Male patient in his mid-50s with progressive paresthesia in his upper extremities and progressive dropping of objects and gait imbalance. He developed significant burning in his upper extremities with weakness proximally in his deltoid and biceps. Imaging revealed significant disc herniations from C3-C5 with severe spinal cord compression, spinal cord signal change and myelomalacia. The...Read More

Male patient with long history of paralumbar pain and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, ongoing for 6 to 12 months. He has undergone a combination of multiple facet blocks, radiofrequency ablation, epidural steroid injections, physical therapy and chiropractic care with no improvement of his symptoms. An MRI of the lumbar spine reveals broad-based disc herniations at...Read More

Male patient in his mid-60s with progressive paracervical pain along with bilateral upper extremity numbness and tingling that radiated into both hands. He experienced discoordination and deterioration of ambulatory capacity. An MRI of his cervical spine revealed severe spinal cord compression at the C3-4, C4-5, C5-6 levels in addition to broad-based disc herniations with deformation...Read More

33-year-old female patient with congenital scoliosis. Hemivertebrae at L1-L11 with a 134 degree curve. The patient, from one of the poorest parts of the Dominican Republic, was born with this condition and lived life with a short stature. She had progressive deterioration of activities of daily living and was unable to walk. The surgery was...Read More

Female patient in her early 20s with a long history of scoliosis. Her symptoms were initially very mild, but she developed severe paralumbar pain when ambulating and worse when sitting for long periods time. Her symptoms progressed over time and caused a deterioration in her daily living activities. Her pre-operative imaging shows a 43-degree curve,...Read More

Female patient in her mid-40s with progressive history of severe paracervical pain and severe right upper extremity dysesthetic (meaning with abnormal sensation) nerve pain. These symptoms started about six months after her last surgery that was performed by a different surgeon. Overall, the patient had undergone three previous cervical spine surgeries with a different surgeon...Read More

12-year old female patient with Marfan Syndrome (an inherited disorder that affects connective tissue — the fibers that support and anchor your organs and other structures in your body). The patient, who was seen during one of my missionary trips to the Dominican Republic with the “World Spine Organization” and the “Butterfly Foundation”, presented with...Read More

West Islip, NY— June 25, 2021 — SpineCare Long Island this week announced the appointment of Salvatore M. Zavarella, Co-Founder of SpineCare Long Island, to Chief of Spine Surgery and Associate Chief of Neurosurgery at Good Samaritan University Hospital, West Islip, New York. Advancements in quality and patient safety In a press release, John W....Read More