- Comprehensive Care -
- Non-surgical alternatives -
As surgical experts, we preforming the most difficult and advanced procedures in the region. But chances are, we can often get you back to your old self without having to operate.
If you’re suffering neck or back pain due to an injury or inflammation, a steroidal injection can often help. All CSNC Doctors of Physiatry are trained and certified in this procedure. Using a fluoroscope to pinpoint the affected nerve, your doctor injects a small amount of medication at the base of the nerve to reduce the swelling and alleviate the pain. The procedure is relatively quick and we try to have you out of the office in less than a couple of hours.
Epidural injections
Massage Therapy
CSNC Physical Therapists use massage therapy to relieve lower back pain, as well as pain from arthritis, stress and tension. It is also effective at increasing range of motion in the joints and improving circulation. When used regularly, massage therapy can help keep pain under control and manageable
Myofascial Release
Myofascial release is a soft tissue technique that is used to help with postural correction, decrease pain and increase range of motion. Compared to massage, it is more of a stretching and holding technique that allows tissue to relax on its own. By helping to keep your posture in alignment, this type of therapy can decrease pain in the lower back and neck, and improve balance.
Manual Therapy
The term “manual therapy” refers to hands-on treatment of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints. Manual therapy encompasses a broad group of sophisticated techniques performed by hand and by uniquely trained physical therapists. These may include mobilizations or manipulations of soft tissue and skeletal joints. Manual therapy techniques aim to decrease pain and increase function.
Cranial-Sacral Massage
Fun fact: the bones in your skull aren’t fused, they’re actually mobile. They need freedom of motion in order to function properly without pain. Cranial-Sacral Massage involves gently manipulating these bones in order to free them from any restrictions. Attached to the inside of these bones are membranes that support and divide the brain into its sections. Freeing up movement in the bones also removes tension in these membranes, this can help with the pain relief of headaches, migraines and TMJ.
Mechanical Traction
Mechanical traction therapy works by gently decompressing the spinal discs and joints between the vertebrae. It can be very successful in relieving pain associated with spinal disc herniation, degenerative spinal discs, and facet joint syndromes.
Aquatic Therapy
Aquatic therapy can help patients recover from surgery or an injury and deal with pain. It uses the resistance of water instead of weights, taking excess pressure off joints. The warmth and relaxing effect of the water can also help reduce pain and increase blood flow.
Balance and Vestibular Training
The older we get, the more we face issues of balance and even dizziness. CSNC can help you confront these issues and preserve your quality of life. We can develop and guide your through an exercise regimen involving key muscle groups for better balance reactions and training you to improve your body’s posture for better control. Balance and vestibular training may also involve rotating the head and body to affect the inner ear and relieve dizziness.
Electrical Stimulation
Electrical muscle stimulation creates tiny contractions in the muscles so they become tired and relax, relieving pain and muscle spasms. In addition, it triggers the release of endorphins, which are our body’s natural pain reliever. This type of therapy can be very effective for patients who have chronic or acute pain in the neck and back. CSNC physical therapist are trained and certified to use a variety of electrical stimulation therapies including interferential, high volt and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).
Ultrasound Therapy
Ultrasound stimulates the tissue beneath the skin using very high frequency inaudible sound waves. By increasing blood flow to the treated area, ultrasound can accelerate the healing of sprains and strains in the back and neck. It can also be used to help reduce inflammation and soften scar tissue to ease pain.
Ice/Heat Therapy
Ice therapy is typically used for joint pain and acute pain including arthritis or a new injury causing inflammation. It works by reducing the inflammation around an injury. Heat therapy speeds up the flow of blood cells in the body, loosening the muscles and affording you a better range of motion. When used properly in the right combination, ice and heat therapy can be effective in treating a variety of musculoskeletal conditions in the back, spine and neck.
Paraffin Treatment
A paraffin treatment uses warm oil-based wax to provide pain relief to hands, feet and sore joints and muscles. This treatment has skin-softening benefits as well. A paraffin treatment soothes chronic joint pain and relaxes stiff muscles, and improves blood flow. It increases range of motion for people with arthritis, bursitis and other chronic conditions that cause pain and stiffness.
It is grounded in finding a cause and effect relationship between the positions the patient usually assumes while sitting, standing or moving, and the location of pain as a result of those positions or activities. The therapeutic approach requires a patient to move through a series of activities and test movements to gauge the patient’s pain response. The approach then uses that information to develop an exercise program designed to centralize or alleviate the pain. The goal of McKenzie Method is to centralize the pain or move the pain from the leg into the low back.
