When you have endstage or "bone on bone" arthritis, injections are helping the pain less than three months, and your quality of life is being affected by your pain, then you will be a surgical candidate. Until you reach this point, Dr. DiGioia will continue to advise conservative treatment.

Patients who have tried the usual treatments for shoulder arthritis, but have not been able to find adequate relief, may be a candidate for shoulder replacement surgery. Patients considering the procedure should understand the potential risks of surgery, and understand that the goal of joint replacement is to alleviate pain. Patients generally find improved motion after surgery, but these improvements are not as consistent as the pain relief following shoulder replacement surgery.

It is important to educate yourself on the differences between the surgeries and then determine which one meets your goals. The staff at the Bariatric Center and your physicians can help you make a decision. Certain medical conditions may dictate your choice. Generally, your surgeon and procedure choice is up to you.

Most of us are ready to quit when there is little joy left in smoking or have been diagnosed with a smoking-related problem that threatens our health. Why wait? You wouldn't stand in the road until a car hit you before trying to move out of its way. There seem to be those things in life that each of us can resist doing even while others cannot. For instance, perhaps some of your friends can't resist a second or third helping of food but you can't.

Unfortunately, this is the most difficult question to answer. Only you know if you are ready. Suspension readiness is much more of mental state than physical. As with any form of body modification, one must make the decision based on personal experience and research. At the same time, no amount of research or even watching suspensions in person can really prepare you for the feeling of suspension (but it sure helps).

Select a primary care physician if you don't already have one, and establish a relationship with him or her. Work with your physician to ensure that your routine health maintenance testing is current. Bring any pertinent medical data to your appointments - this would include reports of special tests or hospital discharge summary if you have been in the hospital. These steps include, but are not limited to, all medical evaluations, education requirements, and 10% weight loss

No. We must perform additional testing immediately prior to performing the selective endoscopic discectomy. At the outpatient surgical facility we must first perform a provocative discogram. This involves carefully placing a needle into the disc space and injecting a safe radiopaque contrast mixed with a blue dye into your disc space.

The decision whether to have surgery is up to each individual and their doctor. Some of the factors that are considered are the severity of symptoms, whether the symptoms are getting worse, whether the nervous system is being compromised, whether there are any complicating issues, and the surgeon's own experience and judgment.

Candidates for this surgery are generally younger, more active patients. The partial knee replacement allows for symptoms of pain or discomfort. The procedure allows younger patients to buy time before they need a full knee replacement. The procedure is also effective for older patients if they have disease localized to one half of the joint.

quot;This is a good question, because some patients have minimal reflux and can do well with antacids, so they do not need surgery. quot;Other patients have moderate reflux which can be managed with antacids, the Zantac class of drugs, and/or the more expensive Prilosec class of drugs, which is available now in a less expensive generic form. However, some physicians feel that it may not be the best long-term solution to the problem for several important reasons.