Dr. Christian Okoye is a Board Certified radiation oncologist, providing focused care for cancer patients.
Mercy's team of top surgeons are known for their expertise in correcting ankle deformities caused by unsuccessful ankle fracture treatments.
The Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy offers a top rated team of surgeons, dedicated to advanced treatments of common and complex foot and ankle disorders.
Mercy offers emergency care on the Downtown Baltimore campus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (410-332-9477) with access to a trained emergency medicine team, diagnostic services and consultations with specialists.
In case of an Emergency, Dial 911 and follow the instructions of the EMS (Emergency Medical Services) team.
Mercy Medical Center's downtown campus includes our Main Hospital - The Mary Catherine Bunting Center, McAuley Plaza and The Weinberg Center.
General visiting hours at Mercy are 11:00 am to 8:30 pm. Hours vary by floor, please check with the nursing staff or call 410-332-9555.
The experienced spine experts of The Maryland Spine Center at Mercy in Baltimore provide non-surgical as well as minimally invasive surgical treatment to alleviate pain and symptoms caused by radiculopathy and myelopathy.
Radiculopathy and myelopathy are conditions in which neurological problems and pain, often in the neck, back or extremities (arms and legs), are caused by the compression or irritation of the spinal cord or spinal nerves.
Radiculopathy can occur when a nerve in the spine is pinched or irritated. Myelopathy can occur when the spinal cord itself is compressed. Both radiculopathy and myelopathy can be very painful, causing numbness, tingling or weakness in the arms or legs.
Radiculopathy is common in the cervical spine (neck), known as "cervical radiculopathy", as well as the lumbar spine (lower back), known as "lumbar radiculopathy".
Causes of radiculopathy and myelopathy include:
Symptoms of radiculopathy and myelopathy depend on the location of the pinched spinal nerve or spinal cord compression.
Symptoms of radiculopathy include pain, numbness or weakness in the shoulder, arm, wrist or hand (cervical radiculopathy) or in the buttock, leg or foot (lumbar radiculopathy).
Symptoms of myelopathy may include weakness and difficulty manipulating small objects (myelopathy caused by cervical spine problems) or weakness and numbness while walking (myelopathy caused by lumbar spine problems).
In order to diagnose radiculopathy or myelopathy your doctor may use:
Non-surgical treatment for radiculopathy and myelopathy includes rest, medications, physical therapy and injections for pain management. If these treatment options are not effective your doctor may recommend surgery.
Surgical treatment is aimed at relieving the spinal nerve or cord compression or irritation causing the neurological problems. Your doctor may recommend spine surgery such as:
Dr. Mara Vucich is a physiatrist, or doctor of physical and rehabilitative medicine, who treats patients with spine conditions including arthritis, spinal stenosis, degeneration of the spine, back and neck strains and disc herniations.
Michele had trouble walking the stairs due to pain from a herniated disc. Minimally invasive surgery helped eliminate her pain.