Spine Procedures

Lumbar stress fractures occur mainly in young athletes who rotate and extend their spine, particularly in weight-bearing activities. It is common in weightlifters, gymnasts, kicking sports (soccer and AFL), baseball, and lacrosse.

Inflammation or irritation of the SI joints may cause pain in the lower back, abdomen, groin, buttocks, or legs. Minimally invasive SI joint fusion is a procedure designed to stabilize the SI joints by grafting the sacrum to the ilium using instrumentation, bone graft, or both in order to fuse the bone, limiting movement.

Facetectomy and foraminotomy are the most common spinal surgical procedures recommended for chronic pain due to spinal nerve compression. Lumbar foraminotomy is a decompression surgery involving the removal of bone and tissue obstructing the neuroforamen to release the pressure on the spinal nerve roots.

Lumbar interbody fusion (LIF) surgery is a surgical technique that involves the removal of a damaged intervertebral disc and the insertion of a bone graft into the disc space created between the two adjoining vertebrae. Bone grafts promote healing and facilitate fusion. Screws and rods are used to stabilize the spine during the healing process.

Minimally invasive lumbar discectomy is indicated in cases of severe nerve root compression due to a ruptured disc. Symptoms of nerve impingement include back pain or radiating pain into the hips, buttocks or legs, numbness or tingling sensation, and muscle weakness in the back and lower extremities.

Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) is a minimally invasive fusion of the vertebrae of the lumbar region (lower back). It is designed to provide stability to the spine and treat back and leg pain.

Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) is the latest technology available to perform spinal surgeries through small, less than one-inch-long incisions. It involves the use of special surgical instruments, devices and advanced imaging techniques to visualize and perform the surgery through such small incisions.

Neck surgery is a surgical procedure employed for the treatment of neck pain when conservative measures such as physical rehabilitation, medications, and rest have failed to provide any relief to your neck pain.The neck supports and assists in movement of the head. It is the most flexible part of the spine and consists of 7 cervical vertebrae, cervical segment of the spinal cord, spinal nerves, ligaments, tendons and muscles.

Thoracic laminectomy is a decompression surgery that releases pressure off the compressed nerve or spinal cord by removing the lamina, the portion of the vertebral bone that covers the spinal cord from the back. The surgery is indicated when conservative treatment does not relieve symptoms or symptoms progress drastically.

Thoracic spine decompression is a procedure to relieve pressure on the spinal nerves in the middle portion of the back. Spine decompression surgery is indicated in treating spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal caused by degeneration of the facet joints and the thickening of the ligaments.

Motion preservation surgery or Motion Preservation Spine Surgery (MPSS) is a relatively new surgical method employed as an alternative to standard spinal surgeries, such as spinal fusion surgery and disc replacement surgery in select patients to treat spinal conditions of the cervical and lumbar area and restore normal motion of the spine.

Cervical arthroplasty is performed to replace the joints in the neck region of the spine. The vertebral bones of the spine are separated by soft discs which can undergo injury or degeneration. Cervical arthroplasty involves replacing these discs with artificial prostheses and is also called cervical disc replacement surgery.

Complex spine surgery is a procedure that involves six or more vertebrae of the spinal column, requiring six or more hours of surgery to correct a spinal deformity. Complex spine surgery is very difficult to perform and demands the highest level of patient dedication to be successful.

A cervical laminectomy is an operative procedure that involves the removal of bone at the neck (cervical spine) region to relieve pressure on the spinal nerves. It can also be performed to relieve the symptoms of the narrowed spinal canal known as spinal stenosis.

Cervical foraminotomy is a surgical procedure performed to relieve the symptoms of a pinched or compressed spinal nerve by enlarging the neural foramen, an opening for the nerve roots to exit the spine and travel through the body.

Cervical spine fusion is a surgery performed to fuse weak cervical vertebrae with adjacent vertebrae to provide stability and prevent injury to the spinal cord.A cervical spine fusion may be indicated to stabilize injuries and prevent fracture and spinal cord damage and to treat misalignment of the vertebrae, herniated discs, arthritis, tumor, deformities, and infection.

Minimally invasive discectomy and decompression surgery are usually performed under general anesthesia. You will lie face-down on the operating table and your surgeon makes a small incision over the vertebra causing the compression. A tubular retractor is then inserted to hold back the surrounding muscles and form a narrow tunnel through which the surgery can be performed.

Minimally invasive lumbar decompression or mild® is a procedure developed by Vertos Medical to treat lumbar spinal stenosis by relieving pressure on the spinal nerves.Lumbar spinal stenosis is a degenerative disease that usually occurs after the age of 50. It causes narrowing of the lumbar spinal canal and compression of the spinal nerves.

A minimally invasive lumbar fusion technique is used to treat fractured vertebra, lumbar instability, spine deformities – scoliosis or kyphosis, cervical disc hernias, tumors, back pain, and failed back syndrome. Spondylolisthesis, a painful condition of the spine caused by disc displacement or slipped disc, can be treated with minimally invasive lumbar fusion technique.

Adult scoliosis is the abnormal curvature of the spine giving the spine an “S” or “C” shape in a skeletally mature person. Larger curves cause discomfort while smaller curves usually do not cause any problems. In most cases, the exact cause remains unknown.

Lumbar microdecompression, also known as lumbar microdiscectomy, is a minimally invasive surgical procedure to relieve pressure from pinched nerves in the lower back or lumbar region using microsurgical techniques. The procedure involves the removal of a small section of the bone and/or disc material pressing on the spinal cord and/or nerve roots in the lumbar spine to relieve painful symptoms.

Minimally invasive cervical discectomy involves a small incision(s) and minimal muscle dilation to separate the muscle fibers surrounding the spine, unlike conventional open spine surgery, which requires muscles to be cut or stripped.

Thoracic vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive procedure performed to reduce or eliminate pain caused by vertebral compression fractures. It stabilizes the fracture and prevents further collapse of the vertebra, averting deformity.

In most cases, back pain can be resolved without surgery. The conservative treatment involves the use of pain medications and other methods to reduce inflammation and restore normal function.

Cervical laminectomy is a surgical procedure in which the spinal canal is made larger by removing the spinous process and the lamina in the cervical region of the spine. This reduces neck pain and relieves the pressure on the spinal cord caused by the degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs in the cervical region.

Your spine consists of 24 bones called vertebrae that are arranged one above the other and separated by intervertebral discs which act as shock absorbers during activity. Your neck or cervical area is made up of seven of these vertebrae. The intervertebral discs consist of 2 parts, namely annulus fibrosus (outer flexible ring) and nucleus pulposus (central soft jelly-like region).

Computer navigation can serve an active or passive role by actually performing the surgery or limiting the surgeon’s movements beyond a certain point, or by just providing real-time information that helps your surgeon make critical decisions on the mode of action.

Non-operative treatments for lower back injuries are conservative or non-surgical remedies employed for the treatment of lower back injuries.Lower back injuries are defined as damage sustained by muscles, nerves, bones, or joints in the lumbar spine (lower back) as a result of physical trauma or overuse.

The spine is composed of spinal bones called vertebrae, intervertebral discs, connective tissue, and muscles. All of these structures provide support, stability, and mobility to the upper body. The spine also protects the delicate spinal cord. Injury or disease to any of these structures can cause pain.

Strenuous activities of daily living can stress the back resulting in pain. It is natural at this time to withdraw from activity and rest, but is not helpful in the long run and may actually slow down the healing process.