Spine Surgery

Our spine experts recommend less invasive treatments first. This approach helps you get back to your regular activities faster and with less pain.

Our multidisciplinary team coordinates your care to help you achieve the best outcome possible. Unlike at other hospitals, at the New England Baptist Hospital Spine Center, orthopedists, neurosurgeons and non-operative spine specialists work together to find the best way to treat your condition and manage your pain. We match you with the best provider for your unique needs.

When surgery is your best option, you receive high quality care from a team that performs 2,500 spine surgeries a year. That’s more back, neck and spine procedures than any other hospital in Massachusetts. This means you enjoy better outcomes, fewer complications and reduced risk for revision surgery.

We work with you and your family to answer questions about surgical care. Learn what to expect before, during and after your spine surgery.

At the New England Baptist Hospital Spine Center we provide many surgical options to treat all types of back and neck pain and many other conditions such as spinal stenosis. Treatments include: 

• Image guided surgeries
• Minimally invasive surgeries
• Revision surgeries
• Robotic guidance procedures

Degenerative Disc Disease Surgery

If you’re living with pain from degenerative disc disease in your neck or back, our spine surgeons can help. We specialize in managing disc conditions caused by aging and injury.

Disc disease is the most common disorder we treat. We offer inpatient and outpatient procedures including:

• Fusion (cervical or lumbar) surgery. During spinal fusion, your surgeon connects two or more bones in the spine. Connecting vertebrae in the neck or back prevents movement and helps stop pain.
• Laminectomy. Your doctor removes the back of one or more vertebral bones in the neck or lower spine. This removes pressure on the nerves and gives the spinal cord more space.  
• Microdiscectomy. Your surgeon removes part or all a bulging or damaged (herniated) disc in the neck or lower spine. An abnormal disc can press on nerves, causing pain and numbness. When the disc is removed and the nerve is no longer under pressure, pain and numbness go away.

Scoliosis, Spinal Deformity & Complex Spinal Revision Surgery

If you are living with scoliosis, spinal deformities or another complex spinal condition, you can count on our surgical care team to provide care with positive outcomes.

About two-thirds of our patients have had a previous surgery. Many are referred to us from other centers. We successfully treat a wide range of conditions:

• Adult degenerative scoliosis
• Previously treated childhood or teenage scoliosis
• Prior lumbar or cervical fusions
• Spinal deformities
• Spinal fractures
• Spinal tumors

Our surgeons understand how to treat these and other complications that develop after spine surgery:

• Flatback (walking or standing pitched forward)
• Standing posture problems (unbalanced posture often requires reconstructive surgery)
• Spinal or foraminal stenosis (bony growths in the spine put pressure on the nerves or spinal cord)

We use advanced treatments and coordinate your care with physicians and therapists who specialize in anesthesia, neurology, physiatry and radiology. Your treatment also includes non-surgical care:

• Follow-up care
• Observation
• Pain management
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation

Minimally Invasive & Robotic Spine Surgery

Our specialists use the latest minimally invasive techniques to ensure you get the best care with smaller incisions, reduced main and a faster recovery time.

We perform a variety of minimally invasive procedures:

• Endoscopic spine surgery
• Lumbar fusion procedures, such as lateral lumbar fusions
• Lumbar laminectomies
• Posterior cervical foraminotomies

Our spine surgery team uses advanced imaging technology to perform certain procedures, such as:

• Image-guided surgery. Spine surgeons use computer and image-guided systems to place implants in the spine during certain procedures.
• Interventional radiology. Advanced imaging ensures precise placement of injections and aids in other pain management procedures.

We also specialize in robotic spine surgery. Our spine surgery team uses robot-assisted systems to improve surgical precision and success. New England Baptist Hospital is a regional leader in the Medtronic StealthStationTM navigation system and the Medtronic MazorTM robotic system.

Before Spine Surgery

When you come to the New England Baptist Hospital Spine Center for care, we give you all the information you need to prepare for your surgery.

Your care team talks with you and your family about what to expect. You may need to complete classes or tests before your procedure.

We provide all the information you need to get ready for your visit to the hospital and an inpatient stay, if required.

Our team answers all your questions and educates you and your family about your upcoming spine surgery. Read our patient education materials in English or Spanish.

Recovery After Spine Surgery

After your surgery, we’ll surround you with care. Your spine team works with you and your family in the hospital and after your return home.

As you recover in the hospital, we provide the right level of care, whether you need intense monitoring or time in an anesthesia recovery unit. A dedicated spine nurse practitioner manages your care during your stay.

We educate you about how to care for your incision and how to follow a rehabilitation plan to get back to your regular activities.

Plan to see your doctor for regular follow-up appointments. Depending on your condition, you may want to enroll in specific programs to improve and rebuild your spine strength and mobility.

