Spinal Fractures and Dislocations
Definition
Spinal fractures and dislocations refer to injuries that involve damage to the vertebrae or displacement of the spinal bones. These injuries can result from trauma, such as falls, motor vehicle accidents, or sports injuries, and may lead to spinal instability, nerve compression, or spinal cord injury.
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Spine Surgery
Millions of people suffer from the broad range of diseases that can affect the spine. Debilitating pain and impaired function often keep people from working and enjoying normal lives. While spinal conditions and injuries, particularly neck and back pain, are quite common, they can be among the most complex and difficult ailments to treat. This is especially true with patients who have had little improvement with prior spinal surgery or failed medical treatments for such diseases as scoliosis or degenerative disk disease. Our experienced team of highly-skilled neurosurgeons and staff work together to provide the best care possible. Whether the pain is acute or chronic, we are committed to understanding the problem and will work with each patient to determine the best way to treat it. Patients travel from across the Northeast to have our experts treat problems, including spinal cord and nerve compression, spinal deformities, spinal tumors, neck and back pain, and sciatica. Our focus is on helping patients overcome their disability, rather than performing surgery or providing physical therapy. We provide comprehensive diagnostic services for patients whose conditions have not been definitively identified, as well as for those who had unsuccessful treatments, including previous surgeries. Because we are a major referral center for neurosurgical problems of all types and levels of complexity, our patients benefit from our collaborative, interdisciplinary environment that enhances opportunities for advancing care. Our services include: Minimally invasive surgery:Advanced, one-day surgical procedures, including vertebroplasty and disk electrocauterization, are available for appropriate candidates. Vertebroplasty relieves pain among some osteoporosis sufferers with collapsed vertebrae. Surgical bone cement is injected into the affected areas bolstering bone growth. Disk electrocauterization involves the use of a needle to shrink disks by burning them. Complex surgery:Our Spine Center specializes in this type of surgery, which is reserved for cases in which all other treatment options have been considered. Our surgeons can perform spinal reconstructions for severely deteriorated spines or repair damage from trauma or prior surgeries. Cutting-edge techniques, such as discography, make it possible to track electrical activity within the spine with exceptional precision to localize the site of injuries. Support services:Yale New Haven Hospital is a Level I trauma center, fully equipped to handle complex spinal cord injuries. Spine patients who undergo surgery benefit from specially equipped surgical suites. They will recover in the hospital’s Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the only specialized unit of its kind in the region, staffed with experienced neurocritical care nurses. Our team continuously challenges current practice to ensure our programs reflect the most advanced treatment options delivered in a way that enhances the health and comfort oGeneral Orthopaedics
We treat patients with injuries and diseases of the body’s musculoskeletal system. Our specialists treat a variety of bone, joint, tendon, nerve, and muscle conditions. These problems range from routine musculoskeletal complaints to more complex diseases requiring orthopaedic pathology and surgery. We work in conjunction with providers across many specialties—radiology, oncology, physical therapy, and pain management—to provide compassionate care to our patients. We treat musculoskeletal conditions in pediatric and adult patients. Our physicians specialize in many orthopaedic disciplines, including spine surgery, joint replacement, trauma and fracture care, hand and upper extremity surgery, microsurgery, sports medicine, oncology, and foot and ankle care. Our physicians employ many techniques for treating patients, including nonsurgical management utilizing physical therapy, occupational therapy, injections, and bracing. After providing a diagnosis, our providers discuss the best alternatives for treatment, whether this involves physical therapy, medication, surgery, or a combination of these options. When surgical intervention is indicated, cutting-edge surgical procedures and technological options are available. Some of the more common conditions our specialists treat include: Spinal problems, including degenerative conditions, disk herniations, scoliosis, spinal stenosis, fractures, and tumors Shoulder problems, including rotator cuff disease, arthroscopic surgery, arthritis, joint replacement, fractures, and instability Elbow problems, including arthritis, fractures and dislocations, joint replacement, and instability Hand and wrist problems, including arthritis, fractures, arthroscopic surgery, joint replacement, and artery and nerve repairs Pelvis and hip problems, including arthritis, arthroscopic surgery, joint replacement, and fractures Knee problems, including ligament and meniscal tears, arthritis, arthroscopic surgery, joint replacement, and fractures Foot and ankle problems, including tendon and ligament repairs, fractures, arthritis, and joint replacement Pediatric problems, including congenital deformities and fractures Tumor and limb salvage surgerySpine Center
The Spine Center provides a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to neck and back pain. Our team includes world-renowned specialists from neurosurgery, orthopaedics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, behavioral health, pain management, and physical therapy. Our goal is to improve each patient's quality of life with the least invasive spine treatment. When surgery is required, our surgeons use state-of-the-art surgical technology, including advanced surgical navigation for more precise placement of implants. Our dedicated team of spine specialists offers advanced, personalized, and patient-focused spine care that starts with a comprehensive assessment for a variety of spinal ailments and injuries. Because patients with spine problems often benefit from having more than one type of health care provider, the members of our Spine Center team come together at one location to optimize patient care. Our program includes the following services: Nonsurgical Care Physical medicine and rehabilitation (physiatry) physicians: Our fellowship-trained physiatry physicians provide patients with the highest level of evaluation and nonsurgical management. These physicians often perform spine injections as part of a personalized treatment plan, and direct the physical therapy rehabilitation plan. We offer the following nonsurgical services: Spine injections Epidural injections Pain management: Our anesthesia physicians have pain fellowship training to provide patients with the safest and most effective pain relief options. When appropriate, these physicians will perform the following procedures as part of a comprehensive spine pain management strategy: Neck injections Spinal injections Epidural injections Nerve ablations Behavioral health. Sometimes all pain cannot be relieved. For patients with chronic spine pain, our behavioral health therapists focus on improving the patient's ability to manage and cope with chronic pain. Specialized spine physical therapy. All our spine therapists have advanced training in specialized rehabilitation protocols for spine patients. This is critically important to enhance recovery. Such advanced training includes: McKenzie method of mechanical diagnosis and therapy Schroth method for scoliosis Graston soft tissue technique Myofascial decompression Surgical Care Our team includes both neurosurgical and orthopaedic spine surgeons, who perform the following surgeries: Minimally invasive spinal surgery Spinal fusions Spinal decompressions Surgical intervention for spinal tumors Treatment of vertebral fractures