Spine Center
At the St. Jude Heritage Spine Center, our fellowship-trained experts are at the forefront of spine health. Here you’ll find dramatic improvements in care being used to treat the entire range of neck and back conditions – whether from injury, deformity or disease – so you can get back to doing the things you enjoy.
Our orthopaedic spine surgeons offer today’s most advanced solutions, including artificial disc replacement, dynamic stabilization, motion preservation procedures and image-guided spine surgery. The result? We successfully reduce or eliminate pain that even a few years ago would have been considered untreatable.
From simple conditions to complex spine reconstruction, our respected physicians specialize in helping you regain your quality of life. Our multidisciplinary approach includes pain medicine specialists, rehabilitation physicians and physicals therapists to offer you the complete range of care: from non-surgical treatments – such as physical therapy, medications, and therapeutic injections – to the newest microsurgical and minimally-invasive techniques.
Our highly-trained experts include:
Raed Ali, M.D.
Eric L. Lin, M.D.
Conditions and Treatments
We successfully treat a wide range of spine conditions, including:
- Neck and Back Pain
- Disk Degeneration
- Spinal Stenosis
- Bulging and Herniated Disks
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spinal instability
- Scoliosis
- Kyphosis
- Osteoporosis
- Spinal Fractures
- Spinal Tumors
- Adult and Pediatric Spinal Conditions (is scoliosis the only pediatric condition we treat?)
Minimally-invasive techniques: revolutionizing care
New minimally-invasive techniques are dramatically changing the face of spine care, allowing major spine surgeries to be performed with an incision smaller than a paperclip. A surgery that 10 years ago would have resulted in a week-long hospital stay, months of recovery and a large scar is increasingly becoming an outpatient procedure with a recovery measured by days – not weeks – and a scar that can easily be covered by a band-aid.
Our doctors offer the benefits of the latest microsurgical and minimally-invasive treatments, including new techniques to treat some of the most common back conditions, such as herniated discs, spinal stenosis and disc degeneration.
Biologics: cutting-edge medicine
One of the most innovative and exciting developments is the use of biologic materials – genetically engineered proteins – in spine surgery. By stimulating bone growth and healing, a variety of biologic materials are being used by our doctors to significantly improve the results of spine surgery. These proteins attract bone forming cells to the surgical area, dramatically increasing the success of spinal fusions.
Currently approved for only certain fusion procedures, the uses and applications of biologics are expected to grow rapidly – and our experts will use each development to dramatically improve care.
X-Stop: technological advances bring new benefits
Spinal stenosis – a narrowing of the spine which compresses the nerves – is the most common back problem for people over age 50. For decades, moderate to major surgery was the only effective treatment for this degenerative condition that causes lower back pain or numbness.
Today, technological advances are creating new solutions: one of the newest and most effective is the X-stop, a titanium implant that our doctors place between the bones of the vertebrae to open up the space in the spinal canal. This outpatient procedure is typically highly successful at eliminating pain while ensuring unrestricted movement.
Kyphoplasty: help for osteoporosis-sufferers
This outpatient procedure is transforming the treatment of spine fractures caused by osteoporosis. A tiny balloon device is inserted and inflated to raise the collapsed vertebrae to its correct position. Acrylic bone cement is then injected to stabilize or “cast” the fracture – providing strength and stability to the vertebra, restoring height and relieving pain. Our patients are often up and walking the next day and enjoy a more complete recovery than with previous, more invasive procedures.