Diagnosing and Treating Chronic Neck and Back Pain in Columbus, Ohio
The right fix for the right patient: diagnosis is key.
Dr. Berg treats patients as if they were members of his own family. First, he conducts a thorough evaluation, and records a detailed history to get to the right diagnosis quickly. Then, he discusses the best option for each patient to address the neck and back pain they’ve been struggling with so they can move on to live happy, healthy lives, unencumbered by chronic spinal disease.
Spinal surgery can be very effective; however, it is not the only pathway to pain relief. It’s important to understand where your pain is coming from, and to work with a skilled surgeon with the proven ability to offer a wide variety of treatments.
Dr. Berg treats a broad range of neurological and spine conditions:
My wife and I trust Dr. Berg. He put our minds at ease.
Richard
Oblique Lumbar Fusion Patient
Radiculopathy (Pinched Nerves)
Radicular pain ─ caused by a pinched nerve along the spinal column ─ can radiate from your lower back and hip into your legs, buttocks, and feet, or from your neck into your shoulders, arms and hands. Lumbar radiculopathy, also known as sciatica, originates along the sciatic nerve, which extends from the back of your pelvis down the back of your thigh. Many patients benefit from conservative treatments, including physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, spinal injections, and acupuncture. If surgery is required, a minimally invasive decompression, or discectomy, will remove what is causing pressure on the nerves. This may be followed by fusion to fixate bones and remove instability.
Herniated Disc Treatment
You may not even know you have a herniated disc. Sometimes, however, a ruptured vertebral disc will put pressure on your cervical, lumbar, or thoracic nerves and cause numbness and pain. A minimally invasive discectomy will remove the damaged portion of a herniated disc that is irritating, or compressing, nearby nerves. If there is instability, a fusion may be required to permanently stabilize that section of the spine. A cervical disc replacement is another option that can help maintain greater neck motion for those who qualify.
Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Pain Treatment
Sacroiliitis is a common, yet frequently undiagnosed, source of buttock and lower back pain, with symptoms similar to sciatica or a herniated disc. Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain may feel like a sharp, stabbing pain that radiates from your hips and pelvis, up to the lower back, and down to the thighs. It may feel numb or tingly, or as if your legs are about to buckle. Patients who have been told their back pain was “non-operative” often benefit from an SI joint fusion, which stabilizes the joint to eliminate pain.
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis is a degenerative disease which affects approximately 95 percent of the population. It is usually a culmination of several issues ─ including disc herniation, bone spurs, thickened ligaments, and the wear and tear of arthritis ─ which cause the spinal canal to narrow and put pressure on nerve roots, or the spinal cord. Surgery is not required unless stenosis is causing severe pain, it’s not being managed, it’s causing weakness, or it’s damaging neurological structures. Surgical options include a discectomy to remove what is causing pain and impairment, which may be followed by implants and hardware If there is instability.
Comprehensive Neurological and Spine Treatment in Columbus, Ohio
Dr. C.J. Berg is a board-certified neurosurgeon with a mission to revolutionize the way spine health is viewed, managed, and treated. He is committed to getting to the root cause of chronic neck and back pain so that he can diagnose accurately and treat effectively, utilizing the least invasive surgical (and nonsurgical) techniques and the most advanced recovery methods to allow patients to get back to living their lives as soon as possible. To schedule a consultation, please call (614) 468-5333 or book an appointment online.
Additional conditions Dr. Berg treats include:
- Brain tumors
- Spinal tumors
- Spinal fractures
- Spinal instability
- Chiari Malformation