Conditions
An accurate diagnosis is the whole ballgame.
Two patients with identical MRIs can have completely different pain generators — and two patients with the same diagnosis can need entirely different treatment plans. Dr. Foster's approach starts with listening closely and identifying, as precisely as possible, what is actually producing your symptoms before any treatment is discussed. Below are the conditions Dr. Foster evaluates and treats.
Spine & Disc
Low Back Pain
A condition too often managed with a one-size-fits-all approach. Dr. Foster takes the time to identify the specific pain generator behind your symptoms, because that's what actually determines the right treatment plan.
Learn more →Neck Pain
Cervical spine pain ranging from mechanical strain to nerve root compression, often affecting posture, sleep, and the ability to work comfortably.
Learn more →Spinal Stenosis
Narrowing of the spinal canal that can compress the spinal cord or nerve roots, commonly causing leg pain, heaviness, or cramping with walking or standing.
Learn more →Facet Joint Syndrome
Degenerative changes in the small joints that stabilize the spine, producing a deep, localized ache that worsens with extension and rotation.
Learn more →Discogenic Pain
Pain originating from a degenerated or injured intervertebral disc itself, distinct from pain caused by nerve compression or facet joint disease.
Learn more →Vertebrogenic Pain
Chronic low back pain driven by the vertebral endplate and basivertebral nerve rather than the disc or facet joints — a distinction that has only recently reshaped treatment options.
Learn more →Nerve
Radiculopathy / Sciatica
Pain, numbness, or weakness radiating down the leg from irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve roots, most often originating in the lower spine.
Learn more →Neuropathy / Neuropathic Pain
Pain, burning, tingling, or numbness caused by damage or dysfunction of peripheral nerves, from diabetic neuropathy to nerve injury following trauma or surgery.
Learn more →Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
A complex, often post-injury nerve condition marked by disproportionate pain, temperature and color changes, and sensitivity in the affected limb.
Learn more →Joint & Structural
Sacroiliac Joint (SI Joint) Dysfunction
A frequently overlooked source of low back and buttock pain arising from the sacroiliac joint — often mistaken for lumbar disc or nerve pathology.
Learn more →Vertebral Compression Fractures
Fractures of the vertebral body, often from osteoporosis or trauma, that can cause sudden, severe back pain and progressive loss of height and posture.
Learn more →Joint Arthritis
Degenerative or inflammatory arthritis affecting the shoulder, hip, knee, or other peripheral joints — evaluated and treated as part of a broader, function-first approach to joint pain.
Learn more →Tendinopathy
Chronic tendon overuse injury affecting the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, or ankle, often persisting despite rest and physical therapy alone — evaluated for targeted regenerative and minimally invasive options when conservative care hasn't resolved it.
Learn more →Post-Surgical
Post-Surgical Pain
Pain that persists or develops after any surgical procedure, beyond the expected healing window — requiring careful evaluation of whether it stems from the original problem, the surgery itself, or a new pain generator.
Learn more →Failed Back Surgery Syndrome / Post-Laminectomy Syndrome
Persistent or recurrent pain after spine surgery, requiring a careful re-evaluation of the original diagnosis and a broader set of tools beyond repeat surgery.
Learn more →Also Searched As
More conditions and symptoms we treat
Patients often search using different names for the same underlying problem. Here are additional terms grouped by body region — where a more specific page applies, it's linked below.
Neck & Upper Back
Low Back & Spine
Nerve & Chronic Pain Conditions
Joint & Extremity Pain
Post-Surgical & Complex Pain
Not sure which condition matches your symptoms?
That's exactly what an evaluation is for. Reach out and we'll help you get to the right answer.