

That is not to say that these four diagnoses are the only things that can cause a neurologic problem that might not be obvious to the average practitioner of the art of spinal management thoracic disk herniations, various cysts extruded from one joint to another in the spine, infections, trauma, fractures, tumors and the like are also clearly things that we keep in our differential diagnosis. Going from the top of the neurologic system down, four diagnoses that I find are often overlooked, even by trained spine surgeons, are as follows: Chiari malformation, congenital cervical or lumbar stenosis, lumbar far-lateral disk herniation, and Bertolotti’s Syndrome.

I get referrals from all over: chiropractors, physical therapists, internists, word of mouth, friends, family you name it, if somebody has a problem that can’t be solved, they eventually find me.Ĭommon things happen commonly, but when the problem does not seem to be getting better with standard conservative treatments, we sometimes have to open up our minds and consider some of the less common diagnoses and even more important is to be aware that there are several diagnoses that are often overlooked and especially in this patient population, of the patient with a problem that is not responding to standard treatments, it’s time to consider that there may be something else going on. Frequently, I get patients to see me because nobody else has been able to identify what their condition is, and therefore what the appropriate treatment would be. The 4 Most Often Missed Diagnoses in the Spine Arthur Jenkins III, MDĪs a spine surgeon in an academic institution, I see a lot of the challenges that people face in trying to manage their back, neck, sciatica, pinch nerve, imbalance or other neurologic problems that may be referable to their spinal system.
