What are the symptoms of a spine problem?
Spine problems most commonly impact patients in either their neck or low back. The neck is also referred to as the cervical spine, and patients can experience neck pain, arm pain, and numbness or tingling in their hands. Weakness is not uncommon either. When neck conditions get more advanced and there is pressure on the spinal cord, patients can loose the ability to use their hands well, feel clumsy when walking, and have loss of bladder control. Spine problems in the low back, by contrast, do not cause pressure on the spinal cord. They often result in substantial back pain and leg pain. The leg pain is commonly a shooting pain and can result in a great deal of discomfort. Just like in the neck, weakness, numbness, tingling are also possible. 2. What sort of tests can be done to diagnose spine conditions? Plain radiographs are often very useful. They tell us about alignment. I get long films of the entire spine on most of my patients in order to get a global perspective on their spinal
