Spine doctors in southwest Virginia

The nationally recognized spine specialists at LewisGale Regional Health System offer southwest Virginia’s most trusted care for back and neck pain. We provide innovative nonsurgical and surgical treatments to reduce pain and improve your mobility with the least amount of downtime.

To learn more about back and spine care at LewisGale Regional Health System, call our Consult-A-Nurse® team 24/7 at (877) 242-2362.

When surgery is necessary, our expert team—including orthopedic surgeons, spine surgeons and neurosurgeons—uses advanced, minimally invasive techniques and robotic-assisted procedures whenever possible.

Find locations for this service on our Orthopedic care page

Superior orthopedic spine care at LewisGale

LewisGale Regional Health System offers the highest quality spine and orthopedic care. Patients choose us for:

  • Recognition for surgical excellence and quality—LewisGale Medical Center is named one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals™ for spine surgery (Healthgrades, 2018). Our orthopedic surgery team also has the lowest infection rates in Virginia, as well as length-of-stay and hospital readmission rates below national averages.
  • Multispecialty care from a team dedicated to you—Our team includes board-certified and fellowship-trained experts in spinal surgery, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, physiatry, anesthesiology, pain management and interventional radiology, as well as therapists and other professionals who work together to provide whole-patient care.
  • Care throughout the journey—We’re here every step of the way from diagnosis through recovery with case management and coordinated care customized to your needs.
  • Advanced diagnostic imaging tools—This includes bone densitometry, open magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a large-opening computerized tomography (CT) scanner with tumor localization providing a more precise diagnosis and treatment.
  • Specialized programs before and after surgery—In addition to advanced diagnostics, our hospital also offers pain management services and both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services from licensed therapists who understand spine conditions. This means you can get everything you need in one location, from one team.
  • Care in a full-service hospital—If you need surgery, it’s at a hospital with all the services and amenities you need for a comfortable recovery.

Back & Neck Health Assessment

Neck and back conditions we treat

Back or neck pain is caused by damage from injury, disease or wear and tear to the spinal bones (called vertebrae), muscles, nerves, discs (cushion between the vertebrae) or tendons. Pain can happen in the cervical (neck), thoracic (middle) or lumbar (lower) areas of the spine.

The orthopedic spine teams at LewisGale Regional Health System use a multidisciplinary approach to diagnose and care for your condition. We treat a wide range of back, neck and spine conditions, including:

  • Bone spurs—Bone overgrowths
  • Degenerative disc disease—Breakdown of the discs
  • Herniated discs—Ruptured or bulged discs
  • Osteoarthritis—Cartilage in the joints wears down
  • Sciatica—Nerve irritation
  • Scoliosis and kyphosis—Spinal curvature
  • Spinal stenosis and myelopathy—Narrowing of the spinal canal
  • Spinal tumors and cancer—Growths in or around the spinal column or cord
  • Spine fractures—Caused by trauma, injury or arthritis
  • Spine infections—Osteomyelitis (an infection of the bone)
  • Spondylolisthesis—One vertebra slips over another
  • Sports injuries—Caused by repetitive movements or trauma

Advanced treatment for spine and neck pain

We evaluate your overall health and lifestyle to recommend safe and appropriate treatments. Our spine specialists offer advanced care from physical therapy to spine surgery.

Nonsurgical and minimally invasive treatments

LewisGale Regional Health System offers nonsurgical and minimally invasive therapies, such as:

  • Physical therapy and rehabilitation—We work with you to strengthen and stabilize your core using medically supervised fitness plans developed by board-certified physical therapy doctors called physiatrists.
  • Spinal injections—We use image-guided technology to deliver medications that relieve pain and reduce inflammation. These include epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, facet joint injections, sacroiliac joint injections and trigger point injections.
  • Nerve stimulation techniques—We deliver a low-voltage electrical current to relieve pain, as in transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy and implanted spinal cord stimulators (SCS) and intrathecal pain therapy (ITC) devices.
  • Interventional spine procedures—Radiofrequency ablation uses heat to destroy tissue and cryoanalgesia temporarily freezes the area, such as tumors or the sensory nerves that cause pain. We also perform kyphoplasty for spinal fractures.

Spine surgery

In many cases, we can use minimally invasive spine surgery techniques to stabilize joints, decompress pinched nerves, fuse bones and correct deformities—all through a few, small incisions. This means less trauma to muscles and tissues, resulting in shorter operations, less pain after surgery and a faster recovery. Many patients go home within a day or two.

We offer a variety of spine surgeries, including:

  • Discectomy/microdiscectomy—Removes all or part of the disc or the cushion between the vertebrae.
  • Laminectomy or laminotomy—Removes the part of the backbone that covers the spinal canal to relieve pressure on the spinal nerves; Often performed with spinal fusion surgery.
  • Foraminotomy—Removes bone or tissue to open the space where the nerves leave the spinal canal; Sometimes also performed with spinal fusion surgery.
  • Disc replacement surgery—Where a damaged disc is replaced with an artificial one.
  • Direct lateral interbody fusion (DLIF)—Minimally invasive approach to spinal fusion where the surgeon accesses the spine from the patient's side, sparing surrounding tissues and muscles.
  • Kyphoplasty—Treats spinal fractures, eases pain and restores height; Uses a balloon to create a space, which is filled with medical cement.
  • Spinal fusion—Increases spine stability by joining two vertebrae using bone grafts and sometimes implants, such as rods and screws; Includes DLIF, or direct lateral interbody fusion, a minimally invasive technique to access the spine through the side (lateral).