Procedures
How each operation works, who it is for, and what recovery looks like, written for patients. Dr. Michael's rule is the least invasive procedure that reliably solves the problem.
Cervical Disc Replacement
Cervical disc replacement treats a herniated disc or bone spur in the neck the same way a fusion does, by removing the disc and relieving pressure on the nerve or spinal cord, but instead of fusing the two vertebrae together, it places an artificial disc that keeps the level moving.
Read the guide →ProcedureAnterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF)
ACDF is the most established operation in spine surgery for nerve or spinal cord compression in the neck.
Read the guide →ProcedureMicrodiscectomy
A microdiscectomy removes the fragment of a herniated disc that is pressing on a nerve in the low back.
Read the guide →ProcedureLumbar Decompression (Laminectomy)
Lumbar decompression is the operation for spinal stenosis.
Read the guide →ProcedureMinimally Invasive TLIF (Lumbar Fusion)
A TLIF joins two vertebrae in the low back into one solid segment while relieving pressure on the nerves.
Read the guide →ProcedureRobotic-Assisted and Navigated Spine Surgery
Robotic-assisted spine surgery is one of the most asked-about and most misunderstood terms in the field.
Read the guide →ProcedureKyphoplasty
Kyphoplasty treats a painful compression fracture by stabilizing the broken vertebra from the inside.
Read the guide →ProcedureNonsurgical Spine Care and Injections
Most patients who come to a spine surgeon's office do not need surgery, and the best surgeons are the ones who say so.
Read the guide →