On Friday (August 22), there will be an in-depth review of spinal diagnostics. One session entitled, The Essentials of Diagnosing 
Spinal Pain will be presented by Kevin Macadaeg, MD. Dr. Macadaeg is a minimally invasive interventional spine specialist with Indiana Spine Group.
Neck and back pain are common symptoms of many underlying spinal problems. Key to diagnosing the cause of this pain is to have an understanding of the overall spinal mechanics and also what is “normal”, in respect to degenerative changes of the spine.
The objectives of this presentation include:
§ Define the normal aging process and common degenerative changes of the spine.
§ Identify common spinal problems that cause lower back and neck pain and key indicators for diagnosis.
§ Review the evidence-based guidelines for the diagnostic triage of lower back pain, including appropriateness and use of invasive diagnostic testing.
§ Identify the “yellow” and “red” flags that present as back pain.
At the Back Talk continuing medical education conference sponsored by Indiana Spine Group, on Friday there will be three key topic categories. These include: spinal diagnostics, medical and minimally invasive spinal therapeutics and spine surgery.
On Saturday there will be special interest sessions. These sessions will focus on specific diagnoses and treatment options for patients with neck and back pain. A few topics include; osteoporosis, spinal manipulation, assessment and management of low-back pain in the primary care setting, spinal injuries of athletes and the weekend warrior, pediatric and adolescent spine problems and spinal arthritis.
People with back problems – may have more than just back pain. Sometimes, if you suffer from leg pain – this can be related to your spine. If a person has ongoing leg pain that is persistent and increases as you lift your knee to your chest or bend over – it could be related to your back. One back problem – that causes a shooting pain down your leg referred to as “sciatica” is lumbar radiculopathy.
Lumbar radiculopathy is most often the result of nerve compression due to a lumbar disc herniation. The pain is caused by the compression of the roots of the spinal nerves. This damage or herniated disc is often the result of wear and tear – or degeneration (degenerative disc disease). To learn more about the diagnosis of lumbar radiculopathy and diagnosing back pain – click here.
Indiana Spine Group is a center of excellence for the treatment of spinal disorders and abnormalities. Located in Indianapolis - with offices in Kokomo and Anderson, we provide comprehensive spine care – including interventional pain management treatments, nonsurgical spine treatments, minimally invasive spine procedures, minimally invasive spine surgery and spine surgery. Treating both adults and children, some common diagnoses that we treat include degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, herniated cervical disc, failed back syndrome, osteoporosis and scoliosis.
Physicians with Indiana Spine Group include:
§ Ken Renkens, MD (neurosurgical spine surgeon)
§ Rick Sasso, MD (spine surgeon)
§ Kevin Macadaeg, MD (minimally invasive spine specialist)
§ Thomas Reilly, MD (spine surgeon)
§ Jonathan Gentile, MD (minimally invasive spine specialist)
§ John Arbuckle, MD (minimally invasive spine specialist
Back pain is one of the most common reasons individuals see their physician. It is estimated that at some time 80% of all adults will suffer from back pain. Approximately 70 to 80% of spine problems can be conservatively managed with medications, with or without physical therapy. Symptoms typically resolve within a few weeks.
If the back pain does not go away with simple conservative measures, then people would see a spine specialist. At this point, a specific cause of the pain may be necessary.
To diagnose the cause, in addition to a detailed patient history and examination; other diagnostic imaging tests may be required. Here is a link, which provides an overview of some of the diagnostic imaging considered.
Many times, an injection into a specific structure of the spine, including a nerve, disc or joint, is necessary for precision diagnosis.
Once the painful source is determined, a specific treatment plan is tailored to the patient. This may require a minimally invasive therapy which may be done in conjunction with physical therapy or oral medications. Only 5% of patients with spinal problems will require surgery.
Minimally invasive procedures typically include an injection of medications directed at the focal area of pain generation, radiofrequency neurotomy or intradiscal therapy.
To learn more about minimally invasive spine procedures and Indiana Spine Group visit our web site or call 317.228.7000.
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