Spinal stenosis can be very painful and limiting, but you don’t have to suffer through it. And thanks to new surgical innovations, the days of pain, immobility and long recovery times are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Consult with one of the UHealth spine injury experts to see if you are a candidate for minimally invasive surgery. 

The UHealth Spine Program provides the most advanced diagnostics and treatments available to patients with spinal disorders and injuries. Our revolutionary concept in spine care brings together a comprehensive team of highly trained medical and surgical specialists who offer patients innovative surgical strategies aimed at lessening both the impact on your body and your recovery time.

Tests

When you first meet with one of our spinal specialists, they will perform a physical exam and ask you about your medical history. Diagnostic tests will also likely be ordered, depending on your specific case.

Discography
During this, test you will receive an injection of saline into your disc(s) under CT guidance. This is done to provoke any pain and/or abnormal response. This can show abnormal nerve pathways generating pain inside the injured/degenerated disc.

Electromyography and Nerve Conduction Velocity
Electroneurophysiological testing is done with current and electrodes to determine nerve function/dysfunction. This can demonstrate nerve damage.

X-Ray
This diagnostic test uses invisible electromagnetic energy beams to produce film images of internal tissues, bones and organs.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
A diagnostic procedure that uses a combination of large magnets, radiofrequencies and a computer to produce detailed images of organs and structures within the body.

Myelogram
This procedure uses dye injected into the spinal canal to make the structure clearly visible on x-rays.

Computed Tomography Scan (CT Scan)
This diagnostic imaging procedure uses a combination of x-rays and computer technology to produce cross-sectional images (often called slices), both horizontally and vertically, of the body. A CT scan shows detailed images of any part of the body, including the bones, muscles, fat and organs. CT scans are more detailed than general x-rays.

Please Note: If you choose a UHealth facility for your tests, our office will schedule the tests for you. If you prefer another testing facility, however, it is your responsibility to contact that facility and schedule the tests.

Treatments

Physical Therapy
If your spinal stenosis is not severe, there are alternatives to surgery that should be tried first. Many patients get pain relief and increased mobility through physical therapy, which utilizes special exercises and stretches specifically for stenosis.

Steroid Injections
These strong anti-inflammatory shots can decrease the inflammation that may be exacerbating your spinal stenosis. They are a great first line of treatment.

Medication
Our physicians may recommend taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug like naproxen or ibuprofen. 

Surgery
In cases when this condition is interfering with your ability to perform daily tasks or where non-surgical treatments have not worked, spinal surgery may be suggested by your doctor. UHealth spine surgeons use minimally invasive surgical techniques whenever possible. After making a diagnosis based on a physical examination and diagnostic imaging, one of our spine experts will go over your individualized treatment plan.

Why Choose UHealth?

Expert surgeons. As a patient at UHealth’s Spine Program, you benefit from having access to surgeons who specialize in back procedures and minimally invasive surgeries. In fact, we perform more than 1,000 spine surgeries each year. 

Minimally invasive surgery. For many patients suffering from spinal stenosis, minimally invasive surgery offers an alternative to traditional spine surgery. Faster recovery rates, less pain, and smaller scars make this option much more attractive. 

Concierge service.  Patients do not have to figure it all out alone at UHealth. When you become a patient in the Neurosurgery Department, you are assigned a concierge coordinator who is there for you and your family while you are in our care. They connect you with other providers you may need, walk you through the surgery process and can answer any questions you or your family may have.

Medical and technological advancements. We are on the cutting edge of neurosurgery with technology like robotics and 3D inter-operative imaging. Count on getting the very best in neurological surgery and care.

Anesthesiology specific to spine surgery. In the area of spine surgery, our anesthesiologists work with surgeons to develop techniques that allow them to monitor all peripheral nerves during spine surgery. Because of these techniques, our patients wake up better with fewer complications. Anesthesia matters, and at University of Miami Hospital, we are at the cutting edge of new techniques. Our anesthesiologists are renowned in their field and teach and train the anesthesiologists in the community.

Multidisciplinary Team of Experts. Our spine care providers offer support and insight backed by the basic and clinical science research programs at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, the largest spinal cord injury research center in the United States.

This team includes:

• Neurosurgical specialist
• Orthopedic spine surgeons
• Neurologists
• Physiatrists
• Neuroradiologists
• Anesthesiologists
• Nurse practitioners
• Therapists