Spine/Pain

Often, the best spine treatment is not surgery. Injections and other related non – surgical pain procedures can be performed at BID – Needham. When surgery is the best option, our non – surgical specialist will refer you to a surgical specialist who is part of the team.

Spine conditions are common, and many different types of doctors offer care for problems related to the back and neck.

Treatment for Back and Neck Problems

We care for adult patients with neck and back problems including:

• Conditions caused by aging (degenerative disease)
• Lumbar and spinal stenosis
• Herniated disc
• Osteoporosis and fragility/compression fractures of the spine
• Spondylolisthesis
• Problems with a spinal nerve root (radiculopathy) of the cervical, thoracic or lumbar spine
• Arthritis of the spine

Which Specialist Should I See?

Patients who have complex problems involving the bones and nerves in the spine usually do best under the care of a specialist. This is especially true when patients may be candidates for surgical treatment of their condition.

When this is the case, often patients wonder if they should choose a neurosurgeon (a surgeon specializing in problems related to the nerves), or an orthopedic surgeon (a surgeon specializing in problems with the bones).

Seek Expertise in Treating Your Condition

Both neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons are highly skilled in treating problems related to the spine. For many conditions that require a surgical specialist, a well-qualified neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon will be able to provide effective, comprehensive care. Rather than asking "which specialty" is best, it usually makes more sense to ask about the training and experience a particular surgeon has had in treating a specific condition.

There are some relatively rare problems that are best served by one specialist — for example, spinal cord tumors and other intradural conditions are treated by neurosurgeons, while adult scoliosis and other spinal deformities are usually treated by orthopaedic spine surgeons. In these cases, at a comprehensive Spine Center like the one at Beth Israel Deaconess we can quickly guide the patient to the right specialist.

Our Services

On site Spine Center services include evaluation, interventional pain procedures and physical therapy. Surgery is performed at BIDMC.

Evaluation and Consultation

• Complete musculoskeletal evaluation
• Comprehensive radiology including MRI, CT, bone density, X-rays and PET scans
• EMG/nerve conduction studies
• Neurological evaluation available
• Pain specialty consultation

Interventional Pain Procedures

• Injections (epidural injections, nerve root blocks, facet injections, dorsal rhizotomy, sacroiliac injections)
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Kyphoplasty
• Discetomy

Physical Therapy

Services include strengthening, stretching, core exercises and manual therapy. There is a complete Rehabilitation Medicine department just across the street from BID–Needham at:

73R Chestnut Street
Needham MA 02492
Phone: 781-453-3025
Fax: 781-453-5782

Surgery

Utilizing the most advanced surgical techniques, Spine Center surgeons treat all spine conditions from the base of the skull ( cervical spine) to the pelvis (lumbar spine). Surgeons frequently perform decompression, fusion and instrumentation procedures via minimally invasive approaches, as well as via traditional open surgery when appropriate. In addition to procedures such as laminectomy and laminoplasty, surgeons perform osteotomies for spinal deformity and treat scoliosis.

Spine Center surgeons bring special expertise in minimally invasive decompression, minimally invasive instrumented fusion, and minimally invasive anterior fusions in the lumbar spine ( direct lateral interbody fusion).

Contact Us

To make an appointment, please call us at 617-754-9000 between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm. To reach the specialties clinic, located at BID-Needham, please call 781–453-5701 or email us.

Address:

Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham
148 Chestnut Street
Needham, MA 02492