Treatments & Surgeries

HOW we can help YOU

My care philosophy includes listening to and valuing a patient's input, his/her desires, and goals of care. We then work together to achieve those goals, starting with the non-surgical options if possible (e.g., physical therapy, injections, medications). If conservative measures do not succeed, we will discuss all other options, again with a focus on minimal invasiveness and motion preservation (i.e., non fusion) whenever possible. I treat my patients as if they were my family. 

Model of the neck (cervical spine)

Learn more about the various procedures that may help you.

    1. Anterior cervical discectomy and arthroplasty (ACDA) aka artificial disc replacement

    2. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF)

    3. Posterior cervical decompression

    4. Posterior cervical laminoplasty

    5. Posterior cervical laminectomy and fusion

    1. Discectomy

    2. Laminectomy

    3. Lumbar disc replacement

    4. Fusion (ALIF/LLIF/XLIF/PLIF/TLIF)

    5. Sacroiliac Joint (SI) Fusion

    6. Kyphoplasty

    1. Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Decompression

    2. Ulnar nerve decompression / transposition

    3. Peroneal nerve decompression

    1. Tumor resection (e.g, meningioma, cancer metastasis)

    2. Subdural/epidural hematoma evacuation

    3. Ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) placement

Neck

    1. The surgery is done from the front (anterior) part of the neck (cervical spine) through a small incision planned in the natural skin creases.

    2. The pinching (stenosis) or bulging disc (herniation) is removed and replaced with an artificial disc (e.g., Simplify, Prodisc, or Mobi-C).

    3. The goal is to preserve neck mobility/motion and get patients back to full activity and sports sooner.

    1. The surgery is done from the front (anterior) part of the neck (cervical spine) through a small incision planned in the natural skin creases.

    2. The pinching (stenosis) or bulging disc (herniation) is removed and replaced with a titanium spacer. Screws are placed above and below to fixate and fuse the vertebrae.

    3. DO NOT WORRY, even when 4 levels of the neck are fused, patients are still able to move their neck fine!

    1. The surgery is done from the back (posterior) part of the neck (cervical spine) through a small incision the size of a quarter.

    2. The surgery is done through a tube. The pinching (stenosis) is “cleaned out” by removing bone (e.g, laminectomy, laminotomy, or foraminotomy). Sometimes a bulging disc is also removed (discectomy).

    3. The goal is to preserve neck mobility/motion and get patients back to full activity and sports sooner, symptom free.

    1. The surgery is done from the back (posterior) part of the neck (cervical spine).

    2. The pinching (stenosis) is “cleaned out” by elevating the “roof or back” portion of the spinal canal (called lamina) like a “door hinging open” (hence, laminoplasty).

    3. Even though small plates/screws are placed to “hinge open” the spinal canal, this surgery is NOT a fusion, as the different segments of the spine are not fused. The goal is to preserve neck mobility/motion and get patients back to full activity and sports sooner, symptom free.

    1. This minimally invasive system uses small incisions on either side of the neck to place small fusion devices in between the joints of the neck (cervical) vertebrae.

    2. This is generally done when posterior decompression (unpinching the nerves from the back of the neck) is not needed.

      1. When adding to a fusion from the front (anterior cervical) if a patient has weak bone or extensive anterior surgery.

      2. When a patient has a nonunion (when anterior cervical surgeries fail to fuse).

    1. The surgery is done from the back (posterior) part of the neck (cervical spine).

    2. The pinching (stenosis) is “cleaned out” by removing the “roof or back” portion of the spinal canal (called lamina), hence “laminectomy.”

    3. DO NOT WORRY, even when 4 levels of the neck are fused, patients are still able to move their neck fine! The biggest motion of the neck occurs between the occiput (back of the head), C1 and C2, and usually these levels are not included.

Back

    1. The surgery is done from the back (posterior) part of the low back (lumbar spine) through a small incision the size of a quarter.

    2. The surgery is done through a tube. The pinching (stenosis) is “cleaned out” by removing bone (e.g, laminectomy, laminotomy, or foraminotomy). Sometimes a bulging disc is also removed (discectomy).

    3. The goal is to preserve back mobility/motion and get patients back to full activity and sports sooner, symptom free.

    1. Decompression can consist of laminotomy / laminectomy / foraminotomy

    1. The surgery is done from the front (anterior) part of the lower abdomen in conjunction with a general or vascular surgeon who gets access to the back (lumbar spine).

    2. The degenerated disc is removed and replaced with an artificial disc.

    3. The goal is to preserve neck mobility/motion and get patients back to full activity and sports sooner.

  • This is a motion preservation (non fusion) alternative to address stenosis (pinching of the nerves) and potentially spondylolisthesis (slippage of the bones). In this surgery, the facets (joints) of the spine are replaced with this device. This can address back pain and leg pain (e.g., sciatica or radiculopathy).

Peripheral Nerve

  • Using a small incision in your wrist crease, the carpal tunnel is decompressed. This is done for carpal tunnel syndrome (pain/tingling along hand into the first 2-3 fingers).

  • Using a small incision at the inside of the elbow, the ulnar nerve is decompressed at the cubital tunnel. This is done for ulnar neuropathy (pain/tingling along inside of arm into the last two fingers).

  • Using a small incision on the outside of the leg just below the knee, the peroneal nerve is decompressed. This is usually done for foot drop (foot weakness).

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