Spine Care

Mease Countryside Hospital’s spine surgery team diagnoses and treats thousands of patients with back and neck problems each year. Our team works to develop a comprehensive treatment plan that best fits the patient.

Diagnosis

Our team looks at each patient’s medical history and the results of a physical examination to determine the most likely cause of back pain and to recommend treatment. If a patient’s symptoms or a physical exam suggest the possibility of infection, malignancy or a pinched nerve, additional imaging tests are conducted.

Many patients with mechanical back pain are treated with rest, pain medication and a supervised therapy program. Most patients respond rapidly and experience very little pain after just a few weeks, while some patients may require several months of treatment.

Surgical treatments are recommended for patients whose symptoms are associated with a major disorder such as a herniated (ruptured) disc and spinal stenosis (abnormal constriction or narrowing). Both conditions may compress or pinch nerves and cause leg pain and/or lower back pain. Patients with a herniated disc most often experience pain when sitting, while patients with stenosis experience pain in their buttocks and legs while standing. Whenever possible, Mease Countryside's surgical team uses minimally invasive techniques that treat or correct the condition while simultaneously speeding recovery time and reducing post-operative pain.

Treatment

If surgery is required, we offer the best in both surgical expertise and state-of-the-art equipment. Our facility features leading-edge technology including three-dimensional imaging tools and an image-guided surgery system. This combination of expertise and technology allows our surgeons to use innovative minimally invasive techniques to reduce post-operative pain, decrease the need for pain medication and facilitate rapid rehabilitation and recovery.

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

Minimally invasive spine surgery is a very specialized field that delivers significant benefits to patients with a variety of conditions including spinal fractures, herniated discs and lumbar spinal stenosis. This type of surgery is just one of the options available at Mease Countryside Hospital.

Our health care system was one of the first in the region to offer innovative minimally invasive fusion (joining of two vertebrae) and microdiscectomy, a procedure that eliminates pain by removing a section of disc that is stressing the spinal cord or radiating nerves. Our minimally invasive treatments include:

• Minimally invasive microdiscectomy uses a system of progressing dilating tubes to preserve the muscles while surgically treating disc herniations. This procedure is performed through a small incision in the skin (about ¾ of an inch). The muscles are separated with the dilators, instead of being cut off the bone. With the aid of a microscope, the herniated portion of disc is removed to relieve pressure on the nerves.
• Minimally invasive posterior lumbar fusion is a procedure that preserves muscles while arresting abnormal motion between vertebrae. It can remove large herniated disc and bone spurs when a microdiscectomy is not surgically indicated. With the aid of microscope, our surgeons can use small dilating tubes to remove the disc and insert screws and rods to fuse a section of the lumbar spine. This technique reduces blood loss, shortens the hospital stay, and reduces trauma to the back muscles, which allows for faster rehabilitation and recovery.
• Balloon kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive treatment for spinal fractures caused by osteoporosis. This procedure uses balloons to gently raise the collapsed vertebrae in an attempt to return them to the correct position and height. The procedure can reduce pain, improve mobility and greatly improve a patient’s quality of life.

Our experienced spine surgeons attend additional spine training programs to perform these specialized procedures. We also participate in clinical studies of new products and procedures.

Mease Countryside Hospital
3231 McMullen-Booth Rd.
Safety Harbor, FL 34695