Comprehensive surgical care for spine-related problems
Your spine consists of multiple distinct segments, and each one is important for your overall spinal health. Repetitive or acute injuries, degenerative conditions (such as degenerative disk disease), or bone changes that come with age can change the structure of the spine or damage the vertebrae and surrounding tissue.
Spine conditions, such as spondylolysis or spondylolisthesis, can cause pain when they put pressure on the spinal cord or nerves, and they can also limit movement. At MultiCare, we work closely with you to pinpoint the source of your pain and develop a personalized treatment plan, which may include both surgical and nonsurgical approaches.
Our multidisciplinary team consists of board-certified and fellowship-trained surgeons, physical therapists, pain management specialists and other professionals who work together to relieve your pain, help you regain function and support you in living a healthy, active life.
Surgical treatment tailored to your needs
Treatment for some spine injuries or conditions may include surgery. While traditional open procedures —where a surgeon makes a single large incision — are still the preferred method for addressing some spine problems, our surgical teams use minimally invasive techniques whenever possible.
Minimally invasive surgery, which makes use of multiple smaller incisions, can reduce the risk of complications and postoperative pain while supporting a faster recovery. Your surgeon will discuss which surgical method or technique is best suited to your specific situation.
Our surgical treatment options include:
- Decompression
- Cervical corpectomy
- Cervical diskectomy
- Cervical laminoplasty
- Cervical laminectomy
- Lumbar laminectomy
- Lumbar diskectomy
- Spinal fusion
- Anterior cervical fusion
- Posterior cervical fusion
- Anterior lumbar fusion
- Posterior lumbar fusion
- Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF)
- Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF)
- Anterior thoracic fusion
- Posterior thoracic fusion
- Lateral lumbar fusion
- Artificial or total disk replacement
- Minimally invasive surgical techniques
- Microdiskectomy
- Laminectomy
- Extreme lateral interbody fusion
- Kyphoplasty
Your spine treatment plan may also include pain management procedures such as epidural steroid injections, spinal cord stimulation, or radiofrequency neuroablation, among other options. These procedures are intended to decrease pain, improve your function and mobility and minimize reliance on pain medications. Depending on the individual procedure, pain relief can last from months to years or longer.
What to expect
If you and your MultiCare spine team determine surgery may be beneficial, a spine surgeon will meet with you to discuss what type of procedure would best meet your needs. You’ll have an opportunity to ask questions about the surgery, expected outcomes and recovery time.
If you decide to move forward, the MultiCare surgical team will help coordinate your surgery and preoperative appointments. Following surgery, many patients go home the same day. Those undergoing more complex procedures may benefit from a short hospital stay.
All patients should follow a comprehensive rehabilitation program after surgery, which is essential for optimal recovery. After your procedure, our physical therapy team will help you follow a plan of care designed for your specific needs and goals.