The Spine & Back Blog

SPINE HEALTH AND BACK PAIN PREVENTION LUNCH AND LEARN (Gastonia, NC)Dr. William Hunter was the featured presenter for a Lunch and Learn at the Warlick YMCA (Gaston County Family YMCA) last week.  There was a great turnout, as 35 people attended the educational event. Dr. Hunter spoke on behalf of both NSSC Spine Clinic (Neuroscience & Spine Center of the Carolinas) and the Medical Aesthetics Regenerative Center (MARC), discussing important topics related to spine health and back pain prevention, as well as stem cell therapy.

Spine Health and Prevention of Back Pain

Back problems and related pain can be extremely debilitating, especially as individuals grow older. Dr. Hunter provided education and discussed common back problems, the anatomy of the spine, treatments for back pain including physical therapy as well as the importance for exercise, stretching, and working on core strength for spine health. He also stressed the importance of good nutrition and stress management, for overall health - "A body in motion stays in motion."

Additionally, Dr Hunter discussed common back surgeries and how many back and spine surgeries can now be done on a minimally invasive, outpatient basis.

Stem Cell Therapy (and treatments)

STEM CELL THERAPY (Gastonia, NC)Doctor Hunter then discussed how he has been using stem cell therapy as part of his spinal fusion surgeries since 2008 to assist in the fusion of bone and recovery. Furthermore, Dr. Hunter has been doing stem cell treatments, which can regenerate damaged tissue and reduce pain, for joints such as knee, hip, and shoulders. Dr. Hunter discussed the benefits of stem cell therapy, as well as the difference between platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections and Stem cell therapy.

Finally, the presentation ended after a long Q & A session with Doctor Hunter and the staff from the NSSC Spine Clinic and MARC.

Dr. William Hunter, Back And Spine Specialist

If you are concerned about back or neck pain you've been experiencing, make an appointment with Dr. Hunter, spine specialist and neurosurgeon at NSSC Spine Clinic. He has the experience and expertise needed to treat all types of back pain. The NSSC Spine Clinic has been serving Gastonia and the broader Charlotte, NC area including Belmont, Mount Holly, Gaston County, Meckleburg County, and portions of South Carolina for over 22 years.

Medical Aesthetics Regenerative Center

Medical Aesthetics Regenerative Center, Gastonia, North CarolinaMedical Aesthetics Regenerative Center (MARC) specializes in personalized treatments utilizing innovative technologies and the latest advances in science, medicine and holistic healthcare, including stem cell therapy, weight management, aesthetic rejuvenation, botox neurotoxin injections, PRP, microdermabrasion and more. MARC has been serving Gastonia and the broader Charlotte, North Carolina area for over 15 years. To learn more, contact MARC today.

2022 WARLICK FAMILY YMCA TRICK OR TRAIL RUNJoin Dr. William Hunter and staff as we participate in the Warlick Family YMCA Trick or Trail Run at the Warlick Family YMCA on Saturday, October 22nd

Warlick Family YMCA
2221 Robinwood Road
Gastonia, NC US 28054

As the title sponsor, all of us at the Neuroscience & Spine Center of the Carolinas would love to see you come out, have a great time, and support a wonderful organization.

Warlick Family YMCA

The Trick or Trail Run supports the Warlick Family YMCA, a non-profit organization committed to helping members of our community live a balanced, healthy life in spirit, mind, and body. The YMCA makes a positive impact in the Gaston County community by encouraging wellness and family on their beautiful 118-acre campus.

EVENT DETAILS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2022
5K and 1-mile Fun Run on the Sytz Trail
at the Warlick Family YMCA

  • 8:00am 5K begins
  • 9:00am Fun Run begins
  • 9:30-11:30am After Party

What does the 5K Trail Look Like? 
Both the 5K race and 1 Mile Fun Run courses are on the Sytz Trail System at the Warlick Family YMCA.
View a map of the Sytz Trail System.

Can I dress up in costume?
Please do! It makes the race even more fun! Plus, the after race party will include prizes for best costume and performance. Dogs included!

Register Now

Visit the Warlick Family YMCA Trick or Trail Run website to register now.

