Spine Services
Lumbar Disc Hernation (Slipped Disc)
Common condition that often results in sciatica, or leg pain. Our surgeons perform a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure known as microdiscectomy through an 18 mm (less than 1 inch) incision. Most patients experience significant pain relief and are home the same day or following day. The link below directs to a symptom calculator, sponsored by Dartmouth School of Medicine and Consumer Reports, and can help you understand how surgery can help.
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Degenerative condition that often results in neurogenic claudication, or pain in the legs that worsens with walking. Dr Desai utilizes minimally invasive techniques when appropriate such as the unilateral (one sided) approach for bilateral decompression. The link below, sponsored by Consumer Reports and Dartmouth School of Medicine, can help you understand how surgery can help.
Thoracolumbar Compression Fractures
These fractures can often result in axial mechanical back pain, or non radiating pain that is worse with standing or sitting. A major risk factor for compression fractures is osteoporosis, or weak bones. This can result from minor trauma. Sometimes compression fractures can also be a presenting sign for certain cancers such as multiple myeloma. Our surgeons are skilled in performing a unipedicular approach for balloon kyphoplasty, a minimally invasive option compared to standard kyphoplasty.
Cervical spondylosis
This condition describes arthritis in the neck. It can result in variety of symptoms depending on whether in the spine it is located. It can cause radiculopathy which can manifest as radiating arm pain sometimes in specific distributions known as dermatomes as well as weakness of particular muscle groups known as myotomes. In certain locations it can also compression the spinal cord itself resulting in symptoms such as loss of hand dexterity, gait difficulties, numbness or tingling in the hands and feet.
Interventional Pain Management
Dr Desai believes in offering full spectrum of conservative care for treatment of degenerative spinal conditions. As such he also performs lumbar interlaminar or transforaminal epidural steroid injections, sacroiliac joint injections, caudals, medial branch blocks, and facet rhizotomies.
Complex Regional Pain Syndromes
A chronic pain condition that sometimes occurs after trauma or specific nerve injury that can cause disproportionate pain, hypersensitivity, and swelling in the effected limb. Spinal cord stimulation can be effective in the treatment of this condition if there is subjective benefit from a stimulation trial. Dr Desai will work closely in conjunction with pain management physicians as well as neuropsychologists to determine who may be a candidate for such therapy.
Spinal Tumors
Majority of spinal tumors are metastatic in origin. They can directly compress neural elements or lead to erosion of bone resulting in fractures anywhere along the spine. The goals of surgery in these cases are to decompress the spinal cord and stabilize the spine. In this example, Dr. Desai performed a 2 level cervical corpectomy to decompress the spinal cord after the patient presented with a central cord syndrome from a pathologic fracture at C4 and C5 related to a tumor. The spine was decompressed, fused, and supplemented with anterior and posterior instrumentation. The patient later went on to have good motor recovery and his systemic disease treated with chemotherapy and radiation.