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Spine Services

The spine is a multi-faceted complex structure consisting of four main sections (cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacrum) as well as the tailbone, known as the coccyx. There are a total of 26 vertebrae that work together to connect the skull to the pelvis and limbs. These vertebrae are important in protecting the spinal cord and nerve roots that ultimately control almost every volitional movement in your body.

Because of the spine’s immediate connection to the pelvis and limbs, it is responsible for providing a stabilizing anchor for the rest of the body. This, at times, causes a great deal of stress on the spine which can result in injury and pain. This pain can be related to a muscular strain, issue with a vertebrae/joint or disc, or in relation to compression on the spinal cord or nerve root that may refer pain to a different area of your body like an arm or leg.

Our team at Baptist Health Neurosurgery Arkansas is specialty-trained in treating conditions of the spine including developmental anomalies, trauma, degenerative/arthritic changes in the spine, tumors of the spine, infections of the spine and some rheumatologic diseases of the spine. Our goal is to help our patients overcome their spine problems and reclaim their quality of life.

Many of the diseases that we treat include:

  •             Spina-bifida
  •             Hemi-vertebrae
  •             Tethered Cord
  •             Scoliosis
  •             Degenerative Disc Disease
  •             Facet Arthropathy
  •             Spondylosis
  •             Spondylolisthesis
  •             Bulging/Herniated Disc
  •             Spinal Stenosis
  •             Degenerative Scoliosis
  •             Radiculopathy (arm or leg pain)
  •             Myelopathy
  •             Cauda equina syndrome
  •             Spine fractures
  •             Discitis
  •             Osteomyelitis
  •             Ankylosing spondylitis
  •             Rheumatoid arthritis of the spine

 

Tests and Diagnosis of a Spine Condition

There are many different tests used to look for conditions of the spine related to your pain or disability. The simplest of these is a plain X-ray that is routinely done in office. An X-ray is an informative overview of your spine alignment and may easily diagnose degenerative and traumatic conditions of the spine. Depending on these findings and your symptoms, many clinicians move forward with an additional study which may include one or more of the following:

Treatment of Spine Conditions

The most common treatment of spine issues consists of conservative measures of care including:

  • Weight loss
  •  Activity modification
  •  Smoking cessation
  • Anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs)
  • Muscle relaxers
  • Physical therapy

 

Without response to the above conservative measures, more invasive treatments may be recommended which include:

  • Epidural steroid injections
  • Nerve blocks
  • Facet blocks
  • Radiofrequency ablation

 

Occasionally, if improvement is not achieved with conservative spine care or spine injections, surgery will be recommended to help treat your spine condition. The type of surgical intervention performed is tailored specifically to each patient and dependent on their symptoms, physical exam and findings on imaging studies. Your surgeon should discuss these options in detail if surgery is necessary in treating your spine issues.