Spine Conditions

Arthritis

If you’re experiencing swelling, pain, or even feeling stiff in the neck, lower back, hips, and other joints that keep you moving, it could be spinal arthritis.

Our renowned spine care team is made up of pain specialists, orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, and other experts who will assess your range of motion, muscle strength, reflexes, and posture to help identify your specific type of arthritis. Once we have a complete picture, we can help you create a path forward.

Our spine experts always start with an accurate evaluation using the most advanced diagnostic imaging such as joint aspiration, which tests a small sample of the synovial fluid taken from a joint to see if crystals, bacteria, or viruses are present. Other tests may include a muscle biopsy which is the process of checking tissue under a microscope to help diagnose conditions that affect muscles including vasculitis or polymyositis, urine tests check for protein and various blood cells, and x-rays or other imaging tests which give our team a clear look at the extent of damage to your joint.

Every type of arthritis brings its own aches and challenges. Our team of specialized experts is deeply familiar with every type of arthritis. They listen to you closely and strive to help you find a path toward feeling like yourself again. Some of the types of arthritis include:

• Fibromyalgia, a disorder characterized by musculoskeletal pain and fatigue, sleep, memory, or mood issues.
• Osteoarthritis, a condition whereby the protective cartilage on the ends of a bone wears down over time.
• Rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder.

Treatment of Spinal Arthritis
We offer some of the most advanced treatment options, including:

• Heat and cold therapy
• Joint immobilization
• Massage
• Medication
• Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
• Surgery

Our approach to arthritis pain management means we’ll consider every option available to give you an effective plan that helps alleviate symptoms like joint pain, swelling, and stiffness. Our goal is to accelerate recovery and provide you with the skills to manage arthritis so you can get back to feeling like yourself again.

Back Pain

The neck and lower back affect almost every aspect of your life. Whether it is simple tasks, turning your head, or even getting a good night’s rest. Whether your pain is chronic or acute, we find the most effective treatment to bring you relief for your neck or lower back pain, so you can get back to pain-free living.

Diagnosing Neck and Lower Back Pain
Our team uses the latest technology to pinpoint what’s wrong and may be causing your symptoms. We start with a family history and conduct a physical exam and may use other tests, such as CT scans, MRIs, myelograms, and x-rays.

Treatment for Neck and Lower Back Pain
Our team then takes that information and works with you to put together a treatment plan that is tailored to you. We’ll help by educating you, supporting you, and helping you understand the cause of your lower back pain or neck pain to prevent future episodes of discomfort.

Disc Degeneration

Age, injury, and life can affect the discs that cushion your vertebrae, causing back pain, numbness, weakness, and other symptoms.

Discs naturally degenerate with age. But you don’t have to live with pain. Our experienced team of spine specialists leverages the latest degenerative disc treatment to restore quality of life. We’re experts at providing you with education and the minimally invasive care you need to help you feel stronger.

Diagnosing Degenerative Conditions
With degenerative disc disease, movement can bring stiffness, tingling, and shooting pain down your arms and legs. With physical exams, our team can carefully evaluate factors like range of motion, muscle strength, reflexes, and posture. In addition, we use essential diagnostic imaging tests, including CT scans, MRIs, X-rays, and other specialized tests.

Treatment for Degenerative Conditions
Using spinal surgery as a last resort, we concentrate on treating with nonsurgical treatment options first such as pain management, physical therapy, and other spinal regenerative techniques. Some but not all treatments may include:

• Oral medications
• Physical therapy
• Specially targeted exercises
• Strategies to address posture and ergonomic issues
• Microdiscectomy to remove herniated materials from the disc
• Spinal Fusion to stabilize affected discs

Disc Herniation

If you have weakness, numbness, or tingling in your back that feels like pins and needles, you’re not alone. Many people experience a herniated disc or slipped disc and have found relief with the help of our pain experts. With advanced herniated disc treatments and our multi-disciplined approach to care, we can help you get back to moving with less pain.

Diagnosing a Disc Herniation
Often called a ruptured or slipped disc, herniated discs usually affect your neck and lower back. Common causes include trauma or injury, improper or unnatural movements, and degenerative disease. We use a variety of methods to identify herniated discs, including:

• Deep tendon reflexes
• Femoral stretch test
• Muscle stress tests
• Sensory testing
• Sitting straight-leg test

Treatments for Disc Herniation
Treatments for disc herniation may include physical therapy, prescription medications, and local cortisone injections. In some rare cases, it may be recommended to perform surgery to remove the ruptured portion of the disc and decompress the nerve root being affected.Regardless of what treatment plan is best for you, we’ll work with you to make sure you’re on the right path to health and healing.

