Plain-language, evidence-based guides on spine conditions and surgery — written by CICOVE co-founders for patients deciding what to do next.
Persistent pain after spine surgery has identifiable causes — incomplete decompression, adjacent segment disease, pseudarthrosis, epidural fibrosis, or wrong-level surgery. How to find the real cause before operating again. Includes evidence-based revision strategies and when conservative management still has a role.
How to distinguish epidural fibrosis from recurrent disc herniation on MRI — the imaging clues that change the surgical decision. When fibrosis requires intervention and when it doesn't, plus the limited evidence on adhesion-prevention strategies in revision spine surgery.
Causes, diagnosis, and revision options when a spinal fusion fails to achieve solid bone union. Imaging confirmation with dynamic radiographs and CT, technical revision options including BMP and alternative bone grafts, and how to identify patients at risk before the first surgery.
How real-time spinal cord and nerve root monitoring during surgery detects neurological injury before it becomes permanent. SSEP, MEP and EMG explained in plain language — and why not every spine procedure includes this safety layer despite multi-society guidelines recommending it.
Reoperation rates, infection rates, blood loss, hospital stay, return to work, and clinical outcomes — compared across 2,130+ patients in peer-reviewed studies. When MIS is genuinely better, when it's marketing, and when open surgery is still the right choice.
The exoscope advantage over loupes and microscopes, magnification thresholds that change outcomes, return-to-work timelines for microsurgical vs traditional approaches, and why not every spine surgeon operates with the same visualization equipment. Includes the 2025 RCT data.
Up to 80% of people will have back pain at some point. About 10% of those cases hide something more serious. This guide explains the difference between low back pain and sciatica, the 9 red flags that demand specialist evaluation, and why timely care matters.
An evidence-based guide covering the diagnosis, risk factors, treatment options, surgical timing, microdiscectomy technique, recovery timelines and reported complication rates — with 27 peer-reviewed references including 2021–2023 meta-analyses.
Frequently mistaken for disc herniation — but it isn't. A practical guide for patients over 60 with leg pain and walking limitations. Covers neurogenic claudication, minimally invasive decompression, the fusion controversy, and recovery timelines.
Three surgical options, very different consequences. A practical guide for patients evaluating ACDF, cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA), or posterior cervical foraminotomy — with 17 references including 2024–2025 meta-analyses on motion preservation outcomes.
The most common degenerative spine disease after age 55 — and why timely diagnosis can preserve neurological function for life. Covers symptoms, MRI diagnosis, minimally invasive posterior decompression, and recent comparisons between laminoplasty vs fusion and CDA vs ACDF.
Tell us briefly what's going on and, if you have them, attach your imaging studies. The CICOVE medical team responds within 24 hours.