Surgical Treatments

Surgical Pain Relief Treatments Near You in New Jersey

If you have an orthopedic or spinal condition or injury that hasn’t improved with non-surgical treatments, your doctor may recommend surgery. Although spine and orthopedic surgery may seem intimidating, modern techniques are safe, effective, and often minimally invasive.

At Interventional Spine & Surgery Group, we take a patient-centered approach to care, prioritizing compassion, quality, and fast access to treatment. Our medical team specializes in fast, accurate diagnosis and beginning treatment right away, so you don’t have to continue living in pain.

Our multidisciplinary team evaluates each patient and their condition before recommending surgical treatment. Below is a guide to help patients understand the procedures we use for spine, nerve, joint, ligament, tendon, meniscus, and fracture-related pain. Learn more about our surgical treatments available near you in central and northern New Jersey.

Key Takeaways

Spine and orthopedic surgery are often used when pain persists after non-surgical treatment, the patient has nerve symptoms, or the injury requires repair or stabilization.
Orthopedic surgeries include knee and shoulder arthroscopies, ACL repair, meniscus repair, and more.
Spinal surgeries include laminectomy, spinal fusion, disc replacement, foraminotomy, kyphoplasty, and more.
Interventional Spine & Surgery Group provides surgical treatment for spinal and orthopedic conditions and injuries near you in New Jersey.

Surgical Treatments We Offer

Many orthopedic and spine conditions can be treated non-surgically, but that’s not always the case. Some reasons that your doctor may recommend surgical treatment include:

Having persistent neck, back, arm, leg, shoulder, or knee pain after non-surgical treatment
Experiencing nerve compression, weakness, numbness, instability, or loss of function
Having an acute injury that may require repair, stabilization, reconstruction, or fixation
Not experiencing symptom relief from non-surgical treatment methods

The exact procedure used will depend on the source of pain and the patient's functional goals. However, the surgical procedures available at Interventional Spine & Surgery Group include:

Anterior Cervical Discectomy & Fusion (ACDF)

ACDF is a surgical procedure that is used to treat conditions such as degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, and cervical radiculopathy. These conditions lead to pinched or compressed nerves, often causing neck, arm, or spinal cord pain.

ACDF involves removing the damaged disc from the front of the neck and fusing the adjacent vertebrae together with a bone graft and metal hardware, stabilizing the spine. Patients often try conservative treatment methods, such as physical therapy, medications, and injections, before resorting to ACDF surgery.

ACL Repair

When a patient’s anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is torn, they may require ACL repair or reconstruction, especially if their knee is unstable, they’re an athlete, or they have functional limitations. ACL repair involves suturing the torn ligament, while ACL reconstruction involves replacing the torn ligament with a tissue graft. Reconstruction is typically the preferred solution and can be performed minimally invasively.

Cervical & Lumbar Discograms

A discogram is an invasive diagnostic imaging test that is used to confirm the exact spinal disc causing chronic pain. It uses real-time X-ray imaging and saline and contrast dye injections into each disc. Using the imaging guidance, the surgeon provokes pain in each disc to determine which is the cause of the pain.

A discogram can be performed in either the upper (cervical) spine or lower (lumbar) spine. It is typically only used when spinal surgery is being considered to guide surgical decision-making and confirm which discs require treatment.

Cervical & Lumbar Fusion

Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure that permanently connects two or more vertebrae in the spine. It uses bone grafts and metal hardware to force the bones to fuse, eliminating painful motion and increasing stability. Fusion can be done in the cervical or lumbar spine to treat conditions like:

Degenerative disc disease
Spondylolisthesis
Spinal stenosis
Fractures or deformities

It is often recommended for patients with severe instability or significant spinal deformity. Spinal fusion has a long recovery period while the bones fuse. Once the fusion is complete, the patient has activity restrictions, including bending, twisting, and flexing of the fused segment.

