UCI Orthopaedic Department - Spine Surgery

02/09/2026

How the nervous system activates repair after spinal cord injury.

After a spinal cord injury, cells in the brain and spinal cord change to cope with stress and repair tissue. A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Neuroscience, shows that this response is controlled by specific DNA sequences. This knowledge could help develop more targeted tre...

02/06/2026

MRI-based evaluation system accurately quantifies paraspinal muscle atrophy and nerve root injury severity.

A noninvasive MRI technique that measures volumetric changes in paraspinal muscles could transform how doctors assess nerve damage in the cervical spine, which helps guide more precise treatment decisions and potentially speed recovery for patients suffering from either sudden trauma or gradual dege...

01/30/2026

Why Your Sternocleidomastoid Hurts and What to Do.

Sternocleidomastoid pain often results from poor posture, muscle tension, or repetitive neck movements, leading to symptoms like neck tenderness, headaches, and dizziness. The sternocleidomastoid muscles run along the sides of your neck and help you turn and tilt your head. You can help ease discomf...

01/23/2026

Back pain during pregnancy is often dismissed as a passing discomfort a nurse explains why it should be taken seriously.

About half to three-quarters of expectant mothers experience pain during pregnancy that is largely untreated, contributing to preventable suffering and harm. Many mothers avoid medications and treatments during pregnancy for fear that they may cause harm to their unborn baby. Yet, most are unaware o...

01/16/2026

5 Facts about Scoliosis Every Parent Should Know.

Scoliosis is a common spine condition often found in adolescents. Roughly 3 million new cases of the condition are diagnosed in the United States each year, with a majority of them identified as idiopathic scoliosis — a type of scoliosis that presents in children in their teenage years.

01/14/2026

4 Best Adjustable Beds for Back Pain and Better Sleep.

Today's adjustable beds are advanced: They allow you to elevate the head and foot of the bed for a personalized sleep position, and can help reduce pressure on your airway (or even provide extra support for reading or watching TV in bed). But can they really improve your quality of sleep?

01/09/2026

Is the Holy Grail for Treating Chronic Back Pain Within Reach?

Chronic pain reroutes circuits in our nerves to the spinal cord and the brain. Understanding how this happens could help us reverse it.

01/07/2026

Back pain tied to higher rates of common diseases.

Back pain isn't just a debilitating condition; it may be a flag for other major health issues. New research shows the incidence of conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and cancer is higher in people with back pain than in those without back pain.

01/02/2026

Endoscopic Surgical Strategy for Upper Lumbar Disc Herniation With Spinal Canal Stenosis: A Technical Note.

Treatment of upper lumbar disc herniation (LDH) with concomitant spinal canal stenosis is challenging. Conventionally, addressing both pathologies endoscopically requires the use of both transforaminal and interlaminar endoscopic systems, which increases surgical invasiveness and procedural complexi...

01/01/2026

Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy new year!

12/31/2025

How does obesity impact lower back pain?

Lower back pain can be a symptom of obesity. This is because excess weight can increase stress on the spine. This increased stress may cause lower back pain to occur.

12/29/2025

Seated salsa - the miracle movement to help ease back pain.

Lower back pain is a chronic condition that affects hundreds of millions of people around the world. A simple exercise could be a big help. And the best thing? You don't even have to get up to do it.