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The Baig Idea
Welcome to The Baig Idea! Your resource for addressing chronic pain and getting back to real living, including insights from our resident expert surgeon, Dr. Rafath Baig.
Criteria for a Good Candidate for Disc Replacement Surgery
Whether you’ve been told that you should have disc replacement surgery and are looking for a second opinion or you are researching different treatment options for the neck or back pain that you’re currently experiencing that don’t involve fusion, you might be...
How Artificial Discs Mimic Natural Disc Function
If you suffer from a disc condition that makes moving painful like degenerative disc disease or a herniated disc, you may have been told that you need a spinal fusion. This isn’t necessarily true. In fact, in many cases, damaged spinal discs of both the lumbar and...
Myths vs. Facts: Understanding Spine Surgery
Spine surgery isn’t for everyone, but if you happen to be a candidate for spine surgery, having it could change your life. If you’re suffering from lower back pain, neck pain, or nerve pain stemming from your neck or back that is radiating into your extremities...
Is Preventing Spine Problems Possible with Lifestyle Changes & Exercise?
Can cervical (upper) spine problems and lumbar (lower) spine problems really be prevented with lifestyle modifications and regular exercise? While it may not be possible to entirely prevent spine and disc problems from occurring with lifestyle changes alone, these...
How to Cure My Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: Decompression vs. Fusion
Spinal stenosis is a painful condition that occurs when a narrowing of the spinal canal results in pressure being put on the spinal cord and nerves. It can occur in both the neck (cervical spinal stenosis) and lower back (lumbar spinal stenosis). Spinal stenosis of...
Understanding the Main Types of Spine Fusion Surgery
There are many types of spine surgery, and spine fusion is just one of them. Generally speaking, spine fusion is a good surgery for patients who are not eligible for other, less invasive types of spine surgery such as endoscopic spine surgeries that don’t...
What Not to Do When Recovering from Cervical Surgery
There are a number of specific activities to avoid after cervical fusion or other types of cervical spine surgery, but if you remember only one piece of advice, let it be this: listen to your Doctor’s orders! If you’re like many folks, especially those determined to...
Key Points to Understand About Cervical Artificial Disc Replacement
Neck and arm pain is never fun, especially when that pain is constant and seems to get worse over time. But too often, people experiencing debilitating pain don’t take action, because they don’t know what their options are, or they think the only solution involves...
Microdiscectomy vs Endoscopic Discectomy for Herniated Discs
Herniated discs can be extremely uncomfortable to live with, resulting in arm, shoulder, leg pain, numbness, weakness, tingling, not to mention sharp pain that can be aggravated by bending or moving a certain way. If you’ve already tried nonsurgical treatments like...
Are You a Candidate for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery?
There are many types of minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS for short). But regardless of the type, what they all have in common is that they are a lot less involved than other more “traditional” forms of spine surgery, such as a spine fusion. That being said, not...
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery vs Traditional Spine Surgery: A Comparative Guide
Over the years, traditional, open spine surgery has been the standard of care for many patients who require surgical intervention. It is a generally safe and effective way of treating many spinal issues, especially conditions such as scoliosis with severe curvature....
Is Endoscopic Spine Surgery Here to Stay, and if So, Why?
If you find yourself here, chances are you’ve heard of endoscopic spine surgery (ESS) before. Maybe a doctor even recommended it to you as an alternative to more invasive surgery. But what’s the big deal when it comes to this type of spine surgery, and is it really as...