Innovations in Spine Care

Orthopedic surgeons and Neurosurgeons on staff at Community Healthcare System hospitals are established leaders in spine and neurosurgery. They use their vast experience to help diagnose and treat disorders affecting the entire body: spine, brain, legs, arm and face. Our innovative approaches include minimally invasive treatments with cutting-edge technologies that help our patients return to a more active, healthy lifestyle more quickly than ever before.

Community Hospital in Munster is certified by the Joint Commission as Indiana’s first certified spine surgery program. A dedicated team of neurology specialists ensures high quality care for our spine patients by aligning patient care with current evidence and research to ensure the best outcomes.

Surgical treatment options are also provided by our neurosurgeons at St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart. Physicians at both hospitals specialize in all aspects of complex spine surgery, minimally invasive surgeries and treatments of the spine and spinal deformities including:

Cervical Spine

• Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) with instrumentation. The cervical disc and/or spur are removed during this operation. After removal of the disc, a bone graft will be placed in this space, allowing for fusion.
• Insertion of artificial discs for cervical disc herniation and/or degeneration.
• Treatment of Posterior Decompression of the cervical vertebrae.
• Posterior Fusion of the cervical vertebrae.

Thoracic Spine

• Discectomy - A portion of the disc is removed from the spine to release the pressure on the nerve.
• Kyphoplasty/Vertebroplasty for fracture - This is a minimally invasive treatment in which orthopedic balloons are used to gently elevate the fractured vertebrae in an attempt to return it to the correct position.

Lumbar Spine

• Microdiscectomy (minimally invasive spine procedure) - This is an operation on the lumbar spine that is performed using a very small incision and removes only the portion of the ruptured disc that is pinching the spinal nerve causing pain.
• X-Stop® stenosis - The X-STOP® is a minimally invasive procedure in which an implant called the X-STOP® IPD Implant is placed between two bones called spinous processes in the back of your spine. It is designed to keep the space between your vertebrae open so that when you stand upright the nerves in your back will not be pinched and cause pain.
• Decompressive Laminectomy with or without fusion and/or instrumentation - This surgery is done to treat spinal stenosis and relieve pressure on the spinal cord or spinal nerves. Laminectomy removes bone and/or thickened tissue that is narrowing the spinal canal and squeezing the spinal cord and nerves. This procedure is done by surgically cutting into the back.
• Posterior and Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion - In this procedure, the surgeon joins (fuses) two lumbar vertebrae. This helps stabilize the vertebrae in this part of the spine.

Pain

• Spinal Cord Stimulator - This a treatment used for chronic pain. A small stimulator sends signals to your spinal cord to keep the pain messages from being sent to your brain.