Warlick Family YMCA Trick or Trail 5k Trail Run and 1 Mile Fun Run

Medical Aesthetics Regenerative Center (MARC) - Gastonia, North CarolinaOur sister practice, Medical Aesthetics Regenerative Center (MARC), is pleased to announce the opening of their second location on July 11th! MARC will be expanding their services and will partner with Optimum Result Fitness of Gastonia, NC to provide the best health and wellness solutions in the broader Gastonia, North Carolina area.

Optimum Result Fitness is more than just a health club. They are a facility that provides physical therapy with Ivy Rehab, massage therapy, yoga, boxing classes, as well as strength training, and more.

MARC Office at Optimum Result Fitness (Gastonia)The new MARC practice at Optimum Result Fitness will provide many health, anti-aging, and wellness services. MARC will be adding weight loss therapy, hormone replacement therapy, IV Hydration, aesthetic rejuvenation, neurotoxin treatments, as well as stem cell treatments and PRP injections for joint pain therapy.

The new MARC practice will be open to both the public and Optimum Results members at this new location. Schedule an appointment TODAY for an evaluation by one of their therapists or contact their office at 704-868-6100.


MARC Office at Optimum Results Fitness (Gastonia NC)MARC at Optimum Results Fitness
3372 Robinwood Road
Gastonia, NC 28054
704-868-6100
Directions / Map

Opening on July 11th, 2022!

Minimally Invasive Surgery- TLIF

Dr. William D. Hunter performs a minimally invasive TLIF L5-S1 fusion in Gastonia, N.C. Watch as the intra-operative procedure is performed.

NEXT ENTRY

TRAnscript:

This video is reviewing the maximum access transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. The MRI here shows the boxes are the bones, between the bones the disk spaces, and the white where the nerves are running. The last disk space is shorter in height, and there’s a herniated disk (the black area) pressing on the area white area where the nerves are. This is the plan for attack to perform a fusion surgery. The patient is in the prone position, properly prepped and draped, and then we make small skin incisions the size of a finger to go ahead and place the screws in place. We dilate the muscles. We’re not stripping any muscles, only dilating the muscles. We’re putting the screws in first. We’re putting two screws in at l5 and also s1, and between the two screws is the disk space that we’re going to attack. We use the monitoring system to make sure that when we’re putting the screws in that we’re in the safe zone. Because we’re using the small skin incisions, we use the C arm, the x-ray machine, as well as the monitoring system to make sure we’re safe. Green means we’re safe, and we’re going to go ahead and proceed in placing the screws in the area of where they should be within the vertebral bodies going through the pedicles. So there are pedicle screws being placed. Once the screws are placed - we have two screws in place (one at l5 and one at S1) - we then go ahead and we’re going to take the disc out between the two screws. Once we have the screws in place, we place the retractor and make a skin incision between the two screws, and now we have basically the size of two fingers to put attack the disk space. You can see here drilling down this is exactly what I see in the operating room. Between my drill right there you can see the two screws that are on either side. We drill down the bone. We’re getting down to where the disk space is. The disk space is covered by bone, so we remove the bone, and we’re going to go attack between the two screws where the disk space is. We’re now opening up the space for the nerves to run through. We identify the nerves, and we go ahead and take the disc out that’s causing the pressure. We remove the herniated disc and we’re taking the rest of the disc out. Once we take the rest of the disc out, you can see we have an instrument inside the disc space. Now, the disc space has been removed, and now we have to size up the disc space. We go ahead and put trials in so we can use the correct size, and we can jack that disk space up, which allows the nerves to have more room to run through. Here, we’re tapping in the trial to make sure that we’re all in the correct space and size. We then use the actual graft itself, and we place the graft inside that space. Then once we do that, we go ahead and put the rod between the two screws, torque it, and then we go ahead and remove the retractor system. We close the area up, and we’ve performed our procedure within a matter of minutes, we’ve now performed our fusion. You can see that there are the screws there. The top screw is the l5 screw, and the bottom screw is the s1 screw. There’s the l5, and s1. Between the screws of the rod is the rod, and inside that disk space it’s been jacked up, and we now have a graft inside the disk space, and you can see the hash marks show on the back and the front. That’s the procedure in performing our mass TLIF.