Spine Surgery

Pain in these areas is generally first treated with some combination of medication and physical therapy. If the pain does not improve after some months of these treatments, surgery can become an option. Spine surgery can help a variety of back conditions, including:

During minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS), MedStar Health surgeons make a small incision and use advanced computer technology and specialized instruments to repair back and spine conditions. In microscopic surgery, we combine minimally invasive techniques with highly sensitive, cutting-edge surgical microscopes to access even the most delicate areas with precision.

Minimally invasive techniques offer patients:

Innovative technology is available for patients needing spine surgery, and MedStar Health offers more options than ever. Robotic-assisted systems improve the way our expert physicians operate. Surgical robots don’t supplant the skills of the surgeon, but rather complement them. The overarching goal of robotic-assisted navigation in spine surgery is accuracy.

Benefits of robotic-assisted navigation in surgery:

Traditional fusion surgery merges the vertebrae, which relieves pain and pressure, but also restricts your ability to move. Motion-sparing spinal surgery gives you the best of both worlds—it relieves pressure on your spinal cord and preserves your range of motion. Motion-sparing techniques can be used in cervical artificial disc replacement and laminoplasty (removing spinal cord pressure from cervical spine stenosis).

If you or your child suffers from a spinal deformity, the orthopedic spine surgeons at MedStar Health will work to correct the problem with braces and other non-surgical approaches. In most cases, we try not to treat scoliosis and other spinal deformities with surgery, but if more conservative treatments do not improve the deformity, surgery may be the best option.

MedStar Health orthopedic surgeons always take time to explain the risks and benefits of any procedure and help our patients come to a decision that feels right. We also work with any other specialists involved, so treatment is multidisciplinary and comprehensive. Surgery for spinal deformities, such as scoliosis and kyphosis, can straighten the spine and/or release the pressure on spinal nerves. This often requires uniting the vertebrae using special implants to keep the spine together.

Both a laminectomy and laminoplasty are used to take the pressure caused by spinal stenosis (narrowing) off your spinal cord. During a laminectomy, the surgeon removes the part of the vertebra that covers and protects your spinal canal to decrease pressure on the spinal cord or a spinal nerve. A laminectomy can be used to treat several conditions that cause this narrowing, including injuries, disc disease, and arthritis.

Laminectomy can be performed at any level of the spine, sometimes using minimally-invasive techniques. Patients with single-level or two-level stenosis of the lumbar spine are often sent home on the day of surgery.

Laminoplasty is used to treat patients with cervical (neck) spinal stenosis. It also relives pressure caused by stenosis, but unlike other treatments, this procedure does not limit your ability to turn and move your neck following surgery. This is because there is no fusion required during surgery.

Most laminoplasty patients will spend one or two days in the hospital. A soft surgical collar is sometimes used to support the neck, and pain medication can help alleviate pain from the surgery.

When a disc in the neck slips out of place or wears over time, it can cause severe neck pain. One treatment option for this problem is anterior cervical disc replacement surgery. During this procedure, your doctor removes the disc and replaces it with an artificial disc. This artificial cervical disc imitates a real disc, offering support between the bones of your spine and allowing for a full range of motion.

Disc replacement may be recommended for patients who are suffering from severe neck pain due to:

Following surgery, patients usually stay in the hospital for several days. As you are healing, your doctor will create a personalized recovery plan for you, which may include neck bracing, pain medication, physical therapy, and rest.

This advanced surgical procedure is performed to repair damage to the spine and neck caused by a range of conditions, including adolescent scoliosis, arthritis, herniated disc, lumbar disc disease, lumbar stenosis, sciatica, scoliosis, and spondylolisthesis.

During the procedure, your surgeon will remove any damaged portions of the spine and replace them with healthy bone, taken either from your pelvic bone or a bone bank. Over time, the vertebra will fuse together to form one bone. The procedure can be done in the lower (lumbar), upper (thoracic) spine, and neck.

During recovery, your doctor may recommend wearing a back brace to keep your spine aligned and supported while the bones fuse. In later stages of recovery, your doctor may recommend physical therapy and exercise therapy.

The unique spine care program at MedStar Health features talented physical therapists working closely with a variety of physicians to obtain the best outcome for conservative treatment. Our therapists are continually enhancing their knowledge with up-to-date techniques regarding back and neck care.

We offer: