About 80% of Americans suffer from low back pain at some point in their lifetime, dealing with discomfort, stiffness, and other symptoms that take a toll on everyday living. While lower back pain can be debilitating, several safe, effective treatment options can provide you with relief. The key is getting...
Spinal fusion surgery is an effective solution for many people with chronic back pain. Not only can fusion surgery relieve pain and related symptoms in your upper or lower back, but it may also prevent those symptoms from recurring. At his practice in San Leandro, California, Kenneth Light, MD, specializes...
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered dramatic changes throughout everyday life — and in the medical community as well. Not only are providers across the country postponing elective procedures, but many are also encouraging people to avoid in-office appointments to reduce their risk of exposure to this highly contagious coronavirus.But what...
In recent years, the word “concussion” is frequently linked with discussions of sports injuries, especially in the National Football League. Sports injuries certainly are a big reason behind concussions, but they’re definitely not the only cause. In fact, while falls — including sports-related falls — are responsible for about half...
Back pain is one of the most common medical complaints for both men and women. Not surprisingly, painful symptoms also become more common with age. Most people are familiar with herniated, or slipped, discs and muscle strain as causes of spinal pain. But there are plenty of other problems that...
Everyone’s spine curves a little, especially at the lower and upper portions. That’s natural. But sometimes, the spine curves in unnatural ways, causing symptoms like back pain and decreased range of motion. This spinal deformity is a condition called scoliosis, and it affects as many as 25% of American adults....
Disc herniation is a fairly common cause of spine-related pain, especially in your lower back and neck. In mild to moderate cases, disc herniation can resolve with noninvasive treatments. But sometimes, the best way to get rid of painful symptoms is with surgery. As a leading orthopedic surgeon in San...
The symptoms of sciatica are typically hard to overlook. The pain originates from your sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the human body. When this nerve becomes pinched or inflamed, it can cause many different types of pain. Aching, burning, and even feelings of electric shock running down one or...
Spine surgeon Dr. Kenneth Light says preliminary studies show that 3 level cervical (neck) spinal disc replacement can bring the same or superior results as 1 and 2 level disc replacement. This video shows a female patient who suffered a painful debilitating injury on the job and details the spinal...
Each year, about 500,000 people with spinal injuries undergo spinal fusion procedures in the United States. A significant number of these patients will experience chronic post-op pain and diminished range of movement. To address this, renowned San Francisco spine surgeon Dr. Kenneth Light has established the Institute For Spinal Motion...
Click image to view Dr. Kenneth Light on "The Doctors" San Francisco spine surgeon Dr. Kenneth Light appears on the national T.V. show The Doctors with his patient Shawndra, a woman who suffered a debilitating neck injury on the job. Dr. Light restored near-normal range of motion with cervical spinal...
San Francisco – Dr. Light recently visited the set of the national T.V. show “The Doctors” to tape a story on spine surgery. Dr. Light was accompanied by his patient, a 49 year-old woman who injured her neck on the job and was in excruciating pain. Examination showed that she...
A San Francisco area man suffered for years with severe neck pain, but declined recommendations from two doctors who suggested that he should undergo a fusion procedure. Dr. Kenneth Light recenty performed a 3-level spinal disc replacment on Robert Bosley, an active 47 year old pharmaceutical marketing professional living in...
San Francisco – Spine surgeon Dr. Kenneth Light has been featured with his patient on KGO 7 channel 7 news on Sept. 29th, 2011. The story focuses on new technologies which are used to help correct a painful and debilitating back problem which is becoming more prevalent among the baby boomer...
“A 30-year-old woman who has an aching back and limited mobility can feel like an 80-year-old,” says Dr. Kenneth Light, a San Francisco spine surgeon who is known as the “doctor of last resort” for aching backs and spinal injuries. At least 70 percent of women will suffer from back...
San Francisco, CA – Dr. Kenneth Light is a spine surgeon who has performed cutting edge spinal fusion reversal surgeries and is well-known for treating patients who have had failed spinal fusions. Until recently, the only course of treatment for many patients has been a spinal fusion procedure which is...
San Francisco spine surgeon Dr. Kenneth Light says the number of spinal stenosis cases reflects the aging of a huge demographic group. From defining the “me” generation to changing the way we think about aging and retirement, the Baby Boomer generation has been driving trends since they were born. Now...
Back pain: Dr. Kenneth Light says “Artificial disc replacement is the single greatest advancement in spine surgery in the past 50 years. The implants are an attempt to fix complicated back problems without resorting to spinal fusion.” For most people, back pain is only a temporary problem that can be...
Dr. Light recently performed the first spinal fusion reversal done in the United States. The procedure relieved years of pain for “Bobbie Jo”, a 40 year-old Santa Rosa, CA woman who had a cervical (neck) fusion performed years ago after suffering an injury. She now shows a greatly improved range...
SPINAL EDUCATION Doctor, Am I Crazy? Spinal related disorders are not only the most common ailments affecting our society, they are among the most painful and most misunderstood by the medical profession. An example of this is patient Ron Miles. Six months after an emergency disc surgery Ron was in...
SPINAL EDUCATION When the MRI Lies Magnetic resonance imaging is the single greatest advancement in the diagnosis of spinal pathology since the introduction of x-ray by Wilhelm Röntgen in 1895.6 MRI provides the clinician with a precise picture of the pathologic anatomy of the spine.2,4,5,7 The technique has been maligned because of...
SPINAL EDUCATION Doctor, Am I Crazy? Spinal related disorders are not only the most common ailments affecting our society, they are among the most painful and most misunderstood by the medical profession. An example of this is patient Ron Miles. Six months after an emergency disc surgery Ron was in...
Spinal Stenosis affects patients 60 years of age and older. Sometimes it affects younger patients who are born with small spinal canals. The condition denotes narrowing of the spinal canal, the hollow tube that conducts the spinal cord and cauda equina, and or narrowing of the nerve root canals, which conduct...