Blog Articles

Nerve Damage and Neck Pain: Understanding the Link

Nov 12, 2024

Almost everyone experiences neck pain at some point in their lives. It could be after an accident, overexertion, or poor posture. Much of this pain is due to nerve damage. Keep reading to learn more.

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Our Parent's Guide to Supporting a Child With TBI

Oct 16, 2024

Traumatic brain injuries may result in challenging recoveries. As parents, your role in helping your child heal is crucial. Physical, emotional, and social symptoms present challenges requiring your dedicated support.

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Do Tumors Produce Warning Signs?

Sep 23, 2024

Tumors can be small or large, and they may produce symptoms or not. It is difficult to diagnose tumors based on symptoms alone. In fact, many of the warning signs also occur with other conditions.

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Can Children Have Strokes?

Aug 13, 2024

Although strokes are more common in adults, children can experience them too, with the highest risk in infants before their first birthday. Keep reading to learn more.

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Understanding Juvenile Parkinson's Disease

Jul 15, 2024

Juvenile Parkinson’s disease is not a true form of Parkinson’s disease. The good news is that children with this condition can thrive with treatment. Keep reading to learn more.

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Does Glioblastoma Run in Families?

Jun 14, 2024

Glioblastoma is an aggressive brain cancer that causes headaches, drowsiness, and severe cognitive decline. Tumor resection and targeted drugs can help restore quality of life. Learn more about the causes of glioblastoma here.

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Managing Spina Bifida After Birth

May 13, 2024

A congenital disability that affects the spinal cord and vertebrae, spina bifida can be mild with few symptoms or cause significant disabilities. Managing this disease typically starts soon after birth.

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5 Lesser-Known Signs of Meningiomas

Apr 16, 2024

A meningioma is usually not cancerous. Even though it’s usually benign, a meningioma can grow, and its proximity to the brain can cause complications. Keep reading to learn more.

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Why Do I Only Get Left-Sided Back Pain?

Mar 02, 2024

Your spine is a complex structure, supporting your upper body with a wide range of movement while protecting the spinal cord and the nerves. Pain on the left side may give you a clue about its underlying cause.

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How Fixing Your Posture Can Help Your Chronic Neck Pain

Feb 14, 2024

Having a pain in the neck is much more than a frustrated hyperbole — it’s a common health issue. One of the most common causes of neck pain is poor posture. Keep reading to learn how we can help.

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I Had a Brain Aneurysm — Will My Children Have It Too?

Jan 02, 2024

An aneurysm is any blood vessel (usually an artery) with weakened walls that allow the vessel to expand in a balloon-like way. Cerebral aneurysms can be life-threatening. In some cases, these aneurysms run in families.

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Myths and Facts About Glioblastoma

Nov 15, 2023

Though it’s a rare form of cancer, glioblastoma is an aggressive brain tumor. There are many misconceptions about this form of cancer. Here, we separate the myths from the facts.

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Helping a Loved One With a Traumatic Brain Injury

Oct 02, 2023

Most injuries cause physical limitations. However, a traumatic brain injury can also change a person’s personality and behavior. Read on to learn more.

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Complications of a Pituitary Tumor

Sep 01, 2023

While pituitary gland tumors are usually benign, they can cause serious and far-reaching complications if left untreated. Read on to learn more.

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3 Ways You Can Manage Trigeminal Neuralgia

Aug 03, 2023

Trigeminal neuralgia originates with nerve irritation in the face and is extremely painful. While the condition can’t be cured in many cases, the pain can usually be controlled with medication.

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My Baby Has Spina Bifida — Now What?

Jul 01, 2023

Spina bifida begins within the first month of pregnancy when parts of the spinal aren’t completely enclosed within the spine. Every spina bifida patient has a unique combination of symptoms, but treatment is usually possible.

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Spotting the Warning Signs of a Herniated Disc

Jun 07, 2023

Low back pain is a leading cause of doctor visits and missed time at work. It’s a common problem and often the origin of your pain is a herniated disc compressing nerve roots as they branch off of the spinal cord. Watch for these warning signs.

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What Are the Best Treatment Options for Spondylolisthesis

May 23, 2023

Your body counts on the stability of your spine for posture and movement. When a vertebra in the lower back moves in relation to its lower neighbor, you have a condition called spondylolisthesis. Read on to learn your treatment options.

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The Different Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries and How We Can Treat Them

Apr 11, 2023

Traumatic brain injuries occur when impact or penetration injuries affect brain tissue. Mild cases may not cause long-term damage, while more significant cases can permanently impair brain function. Read on to learn the treatment options.

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Why You Should Never Ignore Sciatic Nerve Pain

Mar 03, 2023

Sciatic nerve pain could be more serious than you realize. It can cause a lot of complications if it goes ignored and untreated.

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Case Study Series: Giant Aneurysm

Jun 28, 2018

This patient was an 11-year-old who presented with sudden onset of left-sided weakness. Her imaging showed a lesion on the right side of her brain with associated right-sided infarcts. Her evaluation included an MRI and then an angiogram...

