Vertrae® 360

One of the biggest questions patients ask before lumbar fusion is: “Will I ever be the same?” In this Vertrae® 360 Short Deep Dive, we explain what life can feel like after modern lumbar fusion and why the answer depends on what problem the surgery is meant to solve. A single-level minimally invasive lumbar fusion is designed to stop painful abnormal motion at one unstable segment — not to make th...

If you’ve been told you may need spinal fusion, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by scary stories online. But not all spinal fusions are the same — and not every outcome you read about reflects modern minimally invasive spine surgery. In this Vertrae® 360 Short Deep Dive, we explain why context matters when comparing fusion stories. A single-level minimally invasive lumbar fusion is very different fr...

If you’ve just been told you may need a lumbar fusion, fear and uncertainty are completely normal — especially after reading spine surgery stories online. In this Vertrae® 360 Deep Dive, we explain why not every fusion is the same and why modern minimally invasive lumbar fusion is very different from older open or multi-level fusion procedures. You’ll learn what patients often ask before surgery,...

If you’ve just been told you may need a lumbar fusion, it’s normal for fear to take over — especially after reading spine surgery stories online. But not every fusion is the same, and not every outcome you read about reflects the reality of modern minimally invasive spine surgery. In this Vertrae® 360 Deep Dive, we break down the questions patients often ask before lumbar fusion: Will I ever be th...

What if your chronic low back pain is not coming from the disc, muscle, or nerve root — but from inside the spinal bones themselves? In this Vertrae® 360 Short Deep Dive, we explain basivertebral nerve ablation, or BVNA, a targeted treatment option for vertebrogenic pain. This type of back pain can come from damaged or inflamed vertebral endplates, the area where the spinal disc meets the vertebra...

What does “robotic spinal fusion” actually mean — and how is it different from traditional open spine surgery? In this Vertrae® 360 Short Deep Dive, we explain how robotic-assisted spine surgery can help make lumbar fusion more precise, planned, and minimally disruptive. For patients with advanced lumbar instability, degenerative spondylolisthesis, nerve compression, or painful abnormal motion, su...

Why does physical therapy sometimes fail for lumbar instability — even when you do the exercises, show up consistently, and put in the work? In this Vertrae® 360 Short Deep Dive, we explain why lumbar instability is not always a simple “weak core” problem. Standard physical therapy often focuses on general strengthening, but instability usually requires a more specific approach that targets the de...

If you’ve been diagnosed with lumbar instability and you’ve already tried physical therapy, injections, or other treatments without lasting relief, it can feel overwhelming when surgery enters the conversation. In this episode, we break down the full treatment spectrum for lumbar instability — from stability-directed physical therapy to ReActiv8® restorative neurostimulation, basivertebral nerve a...

What does it mean when your X-ray looks “normal,” but your back pain still feels sharp, unpredictable, or mechanical? In this Vertrae® 360 Short Deep Dive, we explain why standard X-rays and MRIs may not always capture lumbar instability — especially when the problem happens during movement. Lumbar instability is often a dynamic spine problem, meaning the painful motion may only appear when you be...

Why does your back suddenly “give out” during simple movements like standing up, bending, reaching, or getting out of a car? In this Vertrae® 360 Short Deep Dive, we explain how lumbar instability can cause unpredictable mechanical low back pain, sharp catching sensations, and the feeling that your spine cannot be trusted. Unlike a sore muscle or a classic herniated disc, lumbar instability is oft...

If your chronic low back pain feels unpredictable — sharp one moment, quiet the next — and your back seems to “give out” during simple movements like standing up, bending, reaching, or getting out of a car, this episode is for you. In this Vertrae® 360 Deep Dive, we explore lumbar instability, also called lumbar segmental instability. Unlike a simple sore muscle or a classic herniated disc, lumbar...

If you are considering platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, for a spine condition, you may already know there is clinical evidence behind PRP for certain types of back pain. But what does the process actually look like in real life? In this episode, we walk through the PRP patient experience step by step — from the initial evaluation to procedure day, recovery expectations, medication restrictions, cost,...

