What the Heck is Functional Neurosurgery? Restoring our Patients’ Quality of Life
Guest post written by Joshua M. Rosenow, MD, FAANS, FACS, from the Department of Neurological Surgery at Northwestern. For most neurosurgical subspecialties, the name is sufficient for an average to understand what we do. Spinal neurosurgery, neurosurgical oncology and cerebrovascular neurosurgery are all reasonably self-explanatory. However, the term “functional neurosurgery” fails to explain the breadth […]
Delighted and Proud
Guest Post from Deborah L. Benzil, MD, FACS, FAANS Chair, AANS/CNS Communications and Public Relations Committee Mount Kismo Medical Group Columbia University Medical Center Mt Kisco, New York Having a career as a neurosurgeon is incredibly rewarding. Perhaps even more gratifying is being a part of such a remarkable community. While neurosurgeons represent only one […]
The Rush to Limit Opioid Prescribing
Christopher J. Winfree, MD, FAANS Department of Neurological Surgery, Columbia University New York, NY Ever since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed in 2010, there has been increased attention paid to the use of opioids to treat chronic pain in America. Much of this has been in response to a worsening opioid crisis for […]
DoD/VA Lead the Way in the Opioid Crisis
Christopher Spevak, MD, MPH, JD (left) Chair of the DoD/VA Opioid Clinical Practice Guideline Medical officer at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he directs the National Capital Region Opioid Safety Program Bethesda, MD Randy Bell, MD, FAANS, MC, USN (right) Associate professor and chief of neurosurgery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center […]
How Repealing the Medical Device Tax Can Lessen the Pain
Scott Whitaker President and CEO of AdvaMed (the Advanced Medical Technology Association) Nearly 50 million adults have significant chronic pain or severe pain, according to a 2015 study by the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. That is why the medical technology industry is continually advancing and developing new innovations […]
Neurosurgeons and the Treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia
Joshua M. Rosenow, MD, FAANS, FACS Director of Functional Neurosurgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago, IL Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), also known as tic douloureux, sometimes is described as the most excruciating pain known to humanity. The pain typically involves the lower face and jaw, although sometimes it affects the area around the nose […]
AANS Neurosurgeon Spotlight: September 2017 – The Enemy of Human Happiness: Pain
AANS Neurosurgeon is the official socioeconomic publication of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and features information and analysis for contemporary neurosurgical practice. Topics covered relate to legislation, workforce issues and practice management as they affect the specialty of neurosurgery. The September 2017 edition of AANS Neurosurgeon explores the theme, “The Enemy of Human […]
Global Pain Initiative: Changing the Way People with Pain are Treated
Christopher J. Winfree, MD, FAANS Department of Neurological Surgery, Columbia University New York, NY Pain management in American is currently undergoing a renovation. In the early 2000s, it became apparent that undertreated chronic pain was a huge health care problem. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) commissioned a detailed investigation into the status of pain health […]
Cross Post – Using Neurosurgical Solutions to Manage Chronic Back Pain
Back pain is one of the most common ailments patients with chronic pain face. For some, a neurosurgical approach can offer much relief and may be an alternative to long-term opioid therapy. Today’s post originally appeared in the AMA Wire, which is published by the American Medical Association (AMA). Jennifer A. Sweet, MD, Assistant Professor, […]