What We Treat

The brain is the body’s control center. It enables you to think, feel and move with ease and receives and sends information on a never-ending basis. It is protected by a series of 8 bones that form the cranium, a part of the skull. The frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, ethmoid and sphenoid bones are fused together by immovable joints called sutures that lock the edges of the cranium together, and make the ‘cap’ of your skull. Penetrating this protective cap and operating inside the body’s control center requires a precise knowledge of the brain and nervous system that only a neurosurgeon possesses.
Neurosurgeons study the human nervous system, including the brain, for a minimum of fourteen years. Their special knowledge combined with practical experience enables them to treat many illnesses and conditions previously considered to be untreatable. Today, strokes, aneurisms and even brain tumors can often be treated successfully by neurosurgeons

The lumbar spine consists of 5 lumbar bones (vertebrae) stacked on top of the sacrum. The body of the vertebra is cylindrical mass of solid bone that is the weight bearing portion of the vertebra. Extending back from each side of the body are pillars of bone called pedicles. Two plates of bone called laminae arch between the pedicles, thus enclosing the spinal canal, which contains the nerves that travel to the legs. At the junction between the lamina and pedicle, behind the nerves, are smooth projections called facets, the joints of the spine. Between the vertebrae are discs, or cushions, which act as shock absorbers, and allow for motion and flexibility. Ligaments and muscle are attached to the vertebrae at various points to provide strength and stability and to control motion. The lumbar spine serves three primary functions: 1) to provide support for the body; 2) to protect the nerves that go to the legs, bowels, and bladder; 3) to allow motion of the torso in relation to the pelvis.

The lumbar disc has an outer tough ring that encloses a softer, spongy center. As part of normal aging, the disc undergoes a gradual wear and tear process referred to as Adegeneration, characterized by the gradual loss of water, decrease in height, stiffening of the disc, and bulging of the ring of the disc. This is a normal process that occurs in all adults, and is usually unassociated with any pain. Most adults older than 50, and many in their 40’s have some degree of disc degeneration, which appears on an MRI scan as a darker appearance of the disc. Often the only symptom is a gradual loss of range of motion, often not even noticed because it occurs so slowly when you’re 80 years old, your back is not as flexible as when you were 20, but it is not necessarily painful.

• Back Pain
• Disc Herniation
• Lumbar Stenosis
• Spinal Fusion

The cervical spine is composed of 7 bones called vertebrae connected to each other by ligaments, discs and joints. The “body” of each vertebra is in the front, connected to a ring of bone behind. The opening in this ring is the spinal canal, through which the spinal cord passes. The discs are between the vertebral bodies and act as little shock absorbers. Each disc has a tougher lining around the outside, with a spongy center. On either side of the spinal canal between the vertebrae are openings for a spinal nerve to leave the spine. The discs, then, are in front of the spinal cord and exiting nerve, while the joints or facets are behind them. Finally, several different ligaments and muscles connect the vertebrae to each other. The muscles, ligaments and joints provide for flexibility and stability, while the bony portions give protection to the spinal cord and nerves and provide overall strength to the spine.

For more information associated with Cervical Spine click on the links below.

• Neck Pain
• Arm Pain
• Spinal Cord Compression
• Spinal Instability
• Cervical Microdiscectomy