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Written by: Stephen P. Banco, MD, FAAOS Board-Certified, Fellowship-Trained Orthopaedic Spinal Surgeon Brooklyn Nets and NBA All-Star Ben Simmons has undergone back surgery for a herniated disk in his lumbar spine.  Simmons reportedly injured his low back during his rehabilitation to return to the court after his trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons was slated to return in Game 4 of the Nets series with the Boston Celtics.  According to reports his condition worsened and…

Written by: Steven M. Evans, DO Director of Non-operative Services There have been significant advances over the past few years with the use of Medical Marijuana for the treatment of chronic pain. I have been certifying patients for Medical Marijuana for over 2 years. Many of the chronic pain patients I care for are enthusiastic about their results. I have seen many positive outcomes and few negative outcomes in the patients that are under my…

Tiger Woods’ victory at the 2019 Masters was perhaps one of the most stunning sports comebacks in recent history. Woods underwent his fourth back surgery in 2017, and at the time, had not played in a major tournament in more than 18 months.  Unlike his other surgeries, that procedure was a lumbar fusion.  Tiger had three prior lumbar discectomies, all done from a posterior approach.  His latest surgery is called an anterior lumbar interbody fusion. …

A new research study published in Scientific Reports has shown that running may strengthen human intervertebral discs.  The study reported that men and women who participate in a running exercise program may cause the discs to hypertrophy and remain healthy over long periods of time compared to non-runners. The five-year study looked at men and women between the ages of 25 and 35 and separated them into three groups: those who were inactive; those who…

Stephen P. Banco, M.D. from Keystone Spine & Pain Management Center received a 5-star rating, the highest rating possible, from Consumers’ Checkbook (checkbook.org), also known as The Center for the Study of Services. Consumers’ Checkbook is funded by consumers for consumers. Unlike most other ratings websites, this nonprofit organization takes no advertising or similar payments from businesses or professionals. For more than twenty years, this website has evaluated hospital and surgeon performance using data obtained…