McKenzie Method
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- Surgical Care -
Our preference is always non-surgical therapies. But, should surgery be needed, our neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons are among the best. With a variety of minimally invasive options available we can help shorten your recovery and minimize your pain.
- Spinal Procedures -
CSNC combines spinal expertise with an on-site MRI, experienced staff physiatrists, and on-site physical therapy services to offer the most comprehensive spine services in the region.
Microdiscectomy (minimally invasive)
This is one of the most effective treatments for a herniated
disc. The surgeon makes a smaller incision in the lower back, using a microscope to view the disc and nerves, the surgeon is able to remove portions
of the herniated disc to relieve pressure on the nerve root or spinal cord.
Surgery is done to help decrease pain and allow patients to have normal movement and function.
Surgery may be done if you are having leg pain, numbness, or weakness that keeps you from your daily activity. If your leg symptoms do not get better after 4 weeks of nonsurgical treatment, or results from a physical exam show you have weakness, loss of motion, or abnormal feeling that is likely to get better after surgery. Mostly this surgery is an outpatient surgery and you may go home the same day.
Lumbar Fusion
Lumbar fusion is used to fuse two or more vertebrae together. Lumbar Spinal Fusion is a major surgery and usually last several hours. There are different methods of Lumbar Spinal Fusion. Bone can be taken from the pelvic bone or from a bone bank. The bone is used to make a bridge between vertebrae that are next to each other. This bone graft helps new bone to grow. Metal implants are usually used to hold the vertebrae together until new bone grows between them. Expect to stay a few days in the hospital after surgery.
Lumbar Spinal Fusion may be done by itself or along with surgery to remove bone and tissue that are narrowing the spinal canal and squeezing the spinal cord and/or the spinal nerves. It may be done as a follow-up after surgery that was done to treat problems such as spinal stenosis, herniated disc, injuries, infection and tumors.
Percutaneous Kyphoplasty (minimally invasive)
This minimally invasive procedure is often used to stabilize and repair fractured vertebra. A tiny balloon is inserted into the affected bone and inflated to restore the vertebra to its natural shape. The balloon is removed and a bonding agent injected into the cavity to stabilize and strengthen it as it heals. Most patients go home the same day after the procedure.
Disc Replacement
With artificial disc replacement, pain relief is brought about by removal of the painful disc and motion with the use of a prosthetic implant made of metal. The procedure typically takes a couple of hours and you may need to stay a few days in the hospital.
Spinal Fusion
A spine fusion surgery involves using bone graft to cause two vertebral bodies to grow together into one long bone. Bone graft can be taken from the patient's hip (autograft bone) during the spine fusion surgery, harvested from cadaver bone (allograft bone), or manufactured (synthetic bone graft substitute). Surgery can last a couple of hours and expect to stay a few days in the hospital.
SI Bone Implant Fusion
If you are having symptoms related to you're Sacroiliac Joint, please see your doctor to see if you qualify for SI Bone Implant Fusion.
- Neurological Procedures -
Your peripheral nervous system consists of the vast network of nerves that connects to your brain and spinal cord. When these nerves are damaged or inhibited the results can range from a mild tingling, to a complete loss of feeling or even paralysis. This is often referred to as peripheral neuropathy and it can be brought on by a variety of conditions, like diabetes, toxins, alcoholism, malnutrition, inflammation, injury or just bad genetic make-up.
Whatever the cause, the medical professionals at CSNC can help. We diagnose and successfully treat patients for a wide range of peripheral nerve conditions, including:
- Nerve compression like carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar nerve entrapment
- Peripheral nerve tumors that develop and grow (usually slowly) within the nerve itself
- Peripheral nerve injuries
- Brain & Cranial Procedures -
As our life expectancy continues to increase, we face health issues that require cutting edge technology and the most advanced medical procedures. CSNC neurosurgeons are certified in the latest procedures to diagnose and treat conditions affecting the cranium, and they have the most state of the art tools and equipment to treat each conditions.
Brain Disorders
From brain tumors and aneurysms, to Parkinson’s Disease and hydrocephalus, our team of neurosurgeons work together to diagnose and treat all types of brain disorders. This team approach is key to determining and implementing the most effective treatment regimen for each patient.
Whatever the cause, the medical professionals at CSNC can help. We diagnose and successfully treat patients for a wide range of peripheral nerve conditions, including:
Surgical Procedures Involving the Cranium
The neurosurgeons of Carolina Spine & Neurosurgery Center employ advanced technologies such as framed and frameless stereotactic radiosurgery and image-guided procedures for treatment of:
- Brain Tumors
- Vascular defects
- Aneurysms
- Epilepsy
- Central nervous system tumors
- Complex skull base surgery