Spine Care & Surgery

You have come to the right place!  We are a certified Center of Excellence in Spine Surgery, designated by The Joint Commission.  In addition, we are designated as a Blue Distinction Center for Blue Cross & Blue Shield.  These Centers have lower readmission rates and fewer reoperations.
 

Advanced Solutions for Back and Neck Pain

Eight out of ten adults experience debilitating back or neck pain at some point. Back pain is the second most common cause of missed workdays due to illness and the most common cause of disability.  When treating an area as crucial as your back, you want to know that you are in expert hands.

The surgeons at Baylor Frisco are of the highest caliber, are board-certified, and are versed in cutting-edge technology.  We offer the most up-to-date sophisticated solutions for back or neck pain.

Our surgeons now use three-dimensional technology to ease back pain through augmented reality.  The first in North Texas to utilize this technology, one of our surgeons was recently featured in a recent television news report from NBC5 KXAS.

 

We are Focused on Your Individual Needs

At Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Frisco, patients have access to expert healthcare professionals, such as physical and occupational therapists, as well as physicians on the medical staff, including Spine Surgeons, Orthopedic Surgeons, and Pain Management Specialists.

Spine Care at Baylor Frisco includes:

Avoiding Pain in the Future

You may avoid any future pain by learning to care for your back. The following are key components in preventing back and neck pain:

  • Posture — While sitting, ensure your lower back is supported, and your mattress is comfortable and supportive.

  • Lifting techniques — When lifting anything, make sure you bend at your knees and not at your waist.

  • Stretching — Stretching your back throughout the day can help increase flexibility and strengthen your back.

  • Exercise — Daily exercise will help keep your back muscles strong and protect them from injury.

Our multidisciplinary medical approach integrates experienced physicians on the medical staff with advanced technologies and pioneering research to provide innovative patient care.

We provide both surgical and non-surgical treatment for conditions that include, but are not limited to:

  • Arthritis of the spine (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid)

  • Bone spurs and overgrowths

  • Degenerative disc disease (cervical, thoracic, lumbar)

  • Herniated discs (cervical, thoracic, lumbar)

  • Myofascial pain (inflammation of muscles and ligaments)

  • Osteoporosis of the spine

  • Pinched nerves

  • Sciatica

  • Spinal deformities (scoliosis, kyphosis)

  • Spinal injuries

  • Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)

  • Spine tumors

Our goal is to provide effective and safe treatment that allows patients to return to an active lifestyle as soon as possible.

Finding the Root of the Pain

Our specialists use advanced equipment to find the source of your pain.

Pinpointing the cause of back pain can be difficult because there are many possible causes. Our specialists use advanced equipment to find the source of your pain, including:

  • Neck X-ray

  • Thoracic spine X-ray

  • Lumbosacral spine X-ray

  • Computerized Axial Tomographic Scan (CT or CAT scan)

  • Lumbosacral spine MRI

  • Spine MRI

  • Myelogram

  • Discogram

  • Electromyogram (EMG)

  • Bone Scan

Treatment options may be surgical or non-surgical.

Our spine specialists can quickly determine which treatment approaches are best for your problem. Non-surgical treatments are often the most appropriate treatments for neck and back pain.  Our highly trained, skilled surgeons are available for patients who need surgery.

When indicated, patients are referred to a comprehensive pain management program that includes an evaluation and the appropriate medical, psychological, and rehabilitative services.

Advanced Surgical Approaches

Sometimes, surgery is determined to be the procedure that will result in the best outcome. The expert surgeons on the medical staff of Baylor Frisco have advanced training in the latest technology and focus on minimally invasive surgical procedures. Treatment methods focus on reducing surgical trauma and pain and accelerating recovery. Procedures include, but are not limited to:

  • Artificial disc replacement

  • Anterior Cervical Discectomy

  • Bone Graft Spine Fusion

  • Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty

  • Posterior lumbar discectomy

  • Posterior lumbar decompression/laminectomy

  • Spine fusion (anterior and posterior)

  • Reconstructive surgery

  • Spinal cord stimulator/neuromodulation therapy

  • CyberKnife®

  • X-Stop®

Interventional Pain Management

A broad range of interventional pain management procedures is also available to treat back and neck pain. Options include minimally invasive, non-surgical procedures designed to treat, not mask, the problem. Interventional pain management procedures include:

  • Diagnostic and therapeutic neural block procedures

  • Epidural steroid injections

  • Neurolytic procedures

  • Sympathetic blocks

  • Radiofrequency thermocoagulation

  • Cryoneurolysis

Pain Navigator Program

When pain is your constant companion, it can keep you from the things you enjoy. Our Pain Navigators will help you find the right treatment option for your pain. Learn more or call 1.800.4BAYLOR and ask to speak with a Pain Navigator.

Questions? Our Spine Coordinator is here to help!

Reach out to our Spine Surgery Coordinator who can refer you to a physician or answer common questions.  Please click here to fill out a contact form.

Leapfrog Award Seal
Seal of the Joint Commission National Quality Approval

FAQs

Always listen to your physician’s specific advice when it comes to your exact condition, but these five tips can help keep back pain at bay and keep you off the operating table.

  1.  Exercise. Most people think that rest and activity restriction are the best ways to care for back pain, and while these methods can help prevent you from overstressing your spine, exercise can actually strengthen structures and muscles groups in the area. Additionally, exercise gets the blood pumping, helping to deliver oxygenated blood to the area. If normal exercise is too taxing on your spine, consider aqua aerobics to take pressure off your spine.
  2. Diet/Weight Loss. A healthy diet also plays a big role in the health of your spine. Junk food or foods that are high in sugar or fat can contribute to the development of inflammation in your spine, which can lead to pain or compression in the area. A healthy diet will also help you maintain a healthy weight, which ensures you aren’t overstressing your spine.
  3. Physical Therapy. Physical therapy is similar to exercise in that it promotes muscle development, but physical therapy specifically targets the problem area(s) of your back. Physical therapy is great for conditions like bulging discs or sciatica pain because it works to relieve compression or pressure in the area. Talk to your doctor about specific physical therapy exercises you should begin for your condition, and don’t just do them during your session at the clinic. Make time to perform some low-impact physical therapy exercises each day.
  4. Injections. Unlike the first three options, injections aren’t something you can do on your own to help your back condition. That being said, injections can be very helpful at calming pain from an irritated or compressed nerve. There are a number of different pain injections available, so you’ll want to consult with a spine specialist and determine exactly what’s causing your pain before moving forward with an injection. Although they won’t provide full relief, corticosteroid injections can provide short-term and some long-term relief depending on the cause of your pain.

As always, you should follow the advice of your surgeon. But, in most cases, you can drive when you feel up to driving and are not taking narcotic pain medications or after clearance by your surgeon. This is usually 2 to 3 weeks after a laminectomy and discectomy and 4 to 6 weeks after a lumbar fusion.

Endoscopic spine surgery is an advanced, state-of-the-art form of minimally invasive spine surgery designed to provide the patient a quicker recovery time and less recurring pain than traditional spine surgery methods. ESS also can help preserve a normal range of spine mobility post-operatively. In some cases, the procedure can be performed using regional anesthesia instead of general anesthesia, decreasing overall medical risks in patients who are older and/or have co-existing medical disorders that may increase surgical risk.