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Case Study Series: Clival Chordoma

May 04, 2018

This child was 9 years old when I first met her. She presented with progressive weakness on the left side, a weak voice, swallowing difficulties and impaired balance. Her imaging showed a lesion (tumor) in the posterior fossa compressing the brain stem...

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Case Study Series: Langerhans Cell Sarcoma

Feb 23, 2018

One of the most amazing patients I’ve treated was an incredibly brave 7-year old girl, who came in to the emergency room with her parents having extreme difficulties walking...

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Case Studies Series: Cerebellar AVM

Jan 17, 2018

This child was 10 years old when he initially presented to the hospital. He was with his grandmother when he began complaining of a headache, after which he lost consciousness...

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Case Studies Series: Multiple Hemangiomas

Jan 08, 2018

This child was 3 months old when she presented to the emergency room with evidence of increased pressure inside of her head. She had rapid head growth and the soft spot at the top of her head (anterior fontanelle) was tense...

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Spreading Hope Around The Holidays

Dec 04, 2017

In a few weeks, the division of Neurosurgery will host our sixth annual Holiday Party to lift spirits and pass out gifts to the patients of Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital...

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Case Studies Series: Cervical Foraminotomy

Oct 23, 2017

This patient was a 59-year-old when I initially met him. He presented with a 6-month history of left arm pain extending into the shoulder and upper arm. The pain did occasionally go down to his forearm...

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Case Studies Series: Lumbar Instability after Prior Surgery

Oct 17, 2017

This patient was a 32-year-old with a history of multiple prior back surgeries. I met her in early 2017 when she presented with severe lower back pain and bilateral leg pain. Her pain was basically preventing her from living a normal life...

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NFL Players In Neurosurgery

Sep 15, 2017

With football back on our TV screens, it got me thinking about an article I read earlier in the year about former NFL player Myron Rolle being matched with Massachusetts General for neurosurgery. It’s not every day you see a former professional football...

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Case Studies Series: Cervical Spine Fracture

Sep 07, 2017

This patient was the first case I ever did after completing my training. He was a 14-year-old high-school student on the local wrestling team. He was horsing around with a friend and the friend picked him up and dropped him on his head...

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Case Studies Series: Brain Stem Tumor

Aug 15, 2017

This child is a 6 year-old who presented with progressive right-sided weakness. The weakness was initially subtle with some dragging of the right foot but it progressed to the point that he was falling and eventually could not walk...

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Case Study Series: Odontoid Fracture

Aug 01, 2017

This patient is a 19 year-old young woman who was involved in a high-speed motor vehicle crash. She suffered multiple fractures, including her leg and and her cervical spine (neck)...

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Case Study Series: Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH)

Jul 04, 2017

This patient was a 48-year-old woman who presented with a sudden transient loss of consciousness. When she regained consciousness, she had a severe headache. Fortunately, she was neurologically intact...

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Case Study Series: Metastatic Tumor of the Spine

Jun 07, 2017

This patient was a 66 year-old women at the time of her initial presentation with Stage IV breast cancer and a new metastatic lesion in the 2nd lumbar vertebrae (L2)...

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Case Study Series: Mature Teratoma Cerebellopontine Angle

May 18, 2017

This case involves a previously normal child who, at 15 months old, presented with nystagmus, or abnormal eye movements. Her neurologist recommended she have an MRI, and the results showed large tumor in the posterior fossa compressing her brain stem...

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Case Study Series: Brain Stem Cavernoma

May 04, 2017

Another interesting case is this 18-month old child who presented with recurrent hemorrhages related to a cavernous malformation of her brain stem...

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Case Study Series: Degenerative Scoliosis and Spondylolisthesis

Apr 10, 2017

This patient is a 66 year-old gentleman who previously had an L5-S1 instrumented fusion in 2007 (by me) for severe back pain and bilateral lower extremity pain...

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Case Study Series: Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)

Apr 03, 2017

This case is a 32 year-old woman who had persistent right sided headaches. She had a work-up done including an MRI of the brain. The MRI revealed that she had an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) of the right posterior temporal lobe going into the deep...

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Case Study Series: Craniopharyngioma

Mar 13, 2017

This case was a 6-year old boy who was found to have multiple hormonal abnormalities when he was brought in including deficiencies of growth hormone, thyroid hormone, and the hormone that controls water balance (vasopressin).

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Case Study Series: Giant Cell Tumor

Mar 03, 2017

Another remarkable patient I’ve treated was a five year-old who came into the emergency room experiencing acute hemiparesis on his right side. It was an unusual condition for a child of his age, and what we discovered at diagnosis required immediate...

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What Is Trigeminal Neuralgia?

Feb 12, 2016

Trigeminal neuralgia is a chronic pain condition that affects the trigeminal nerve, causing facial pain. The trigeminal nerve carries sensation from the face to the brain. With trigeminal neuralgia, even mild stimulation of the face can trigger a jolt of..

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Eliminate Pain, Restore Function

Dec 24, 2015

Did you know that neurosurgery treats conditions of the brain and spine? Our physicians talk about the advances in minimally invasive surgery and technology and how it affects you.

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Coast Neurosurgical Associates

✆ Phone (appointments): 562-418-6639

Address: 2888 Long Beach Blvd, Suite 240, Long Beach, CA 90806

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