Spine Treatments

 

Neck and back pain are discomforts you shouldn't have to live with. Four out of five Americans will have an episode of back pain during their lifetime, and the effects can range from discomforting to debilitating. 

The spinal column performs a delicate balancing act every day, providing structural support for your body and a pathway for nerve impulses. There are many injuries or conditions that can compromise the spine's ability to serve without pain.

Our surgeons are trained in the latest technologies and treat patients with a wide range of spine conditions.

Spine treatments we offer:

Kyphoplasty

Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive surgery used to treat a spinal compression fracture by inflating a balloon to restore bone height then injecting bone cement into the vertebral body.

Laminectomy

Laminectomy is a type of surgery in which a surgeon removes part or all of the vertebral bone (lamina). This helps ease pressure on the spinal cord or the nerve roots that may be caused by injury, herniated disk, narrowing of the canal (spinal stenosis), or tumors.

Cervical fusion

Cervical spinal fusion is a surgery that joins selected bones in the neck(cervical spine). There are different methods of doing a cervical spinal fusion:

  • Bone can be taken from elsewhere in your body or obtained from a bone bank (a bone graft). The bone is used to make a bridge between vertebrae that are next to each other. This bone graft stimulates the growth of new bone. Man-made (artificial) fusion materials may also be used.
  • Metal implants can be used to hold the vertebrae together until new bone grows between them.
  • Metal plates can be screwed into the bone, joining adjacent vertebrae.
  • An entire vertebra can be removed, and the spine then fused.
  • A spinal disc can be removed and the adjacent vertebrae fused.

This procedure can be done through an incision on the front (anterior) or back (posterior) of the neck.

Spinal fusion

Spinal fusion is surgery to permanently connect two or more vertebrae in your spine, eliminating motion between them. Spinal fusion involves techniques designed to mimic the normal healing process of broken bones.

Discectomy

Discectomy is surgery to remove lumbar (low back) herniated disc material that is pressing on a nerve root or the spinal cord

Spinal fracture

A spine fracture is a dislocation or fracture of the vertebrae (backbone) and can occur anywhere along the spine

Take the next step

If you think a consultation with one of our Santa Cruz orthopedists may be the solution to your pain, please give us a call at (866) 466-1401 to request a doctor referral, or find an orthopedic specialist now.  You may also call our Orthopedic Nurse Navigator at (831) 462-7597.