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HEALTH - PAIN FREE FOR LIFE
Nationally-celebrated Neurosurgeon Dr. Kapil Moza Hits Century Milestone - Again
It's a bird, it's a plane... no, it's Dr. Kapil Moza, this year's Super Doctor - for the fifth time!
If you needed medical care in one of the following specialties, which doctor would you choose?
"If you needed medical care in one of the following specialties, which doctor would you choose?" That's the question that thousands of medical professionals across the country are asked each year in a coast-to-coast effort to identify the nation's most outstanding physicians - and it's the reason why neurosurgeon Dr. Kapil Moza has been named a Super Doctor a remarkable five years in a row.
About a year after my pregnancy, I was still suffering from what I thought were standard pains that come with carrying a baby. But it kept getting worse - spasms, leg weakness, pain walking/sitting/standing and constant discomfort became my norm. I treated it with physical therapy, Pilates, chiropractic, work accommodations like a standing desk, OTC pain relievers and more, but nothing really helped.
When you're the first in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties to perform cervical artificial disc replacement - in 2007! - and Southern California's foremost leader in spine surgery and neurosurgery, things can sometimes get a little hectic.
Dr. Kapil Moza, World-recognized Neurosurgeon, Launches Centurion Surgical Center Boasting Largest Ambulatory Operating Room in California
"I missed work a lot; I missed everything a lot! I could be in bed for two days at a time," recalls Robin R., a 44-year-old wife, mom of 4, SCV resident and nurse. "It was every single day. It was so hard to concentrate because I was just consumed by pain. I was grouchy all the time, so I isolated myself. I didn't want to affect my kids, co-workers and husband. And I never wanted to do anything because I always felt terrible. I would just end up lying on the couch, trying to make it go away."
Hi Dr. Moza. I've got a problem... disc herniation to be specific. I tried the physical therapy and medication route and I didn't get much relief. Unfortunately, I think it's time for surgery. What are my options?
Stacy quietly cried as she explained the toll chronic headache, neck and shoulder pain has had on her life. "It took sheer will power to get through the day," she emotionally recalled, tears streaming down her face. "You try to prepare yourself mentally for the next day because you know the week isn't over yet. You spend your whole day off trying to rest and recover and then it's back to work again."
Hi Dr. Moza. I'm writing today to complain. It seems like every surgeon is saying that they now do "minimally invasive" spine surgery. Is that really true? I'm scheduled for surgery next month and I'm wondering if all "minimally-invasive" surgeons are the same or if there's any difference between methods and results.
Hi Dr. Moza. I've been diagnosed with lumbar degenerative disc disease. Not only am I in pain, but I've got to tell you - this is really affecting my psychological health. I thought I'd feel better once I found out what was causing all my discomfort, but I don't. I'm depressed. I feel like, at only 48, my life is over. I am afraid of not being able to live life the way I want to after surgery, and my quality of life has already taken a hit because my mobility and comfort is much more limited now. My wife is furious at me for putting off surgery, but I'm not convinced that it'll make any difference.
Hi Dr. Moza. Most people write to you hoping to hear that they don't have to have surgery. I'm on the opposite end of that spectrum. I not only know I need spine surgery, I'm looking forward to it. My problem is this: I'm not quite sure how I'm going to fit this into my busy life, let alone pay for it. I'd love to experience the holidays "pain free" for the first time in years. Is that even possible this late in the game?
"I can't help but treat my patients like family - like the way I'd want someone special to me to be treated. I'm always available to them. The philosophy of 'family care' carries through to my entire staff. Here, everyone is treated like they're the most important person in the world," says Dr. Kapil Moza.
Hi Dr. Moza! For the last few years I've suffered with pretty bad sciatica because of a slipped disc. The pain travels from my buttocks and down my leg. Sometimes it's worse than others but I've tried to tough it out. On really bad days I rely heavily on over the counter pain meds, but they only take the pain down partially. My doctor says that enough is enough and it's time to get a referral to a neurosurgeon. I'm not exactly thrilled about surgery; to say that I've been hoping to put it off is an understatement. What might this process entail?
AVORS medical group has already made quite a name for itself since opening its fourth So Cal location in Valencia, thanks in part to the addition of Dr. Justin Heller, a board-certified surgeon who has a firm grip on today's most technologically advanced upper-extremity procedures.
There are doctors... and then there are one in a million doctors who say things like, "Any monkey can write a prescription refill. I have years and years of schooling; I can write a plan!"
Bad news - I've got a herniated disc. I have all the classic symptoms: neck pain, radiating arm pain, shoulder pain, numbness and tingling in my arms and hands... Worse news - I have a high-pressure job and I can't take a ton of time off work to have surgery. What can I do? I'm in a lot of pain.
One of the ironies of suffering from back pain is that so many who do have to drive two hours each way to see a well-respected surgeon. No one likes traffic, but when you're bumper to bumper while coping with an excruciating compressed disc, life can seem... a little unfair.
Imagine for a moment that you need a hip replacement. Or, maybe you don't have to play into this hypothetical; more than 285,000 Americans undergo the procedure annually. Of those, only a fraction of the procedures are performed from the anterior, or front, of the patient's body. The reasoning is two fold; first, a special operating table is required for the procedure. And, second, only the most skilled surgeons are practiced enough to perform an anterior hip replacement with regularity.
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