If I Fall, Will I Damage My Spinal Cord?

In patients with neck arthritis, also called spondylosis, the risk of spinal cord injury from a fall is a concern of both patients and physicians. The spinal cord is essentially an extension of the brain, which constitutes the central nervous system. If the spinal cord is damaged, it likely cannot be repaired and the neurological…

Mesoamerican Neurosurgery

October 14 is Columbus Day, or Indigenous People’s Day. Our country historically has celebrated Columbus Day due to Christopher Columbus’s westward travels, hitting land on October 12, 1492. Of course Columbus arrived in Guanahani in the archipelago of the Bahamas, but the indigenous people gave him the impression he arrived in India. We are named…

Who Would Have Thought This Was Possible?

In honor of Pediatric Cancer Awareness month in September, Nebraska native Jack Hoffman was featured on College Gameday. In 2011, 5-year-old Jack had a seizure and was found to have a glioma, a type of brain tumor.  The majority of pediatric gliomas present as benign, slow-growing tumors, which are fundamentally different from adult tumors.  Luckily,…