Sciatica

If your spine or your hip hurts or if it’s been a while since your legs felt normal, without pain or numbness running down the back of one or both legs, it might be a symptom of sciatic nerve pain.

Diagnosing Sciatica
A physical exam will help our spine experts understand how your pain is distributed and how to treat it effectively. Understanding when the pain started, how severe it is, and whether it gets worse when you sit or stand are answers that will give your providers insight into the cause of your sciatica pain.

Some common causes include:

• Degenerative disc disease
• Herniated disc
• Muscle spasms
• Pregnancy
• Spinal stenosis
• Spondylolisthesis

Once your care team identifies the root cause, they’ll tailor a plan to help you find the relief that best restores your quality of life.

Treatment for Sciatica
Our team strives to start with the least invasive treatment plans whenever possible, which may include:

• Ice or heat
• Medications
• Muscle relaxants for spasms
• Over-the-counter medications like aspirin, acetaminophen, naproxen
• Steroid injections
• Surgery
• Physical therapy can help and the therapist can teach you exercises to strengthen the muscles surrounding your problem of sciatica nerve pain

Our team will work with you to make sure you’re well on your way to getting back to living with less pain.

Scoliosis

Every person has a different spine with natural, subtle curves. But when the spine twists or curves sideways, creating a “C” or “S” shape, it can make the body uneven and lead to other medical issues. Whether you were born with scoliosis or you’re an adult with a new or existing diagnosis, our spine experts can help.

Scoliosis Screenings and Diagnostics
Imbalanced posture, leaning forward, or uneven shoulders could be signs of an atypical spinal curvature pattern. No matter how minor or severe, our team can work with you to help you find relief and potentially prevent it from getting worse. The process to diagnose and develop a treatment plan starts with a complete medical history, a physical exam, or tests including a CT scan, MRI, or X-rays.

Treatments for Scoliosis
There are several types of scoliosis including congenital scoliosis, a spine curvature noticeable at birth, degenerative adult scoliosis, which occurs when ligaments and spine tissues weaken with age, or structural or idiopathic scoliosis, a curve of the spine caused by unknown factors.

Scoliosis can be mild and may be treated without surgery. For example, teens who are still growing may only need a plastic brace to help guide the spine into a straighter position. For more severe cases or for those who have continued to curve over time may require surgery, such as a Spinal Fusion, to help stabilize the back. Regardless of your age or condition, our team will always start with the least invasive option first which may include pain management, physical therapy, or other spinal regenerative techniques.

Spinal Cord Compression

Your spine is the foundation of everything you do. It protects your spinal cord which is an important bundle of nerves that carries messages from your brain to the rest of your body. If the cord gets injured or compressed from impact, disease, or normal wear-and-tear, you may experience severe pain or weakness in the legs or a loss of balance. Our team of spine experts is here for you to provide answers and treatments for spinal cord compression and your healing and recovery.

Identifying the Signs of Spinal Cord Compression
If you experience numbness of the limbs, tingling, loss of balance, or severe pain and weakness in the legs, you may be experiencing spinal cord compression. Spinal cord compression and spinal compression fractures occur when something puts pressure on the spinal cord, from normal wear-and-tear caused by osteoarthritis to a tumor, scoliosis, or a spinal injury. Our spine care specialists will start with a physical exam and imaging tests such as CT scans, MRIs, or X-rays. They will work closely with you to identify the cause of the issue, answer your questions, and help you find a plan to move forward.

Treatment for Spinal Cord Compression
Our team explores every option available to help you get back to the things you love. That’s why our team focuses on the physical and mental aspects of your treatment as well. They combine specialized solutions and advanced techniques to help you find relief to improve your symptoms today and prevent them in the future. Treatment for spinal cord compression includes:

• Bone spur removal
• Steroid injections or NSAIDS
• Physical therapy, spinal decompression
• Widening the space between vertebrae

The good news is that our team provides education, support, and guidance every step of the way to help you get back on the road to recovery.

Spinal Fractures

Your spine is a crucial support structure and provides everything from basic muscle movements to your central nervous system. You may not give much thought to your spine until something doesn’t feel right. A spinal fracture can lead to pain and limited movement. But with the proper care and treatment plan in progress, a fracture doesn’t have to stop you from moving.