Disc Replacement

Artificial disc replacement is a surgical procedure in which a damaged spinal disc is removed and replaced with an artificial disc. This helps relieve pressure on the spinal cord and nerves, enabling normal movement. Disc replacement is an alternative to spinal fusion, offering a quicker recovery and fewer mobility restrictions. It is ideal for younger or active patients who don’t have severe spinal instability but are dealing with a damaged or degenerative disc that causes chronic pain.

Foraminotomy

A foraminotomy is a procedure that helps relieve pressure on compressed nerve roots by widening the foramen (the bony opening in the vertebrae where nerves exit). It is often performed with a minimally invasive approach to reduce surgical trauma and healing time. A foraminotomy can address symptoms from foraminal stenosis, such as:

Radiating pain
Numbness
Tingling
Weakness

Fracture Revision & ORIF Surgery

Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) is a two-part surgery used to repair severe fractures. Open reduction involves repositioning broken bone fragments through an incision, while internal fixation uses metal hardware to stabilize the bone during healing. If an initial repair fails, fracture revision is a secondary ORIF procedure that addresses the failure.

Hemilaminectomy

A hemilaminectomy is a minimally invasive spinal decompression surgery in which the surgeon removes one side of the lamina. This helps relieve pressure on compressed spinal nerves or the spinal cord while maintaining the spine’s structural integrity. It is often used to treat:

Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
Herniated discs that are compressing nerves
Bone spurs that irritate nerves

Knee Arthroscopy

Knee arthroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a specialized tool called an arthroscope and small incisions. The arthroscope has a camera and a light to provide enhanced visualization of the interior of the joint, helping doctors diagnose and treat knee problems. They include meniscus tears, ligament damage, cartilage issues, synovitis, and more.

Kyphoplasty

A kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that is used to treat painful vertebral compression fractures. It involves:

Inserting a thin tube into the fractured vertebrae via a small incision
Drilling a small hole through bone and into its softer center through the tube
Inserting a special balloon into the vertebrae and inflating it to push apart the caps of the fractured vertebrae and restore them to a more normal shape
Removing the balloon and filling the cavity with bone cement that helps maintain the bone’s new shape

Kyphoplasty helps to stabilize the bone, reduce back pain, and improve spinal alignment.

Laminectomy

A laminectomy is a procedure that aims to enlarge the space in your spinal canal to reduce nerve compression or pressure. It does so by removing all or part of the lamina to give a compressed nerve root more space. Compared to a hemilaminectomy that only removes one side of the lamina, a laminectomy removes the entire lamina on both sides. It can address symptoms from conditions like stenosis and nerve compression from a herniated disc.

Meniscus Repair

Meniscus repair is a minimally invasive arthroscopic procedure that stitches torn knee cartilage (meniscus) back together to promote natural healing. It is typically performed on younger, active patients with tears located in the outer area where there is a strong blood supply. It is different from a meniscectomy, which involves trimming or removing the damaged tissue when a tear can’t be repaired surgically.

Percutaneous Discectomy Surgery

A percutaneous discectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that helps treat damaged spinal discs by shrinking or removing the material surrounding the affected disc. This procedure uses heat waves to remove the damaged disc material and relieve the pressure on surrounding nerves. It is often considered for disc-related pain that does not improve with conservative treatment, such as injections or medications.

Posterior Lumbar Fusion (PLIF)

PLIF is a type of spinal fusion surgery in which the spine is accessed from the back. Two or more vertebrae are permanently connected using bone grafts and metal hardware. This stabilizes damaged lumbar segments and eliminates motion that causes pain. It’s often used for treating conditions like degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, and spinal instability.

After lumbar fusion surgery, patients will have a strict healing phase where bending, twisting, and lifting over 10 pounds are restricted. It can take up to a year for the bones to fuse, although normal activity often resumes around six months post-op.

