Minimally Invasive Spine Program

The latest in spine surgery, tailored to your needs and goals. 

At Overlake Medical Center & Clinics, we know just how much neck and back pain can get in the way of your life. We are part of the Eastside Neurosciences Institute (ENI), which brings together leading experts from Overlake and EvergreenHealth to provide the highest quality, compassionate care using the latest approaches. 

We pride ourselves on taking the time to learn about you, your lifestyle, and how your symptoms are impacting your life. Then we’ll provide a detailed diagnosis and help you understand if surgery is the right option for you. Our goal is to provide the care you need to live your day-to-day life with less pain — and get back to the activities you love. 

Conditions We Treat

• Disc conditions like herniated disc and cervical and lumbar degenerative disc disease.
• Lumbar pain, stenosis and sciatica.
• Scoliosis
• Spinal deformities
• Spinal instability and spondylolisthesis.
• Spinal tumors and infections.
• Vertebral compression fractures.

Treatments and Services

Your care will start with a detailed exam and imaging tests to get to the root of your symptoms. You may have one or more of the following tests: 

• X-rays: To identify broken bones, problems with spine alignment or arthritis. 
• MRIs and/or CT scans: To take pictures of muscles, tissues, ligaments and blood vessels. 
• Nerve studies: To get to the root of nerve pain and determine if your nerves are being compressed by narrowing in the spinal canal (the fluid-filled space of your spinal column) or by herniated discs. 
• Bone scans: Rarely, your doctor may order a bone scan to look for compression fractures or a tumor. 
• Blood tests: Your doctor may order a blood test to determine if an infection or other condition may be causing your pain. 

The Latest in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

After your initial imaging tests, our care team will provide a detailed diagnosis and walk through your treatment options. Many patients will not need surgery, and some patients prefer to try other treatments like physical therapy before considering surgery. If that’s the case for you, we may recommend starting your care with our Non-surgical Spine Program. 

If surgery is your best option, rest assured that you are in the hands of some of our region’s leading spine surgeons. Many patients are eligible for minimally invasive spine surgery, which typically offers fewer complications and faster recovery times than traditional surgery. We offer the latest surgical procedures to treat a wide variety of spine problems including: 

• Spine decompression: Relieving pressure on nerves to treat pinched nerve pain. 
• Spine fusion: Reducing pain and stabilizing the spine by fusing vertebrae together.
• Arthroplasty/motion-preserving surgery: Replacing damaged discs with artificial ones to help maintain the spine’s natural range of motion. For some people, this surgery is an alternative to spinal fusion. 
• Complex spinal reconstruction: Reducing spinal curves and helping stabilize the spine for people with severe scoliosis or other conditions that affect the shape of the spine. We typically only do this surgery if other, non-surgical methods have not worked well. 
• Multidisciplinary spinal tumor surgery: Removing or reducing spinal cord and nerve sheath tumors. The ENI team has deep experience using surgery to help people with these rare tumors maintain their ability to walk and reduce other symptoms. 

Leading Expertise, Close to Home on the Eastside

When you choose Overlake and the ENI, you’ll have access to some of the leading surgeons in our region. This includes fellowship-trained surgeons in orthopedic spine and neurosurgery spine. Fellowship-trained surgeons have extra years of training to provide highly specialized care. 

We offer some of the latest treatment options, such as minimally invasive and robotic-assisted procedures. These techniques help make surgery as precise as possible, with fewer complications and faster recovery times. 

If you have a more complex spine condition, your care team will include a team of experts in different specialties — like neurology, neurosurgery and orthopedics — who will collaborate to provide the best possible care.

Care Focused on Your Needs and Goals

We take the time to listen to your story and what brought you to seek care. Then we’ll discuss your treatment options to help you decide if surgery is the best option for you. We believe in building a care plan that’s best for each individual person — and often, that care plan does not involve surgery. 

Whether we decide surgery is best, or we identify other effective treatments for your neck or back pain, our care team will be here every step of the way. Our goal is always to get you back to the activities you love, as soon as possible.

Visit the Eastside Neurosciences Institute Website