Why do spinal discs struggle to heal after injury or degeneration? In this episode, we explain one of the biggest reasons chronic disc-related back pain can persist: spinal discs have very limited blood flow. Unlike a cut on your skin or a muscle injury, a damaged spinal disc does not receive the same steady delivery of healing cells, platelets, growth factors, and repair signals. That limited blo...

Regenerative medicine for back pain is often surrounded by hype, confusion, and mixed messages. In this episode, we take an evidence-based look at platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, and why it may offer a different approach than cortisone injections for carefully selected patients with disc-related low back pain. You’ll learn how PRP is made from your own blood, why platelets and growth factors matter,...

Regenerative medicine for back pain can feel confusing. Some clinics promise miracle results from a single injection, while others dismiss biologic treatments as experimental or overhyped. In this episode, we take an evidence-first look at what the science actually says about PRP, stem cells, and regenerative spine care. We start with platelet-rich plasma, or PRP — a biologic treatment made from y...

If you are still living with burning, shooting, or localized nerve pain after surgery, this episode explains why the pain may continue even after the original tissue has healed. We explore how chronic post-surgical nerve pain can develop when the nervous system remains stuck in an alarm state, especially when pain is concentrated in a specific area of the body. This type of pain may not always sho...

If your pain is severe, localized, burning, or electric — but your scans keep coming back “normal” — this episode is for you. We explore why chronic localized nerve pain, including complex regional pain syndrome, or CRPS, may not show up clearly on traditional imaging. Instead of coming from a visible structural problem, this type of pain can come from a processing error in the nervous system, spe...

What happens when pain stays trapped in one specific area long after the original injury has healed? In this episode, we explore dorsal root ganglion stimulation, or DRG-S, a highly targeted neuromodulation therapy designed for certain types of chronic localized nerve pain, including complex regional pain syndrome, or CRPS. Unlike pain caused by a visible structural injury on imaging, localized ne...

If your MRI looked “normal,” surgery was not recommended, and physical therapy did not give you lasting relief, why does your back still hurt? In this episode, we explore a missing piece in chronic mechanical low back pain: the multifidus muscle. The multifidus is a deep spinal stabilizing muscle that helps control small movements of the lumbar spine. After a back injury, disc irritation, or spina...

In this episode, we explore ReActiv8®, a reversible spinal implant designed to address chronic mechanical low back pain linked to multifidus muscle dysfunction. Instead of masking pain signals, ReActiv8® uses restorative neurostimulation to help reactivate deep stabilizing muscles in the lower back over time. You’ll learn who ReActiv8® is designed for, how it differs from spinal cord stimulation o...

Chronic mechanical low back pain can feel like a cycle you cannot escape, especially after years of failed injections, medications, physical therapy, and unanswered questions. In this episode, we take a clear, compassionate look at ReActiv8®, a restorative neurostimulation treatment designed for a very specific type of chronic low back pain linked to multifidus muscle dysfunction. This conversatio...

Why does chronic low back pain sometimes continue for years, even after physical therapy, injections, medications, and reassuring imaging? In this episode, we take a deep dive into a lesser-known cause of chronic mechanical low back pain: multifidus dysfunction . The multifidus is a deep stabilizing muscle in the lower back that helps support the lumbar spine during everyday movement. When this mu...

What if you could test drive a major spine treatment before making a permanent decision? In this episode, we take a deep dive into the spinal cord stimulation trial — one of the most patient-centered parts of the SCS process. For patients living with chronic nerve pain, the trial offers something unusual in medicine: the chance to test the therapy in real life before deciding whether to move forwa...

Is spinal cord stimulation (SCS) really a last resort, or could it be the right tool for the right type of chronic pain? In this episode, we take a deep dive into the most common questions patients ask before an SCS evaluation , using insights from Vertrae® in Dayton, Ohio. This conversation explores how spinal cord stimulation works, what neuropathic pain feels like, what patients can expect duri...

What does it mean to “test drive” a spinal cord stimulator? In this Vertrae® 360 Deep Dive , we explain the spinal cord stimulator trial process, how it works, and why it is an important step before considering a permanent spinal cord stimulator implant. A spinal cord stimulator trial allows patients and providers to evaluate whether this treatment may help reduce chronic back pain, nerve pain, le...