Rotator Cuff Repair

Rotator cuff repair is a surgical procedure that reattaches the torn rotator cuff tendon back to the upper arm bone (humerus). It is most often performed as a minimally invasive procedure with shoulder arthroscopy. It is often recommended when conservative treatments fail to relieve pain, the tear is acute and large, or if the patient is highly active and requires full shoulder strength.

Spinal Cord Stimulator

A spinal cord stimulator is a device implanted in the body that sends electrical impulses to help interrupt chronic pain signals from reaching the brain. This device can help relieve chronic back, arm, and leg pain. A trial stimulator is typically used to determine if the patient is a strong candidate before permanently implanting one. Patients who benefit from spinal cord stimulation include those with neuropathic pain and individuals who haven’t found pain relief from conservative treatments.

Shoulder Arthroscopy

Shoulder arthroscopy is similar to knee arthroscopy, although it’s performed on the shoulder joint. It can help diagnose and treat conditions such as labral tears, impingement, and soft-tissue injuries. Although shoulder arthroscopy is minimally invasive, there are recovery considerations to be aware of. After a shoulder arthroscopy, patients must wear a sling for a period and participate in physical therapy to help heal their joint.

Transforaminal Lumbar Fusion (TLIF)

TLIF is another type of spinal fusion where the surgeon accesses the spine through the back. It helps stabilize the spine and the disc between the vertebrae, eliminating movement at a painful segment that causes symptoms. TLIF allows the surgeon to fuse both the anterior and posterior columns of the spine through a singular posterior approach.

Find Spine and Orthopedic Surgery Near You in New Jersey

If you may need spine or orthopedic surgery, trust the high-quality care from Interventional Spine & Surgery Group. Our multidisciplinary team provides both surgical and non-surgical treatment options for neck, back, nerve, joint, and injury-related pain. We provide patient-specific recommendations based on their diagnosis and goals, and we prioritize fast access to care.

To get a diagnosis and treatment recommendations or to schedule an evaluation for surgical spine or orthopedic pain relief options, contact us today at one of our nine locations throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Frequently Asked Questions About Orthopedic and Spine Surgery

What is the difference between non-surgical pain relief and surgical pain relief?

Non-surgical pain relief uses conservative methods like physical therapy, medications, activity modifications, and injections. Surgical pain relief is achieved through either minimally invasive or open procedures.

How do doctors determine the right treatment method?

To determine the most appropriate treatment, doctors use insight from a combination of:

Medical history and symptom review: Doctors review your symptoms, medical history, previous treatments, and how the condition affects your daily activities.
Physical examination and neurologic or orthopedic testing: A thorough examination helps evaluate strength, mobility, reflexes, sensation, and joint or spinal function.
Imaging and diagnostic testing: Imaging studies such as X-rays, computed tomography (CT) scans, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans help identify structural abnormalities and confirm the diagnosis.

They typically start with non-surgical options before resorting to surgery.

How do I prepare for surgical spine or orthopedic treatment?

To prepare for spine or orthopedic surgery, you’ll need to:

Stop taking certain medications, such as blood thinners
Complete any medical clearance testing
Plan for transportation, time off, home support, and rehabilitation
Ask your surgeon any questions you have, including those about risks, benefits, and alternatives

What is recovery like after spine or orthopedic surgery?

It depends on the procedure, but it’s crucial to follow your care team’s post-procedure instructions carefully. Recovery often focuses on controlling pain, caring for wounds, starting physical therapy, and gradually returning to daily activities.

When should a patient consider surgery for neck, back, nerve, shoulder, knee, or fracture-related pain?

A patient should consider surgery for their pain when conservative measures don’t provide effective symptom relief after several months, or when severe symptoms suggest a structural emergency.

How does disc replacement differ from spinal fusion?

Both procedures treat degenerative disc disease and nerve compression. However, disc replacement uses an artificial disc to preserve natural spine mobility, whereas spinal fusion uses bone grafts and hardware to permanently fuse two or more vertebrae, eliminating movement that causes pain.