Diagnosing a Spinal Fracture
Numbness, tingling, weakness in your limbs, and moderate to severe back pain that worsens when you move are symptoms of a spinal fracture. Your pain may come on suddenly or gradually deteriorate over time. Either way, getting an imaging test or exam is essential so our team can diagnose your fracture and ease your pain. Some tests may include a physical exam and imaging tests such as a CT scan, MRI, or X-ray.

Causes and Types of Spinal Fractures
Spinal fractures vary in symptoms and severity. A fracture can be compact, even a hairline spinal fracture, or a simple muscle or ligament strain. Whatever the extent of your injury, our team’s proven expertise will help you reclaim your freedom to move.

Treatments for a Spinal Fracture
Once our team has determined the cause of your spinal fracture and examined your overall health, the next step is to develop a treatment plan that gets you on the road to recovery and healing. Some treatments may include:

• Activity modifications
• Back braces
• Kyphoplasty
• Medications for pain
• Osteoporosis treatments
• Spinal Fusion surgery
• Vertebroplasty

No matter the treatment plan, our team will use all the possibilities to help provide education and be there for you so you can get back to doing what you love.

Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis occurs when your spine becomes compressed due to narrowing of the canals or channels of the spinal column. The symptoms can include cramps, loss of feeling in your fingers and toes, pain or numbness in the legs, back, neck, or arms, and sometimes, balance issues. Our spine specialists have the expertise to diagnose spinal stenosis and tailor a plan to fit your condition and lifestyle.

Our team includes an anesthesiologist- interventional pain physician, physiatrists with specialization in pain management, orthopedic spine surgeons, advanced practice providers, and physical therapists. They work with you to develop a treatment plan tailored to you.

Diagnosing Spinal Stenosis
To diagnose spinal stenosis, we ask about your medical history, including hereditary conditions, past injuries, and other health issues. We then conduct a physical exam to test your range of motion, reflexes, and muscle strength and identify pain indicators. We then use tests such as CT scans, MRIs, and X-rays to pinpoint the exact location and severity of the damage.

There are three types of spinal stenosis:

• Foraminal stenosis (or lateral spinal stenosis). This is the most common type and involves bone spurs that pinch your nerves.
• Lateral recess stenosis is usually experienced, along with foraminal stenosis, which can cause chronic pain.
• Central stenosis, caused by age-related deterioration of the spine, can cause lower back pain or numbness, as well as difficulty walking, standing, or bending.

Once the type is identified, our team will be well on their way to getting you back and moving through life with more comfort and less pain.

Treatment for Spinal Stenosis
Our team starts with the least invasive treatment options first. This may include medication, physical therapy, or a combination of treatments, including:

• Analgesics, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may relieve pain
• Physical therapy can help to improve your range of motion, strengthen your abdominal and back muscles, and stabilize your spine
• Modifying activities and daily routines
• Anesthetics or nerve blockers may help improve pain relief and provide diagnostic clues.
• Corticosteroid injections may help to reduce inflammation and provide relief, sometimes long-term. Percutaneous, Minimally-Invasive Lumbar Decompression (MILD) can be performed in select patients. Indirect decompression (the Vertiflex procedure) can be performed in select patients
• Surgery can be performed to relieve pressure on your spinal cord or spinal nerve by widening the spinal canal.

Spinal Tumors

Your spine provides structural support and protects your spinal cord. It is essential to your health and mobility, so a tumor diagnosis can be frightening.

Our team includes experts here to support you and deliver care that helps you heal and ease your pain. Our team uses the latest diagnostic technology and advanced treatments for spinal tumors. Together, our spine specialists and oncology care team will care for you and support you on your journey back to health and wellness.

Diagnosing spinal tumors and cancer
Our spine care specialists and oncology experts are equipped with the latest technology and tests to diagnose spinal tumors and cancer, including CT scans, electroencephalogram (EEG) tests, MRI scans, neurological examinations, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans, and X-rays.

Types of spinal tumors
Most spinal tumors are metastatic, coming from other parts of the body, although they can sometimes form on the spine on their own, either in the vertebrae or in your spine’s neural components. These primary tumors may be benign. If they are cancerous, we begin treatment for you as soon as possible, helping you every step of the way.

If you already have cancer and it’s spread to your spine, our multidisciplinary team will work with you to provide guidance and the support you need for modifying your treatment plan.

Treatment for spinal tumors
Treatment plans are as individual as you are. Your spine-cancer care team may include specialists in orthopedics, pain, neurosurgery, oncology, and physical and occupational therapy. Within our network, we’re equipped with experts in the field of cancer treatment of the spine, which may include:

• Medications
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation Therapy
• Kyphoplasty
• Surgery
• Vertebroplasty