Who is a spine surgeon?

Orthopedics is a medical specialty focusing on the body's musculoskeletal system that includes bones, tendons, joints, muscles, ligaments, and nerves. Spine surgeons are orthopedic surgeons who focus their practice exclusively on spine surgery. Both orthopedic and neurosurgeons may complete fellowship training to do most types of spine surgery.

What does a spine surgeon do?

An orthopedic spine surgeon is a surgeon who further specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal diseases. Although some focus on treating children (pediatric) or adults, they provide non-operative and surgical treatment to patients of all ages. Some orthopedic spine surgeons solely treat certain spinal problems such as degenerative disc disease, spinal fracture, scoliosis or a particular region of the spine.

What procedures are performed by an orthopedic spine surgeon?

The most common spine surgeries performed by orthopedic spine surgeons are:

• Discectomy: It is the removal of part of a disc that is herniated and causing pain or other symptoms.
• Laminectomy: It is a surgery performed to expand the spinal column when spinal stenosis causes pressure on the nerve roots.
• Spinal Fusion: It is a welding process by which two or more vertebrae are joined together, forming a single immobile unit.
• Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty: Both involve supporting fractured bone with a cement-like material, which is injected into the vertebra or vertebrae through a straw-like needle.

What diseases are treated by a spine surgeon?

Diseases treated by spine surgeon are:

• Arachnoiditis
• Back injury
• Cervical spinal stenosis
• Chronic pain
• Coccydynia
• Degenerative disc disease
• Discitis
• Facet syndrome
• Failed back syndrome
• Injury
• Kyphosis
• Lordosis
• Low back pain
• Lumbar disc disease
• Lumbar spinal stenosis
• Myelitis
• Myelopathy
• Neck pain
• Neurological disorder
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteomyelitis
• Osteophyte
• Osteoporosis
• Paralysis
• Paraplegia
• Radiculopathy
• Scheuermann's disease
• Sciatica
• Scoliosis
• Spina bifida
• Spinal cord compression
• Spinal cord injury
• Spinal disc herniation
• Spinal disease
• Spinal fracture
• Spinal muscular atrophy
• Spinal stenosis
• Tetraplegia
• Transverse myelitis
• Vertebral compression fracture
• Whiplash

What is the difference between an ortho spine surgeon and neurosurgeon?

Fellowship trained and board-certified neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons are equally qualified. However, there is a difference between them, and that difference is in their training. A spine neurosurgeon is trained to treat conditions of the spine, while an orthopedic spine surgeon specializes in treating the spine and its deformities.