PCSM Blog

Image Attribution: By www.scientificanimations.com – http://www.scientificanimations.com/wiki-images/, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74697100 Back pain is one of the leading causes of visits to the doctor and missed work (1). Some 16 million Americans live with chronic back pain. Conditions causing back pain vary greatly but include pulled muscles, ruptured or herniated vertebral discs, arthritis and osteoporosis, and […]

What is lumbar radiculopathy? Lumbar radiculopathy is the medical term for irritation of a spinal nerve root in the low back. According to epidemiological studies, the overall prevalence of at least one episode of back pain in the general population is between 15%-60% (1,2). Lumbar radiculopathy, which is not the same as low back pain, […]

Dear patients of Pacific Coast Sports Medicine: When something like the Coronavirus hits the news, it causes us to re-think everyday decisions. Just like you, we have families we care about and want to keep safe. I assure you we have always taken your health very seriously. Although we have always implemented the following, we […]

What is cervical radiculopathy? Cervical radiculopathy is a medical term that describes radiculopathy, or a problem with a spinal nerve, in the neck. There are 83 new cases of cervical radiculopathy diagnosed every year per 100,000 people (1). Radiculopathy, or nerve damage, usually happens because of the progressive development of arthritis in the neck over […]

Arthritis is the medical word for irritation or inflammation involving a joint, and it is one of the most common chronic medical conditions in the world. According to recent data from the US Centers for Disease Control, 54.5 million adults in the United States (22.7%) have been diagnosed with some form of arthritis by a […]

Fascia is a layer of connective tissue that surrounds and protects the muscles and organs of our bodies. It is composed of fibrous bands that can stretch and compress to absorb shock and tension. In fact, it is so extensive and continuous that it essentially holds our body together while also compartmentalizing it.   It surrounds […]

Radiculopathy Overview Before we break down the word radiculopathy, a small amount of anatomy knowledge is necessary.  Bear with us! Most know that nerves are what allow us to feel, sense, and experience things like touch, pain, heat, and pressure. Those nerves are like branches, and they all meet up at the spinal cord, which […]

Back pain is one of the most common reasons for patients to seek medical attention in the world. It has been estimated that over their lifetime, almost 40% of patients will develop one or more severe episodes of back pain for which they will seek medical treatment (1). Only a small percentage of these patients […]

Osteoporosis is a condition that occurs when our bones lose their density and become more porous and brittle. “Osteoporosis” literally means “porous bones.” If you were to look at bones in the body from the inside out, you wouldn’t see 100% dense bone. Like pictured, our bones have regions of higher density as well as […]

by Jeffrey Gero, PhD Being happy can be defined as, a pleasurable, exhilarating and joyous state of mind. The key word here is mind, which changes as we grow. What we think about, we bring about. I used to think that I would be happy when I made ten thousand dollars a year, have a […]