*United Health Care has named St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center a Premium Specialty Center for Spine Surgery for 2007-2008, recognizing our leadership in quality spine care. This designation means the St. Luke's-Roosevelt Orthopedics Department meets or exceeds the recognized standards of care for spine surgery---an acknowledgment that we’re a hospital you can choose with confidence.
Daveed
D. Frazier, MD To visit Dr. Frazier's Web site, click here.
Jonathan
R. Stieber, MD To visit Dr. Stieber's Web site, click here.
Our spine surgeons offer a complete range of diagnostic and treatment
services for various problems of the spine. Our multidisciplinary group
of health care professionals—including internists, neurologists,
nurse practitioners, orthopedists, physiatrists, physical and occupational
therapists, rheumatologists, and complementary medicine professionals—work
together to develop the best possible treatment plan for each patient.
At Roosevelt and St. Luke's Hospitals, we believe that just as each individual
is different, each back problem is unique and requires a specialized program
of care.
Our spine surgeons' goals are to correct our patients’ back and neck conditions and to help them return quickly to their usual activities. We specialize in the treatment of chronic, acute, and congenital spinal disorders, including such problems as:
| • Strains & Sprains • Herniated Discs • Sciatica • Spinal Stenosis • Scoliosis |
• Osteoarthritis • Traumatic Injuries • Spinal Tumors • Spinal Fractures • Compression Fractures |
• Myelitis or Myelopathy
|
The spine surgeons at Roosevelt and St. Luke's Hospitals offer a full array of treatment options to relieve pain and correct problems of the spine. We always do our best to ensure that non-surgical treatment is the first course of action, but if spine surgery becomes necessary, we offer the latest techniques and state-of-the-art technology to ensure that the most minimally invasive surgery is performed, and that maximum mobility is preserved.
Non-surgical treatment options includes:
| • | Medication. For some patients pain-relieving drugs—such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, or muscle relaxants may be prescribed. |
| • | Physical and occupational therapy. Physical therapists treat malalignment of the spine, create specialized exercise programs to strengthen the supportive muscles of the spine and treat pain, and can also teach relaxation exercises and proper lifting techniques. Occupational therapists teach patients how to change their daily activities and decrease damage to the spine. |
| • | Pain management. Combination of local anesthetic and steroid drugs can be injected around the nerves or the joint spaces to relieve pain. Epidural injections—cortisone injected directly into the spinal canal—can ease the inflammation around the nerves. |
| • | Complementary therapies. As an addition to conventional treatment, the Center for Health and Healing also offers complementary therapies, including chiropractic care, acupuncture, and biofeedback. |
Surgical treatment options include:
| • | Minimally Invasive Procedures. There have been many advances in spine surgery, allowing operations to be performed through very small incisions, using thin instruments. This allows surgery to be performed with less tissue damage and less pain, resulting in a faster recovery time. |
| • | Discectomy. A discectomy—one of the most commonly performed spinal procedures— involves removing part of a herniated disc in order to relieve pressure and irritation on the nerves. Depending on the level of damage, the surgery may be performed using minimally invasive endoscopic techniques. |
| • | Laminectomy. Used to help repair numerous spine conditions, this surgery involves the removal of the lamina (the bony roof over the spinal nerves) at the location where the nerves are being irritated. |
| • | Kyphoplasty. A new, minimally invasive procedure used to treat spinal compression fractures. The procedure results in the restoration of spinal height and significant relief of pain. |
| • | Scoliosis Correction. Multiple techniques are used to straighten spinal curvatures. |
| • | Disc Replacement. Disk replacement may be an option for patients with severley deteriorated spinal discs. |
| • | Spinal fusion. This surgery is performed to treat instability due to infection, arthritis, tumors or trauma and to correct spinal deformities such as scoliosis. It involves fusing two or more spinal vertebral segments together with a bone graft. |
| • | Removal of spinal tumors. Depending on the type of tumor, surgery may be necessary. The spine surgery experts at Roosevelt and St. Luke's Hospitals in New York City pride themselves on staying up to date on all new developments in spine surgery. You can be assured that your spine surgeon is knowledgeable on all surgical options and will discuss these options with you prior to surgery. For an evaluation by our spine surgeons, call (800) 753-3240 for an appointment. |