Spine care
Spine specialists, who can be orthopedists or neurosurgeons, diagnose and treat injuries, trauma and diseases related to the spine. Spine care doctors also offer care for herniated discs, nerve damage, sciatica, neck pain or chronic back pain.
Orthopedic spine doctors and surgeons in northern Utah and along the Wasatch Front
If you live with debilitating back pain, the spine specialists at MountainStar Healthcare's hospitals can help.
Our spine care teams include experts in both orthopedic care and neurological care to ensure we deliver the type of care that is right for you. These physicians work closely with physical therapists and pain management specialists to return you to a more active and productive lifestyle.
Expert advice, available 24/7
Free medical information is just a phone call away. Our nurses help you understand your symptoms, treatment options and procedures. They will also help you find a provider or specialist and schedule an appointment.
Free medical information is just a phone call away. Our nurses help you understand your symptoms, treatment options and procedures. They will also help you find a provider or specialist and schedule an appointment.
Neck, back and spine conditions we treat
Our spine surgeons offer surgical and nonsurgical treatments for a wide range of conditions, including:
- Arthritis of the spine
- Herniated or dislocated disc
- Lower back pain
- Muscle strain
- Neck pain
- Osteoporosis
- Pinched nerve
- Ruptured or bulging disc
- Sacroiliac joint disorder
- Sciatic nerve pain
- Scoliosis
- Spinal cord injury
- Stenosis
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Vertebral fracture
- Whiplash
Advanced diagnostics for spine care
We understand the importance of a quick, accurate diagnosis, which is why we provide our physicians with sophisticated diagnostic imaging tools. Using this technology, our spine specialists can precisely identify damage to spinal discs and the soft tissues surrounding them.
Some of the imaging tests we use in spine care include:
- 64-slice computed tomography (CT)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- X-ray
Back pain treatment
When you need back pain treatment, it is essential to seek care from a team of specialists highly experienced in spine care—and that is what you will find at our hospitals. Our spine doctors are experts in pinpointing the cause of back, neck and spine pain. Our goal is to resolve your pain and restore your quality of life with the least invasive treatment.
Sacroiliac (SI) joint disorder treatment
The SI joint connects the last segment of the spine, the sacrum, to the pelvis. The integrity of the SI joint depends on strong ligaments that cover the joint. These ligaments may become disrupted due to injury or degeneration, allowing the joint to have excessive motion. This excessive motion may inflame and disrupt the joint and surrounding nerves.
As a first line of treatment for SI joint disorders, your doctor may recommend one or more of the following:
- Medications—to help relieve pain and reduce inflammation
- Physical therapy—to provide strengthening and pelvic stabilization exercises that reduce the movement in the SI joint
- SI belt—wraps around the hips to support and stabilize the pelvis and SI joint
- SI joint injections—to reduce inflammation and relieve SI joint pain
Comprehensive spine care and treatment
Depending on your diagnosis, your treatment plan may involve:
- Physical therapy—Physical therapists develop a personalized therapy regimen to help you strengthen your muscles and regain function. Physical therapy may be prescribed as a first line of treatment or as postoperative rehabilitation.
- Pain management—Through pain management techniques, such as nerve blocks, we can help alleviate pain associated with nerve and spine conditions.
- Spine surgery—Our spine surgeons use advanced surgical techniques to repair fractures, slipped discs, scoliosis and other conditions. We use minimally invasive surgery whenever possible to aid in a quicker recovery.
Spine surgery
When nonsurgical treatments do not relieve back pain or other symptoms of spine injuries and disorders, spine surgery may be an effective option. Our spine surgeons deliver expert surgical care and are highly experienced in advanced procedures, including:
- Discectomy
- Laminectomy
- Lumbar decompression
- Non-fusion treatments
- Spinal fusion
- Cervical fusion
- Lumbar fusion
Robot-assisted spinal fusion
MountainStar Healthcare's St. Mark’s Hospital was the second hospital worldwide—and the first community hospital worldwide—to offer a special robotic surgery platform for spinal fusions. Specifically, this robot-assisted technology precisely locates anatomical structures so surgeons can place spinal implants with the highest degree of accuracy.
This robotic system provides an advanced option for patients needing spine surgery. It optimizes patient care by combining the benefits of navigation and robotic guidance into one technology. Because the technology enables minimally invasive surgery, patients also experience shorter recoveries.