’re going to be discussing a common cause of back and neck pain, prolonged periods of sitting. Joining us on this episode of Bac...

On Episode 13 of Back Talk Doc we spoke with Dr. Matt McGirt about Adult Spinal Deformity ( Ep. 13 - Adult Spinal Deformity with Dr. Matt McGirt .) It proved to be a popular and valuable episode for our community, so today we’re following up that episode with a discussion of scoliosis and spinal deformity in pediatric patients. Joining us is Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates’ new partner,...

We have addressed numerous aspects of low back pain from surgical angles to medications, nutrition, and injections on the podcast, but an increasing number of patients are also suffering from mid-back pain or “thoracic pain.” On this episode of Back Talk Doc, Dr. Sanjiv Lakhia is joined by Dr. Scott Otis , a physiatrist at the Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates, to discuss thoracic back pa...

By the numbers, a solid percentage of you are listening to this 29 th episode of Back Talk Doc on your mobile device or in front of your computer. You may be hunched over peeping at the show notes on the screen, a noticeable strain rippling down your back. Whether you’re experiencing back or neck pain as you’re reading these words, this episode is here to help. On today's episode of Back Talk Doc,...

While COVID-19 has the headlines, for many, 2020 has also become synonymous with back pain. Working from home has cast many people from their ergonomic office chairs to couches, spare bedrooms, and dining room chairs.  On this episode, our Back Talk Doc, Dr. Sanjiv Lakhia, explores the benefits of utilizing electrical stimulation to combat those work-from-home back pains. Electrical stimulati...

While the holiday season is known for evoking feelings of joy and merriment, we know that back pain can dampen even the most festive of spirits. That’s why we’re devoting this episode to our Top 10 Gift Ideas to promote a healthy spine. If you have a friend or family member struggling with back issues this holiday season, consider a gift that will help them stay active and pain-free in 2021. 1.&nb...

Because medicine is in a perpetual state of evolution, it is incumbent upon medical practitioners to be lifelong learners, always sharpening their intellect and skillset. In recent years, much of this continuing education has become reliant on technology. While clinicians have access to scientific journals, magazines, blogs, podcasts, and other digital sources at their fingertips, quickly accessin...