Your team at New England Baptist Hospital is ready to guide you through the treatment and recovery process. You are the center of that team. By taking an active role in your care, you can have a more satisfying experience and achieve better results.

This video series will prepare you for your hip replacement. We’ll give you a glimpse of the process ahead, and provide you with important details to make your surgical experience as comfortable as possible. From pre-screening and preparation, through your surgery day, hospital stay, and recovery, we want you, and those around you, to feel confident in the process and be prepared for what lies ahead.

• Welcome To New England Baptist Hospital (Video)
• Preparing for Your Surgery: A To-Do List (PDF)
• Shared Decision Making at NEBH (PDF)
• Smoking and Surgery: Recommendations to Reduce Complications (PDF)
• Alcohol and Surgery (PDF)
• Your Spine Surgery (Video)
• Nutrition Recommendations for Before and After Surgery (PDF)
• What to Bring to Your Appointment (PDF)
• Your Surgery Day (Video)
• What to Bring to the Hospital (PDF)
• General Anesthesia (PDF)
• Spinal Anesthesia (PDF)
• Care Transitions (PDF)
• Your Hospital Recovery (Video)
• Managing Your Pain (PDF)
• Preventing Falls (PDF)
• Leaving New England Baptist Hospital and Heading Home (Video)
• Airport Travel (PDF)
• Caring for Your Surgical Incision (PDF)
• Caring for Your Surgical Incision During the Summer (PDF)
• Preparing Your Home (PDF)
• Safe Disposal of Your Prescription Medication (PDF)
• When to Call Your Surgeon (PDF)

Usted y su cirujano han decidido que es momento de someterse a una cirugía, y debe sentirse seguro al saber que ha elegido uno de los mejores hospitales del país para su atención ortopédica. Esta serie de videos lo/a preparará para su próxima operación, le dará una idea del proceso por delantado y le brindará detalles importantes para que su experiencia quirúrgica sea lo más cómoda posible.

**Esta serie de videos se filmó antes del COVID-19. Algunas cosas hoy, pueden verse diferentes a como se muestra en los videos. Le sugerimos a usted y a su acompañante que vean los videos, ya que contienen información importante y útil sobre su cirugía.

• Bienvenido a New England Baptist Hospital (Vídeo)
  (Welcome to New England Baptist Hospital)
• Preparación para la Cirugía: Su Listado de Tareas (PDF)
  (Preparing for Your Surgery: A To-Do List)
• Fumadores y Cirugías Recomendaciones para reducir las complicaciones (PDF)
  (Smoking and Surgery: Recommendations to Reduce Complications)
• Alcohol y Cirugía (PDF)
  (Alcohol and Surgery)
• Su cirugia de columna vetebral (Vídeo)
  (Your Spine Surgery)
• Nutrición Peri-operatoria (PDF)
  (Nutrition Recommendations for Before and After Surgery)
• Preparación para su visita de chequeo previo al ingreso (PDF)
  (What to Bring to Your Appointment)
• Su dia de cirugia (Vídeo)
  (Your Surgery Day)
• Qué traer al Hospital (PDF)
  (What to Bring to the Hospital)
• Anestesia General: Qué Debe Saber (PDF)
  (General Anesthesia)
• Anestesia Espinal: Qué Debe Saber (PDF)
  (Spinal Anesthesia)
• Gestión de casos y cómo podemos brindarle asistencia (PDF)
  (Case Management)
• Su recuperacion hospitalaria (Vídeo)
  (Your Hospital Recovery)
• Tratamiento del Dolor (PDF)
  (Managing Your Pain)
• Riesgo de Caídas (PDF)
  (Preventing Falls)
• Dejar el New England Baptist Hospital e ir a casa (Vídeo)
  (Leaving New England Baptist Hospital and Heading Home)
• Viajar en Avión (PDF)
  (Airport Travel)
• Cuidados de su Incisión Quirúrgica (PDF)
  (Caring for Your Surgical Incision)
• Preparar el Hogar (PDF)
  (Preparing Your Home)
• Desechar de Manera Segura los Medicamentos Recetados (PDF)
  (Safe Disposal of Your Prescription Medication)
• When to Call Your Surgeon (PDF)
  (When to Call Your Surgeon)

These videos are for surgical patients of New England Baptist Hospital. They are intended to assist with prescribed post-surgery rehabilitation. When watching, pause the video where appropriate to do the exercises. Your rehabilitation plan has been customized for you so it may vary from the content of these videos. Please follow the instructions you received at discharge.

Should you have questions, contact the Rehabilitation Office at 617-754-5500 or your care team.

• Introduction to Physical Therapy
• Post-Operative Log Rolling to Maintain Proper Body Mechanics
• Post-Operative Ambulation with Walker or Cane
• Post-Operative Stair Training with Cane and Rail