Spine care | The Medical Center of Aurora

Spine specialists in Aurora, Colorado

When it comes to your spine, we understand there are no "minor" issues.

Orthopedic spine injuries and disorders require the comprehensive care of highly-trained specialists. At The Medical Center of Aurora, our spine doctors deliver that level of care, beginning with diagnosis and continuing through recovery.

Expert advice, available 24/7

Free medical advice is just a phone call away. Our nurses help you understand your symptoms, treatment options and procedures. They will also help you find a provider or specialist and schedule an appointment.

Call HealthONE Strong: (303) 374-0777

Spinal conditions we treat

Your care team includes physicians in orthopedic, neurological and rehabilitative care — all with extensive expertise treating conditions such as:

Back pain
Back strain or sprain
Bone spurs
Burst fracture
Compression fracture
Degenerative disc disease
Herniated disc
Osteoarthritis
Osteoporosis

Sciatica
Scoliosis
Spinal fracture
Spinal stenosis
Spinal tumor
Spinal cyst
Spondylolisthesis
Tethered spinal cord syndrome
Whiplash

Spine care services we offer

Your neck, back and spine form a complex structure that is responsible for so much in your body. We work to solidify this structure and get you feeling like you again.

Diagnosing spine conditions

To diagnose back, spine and neck conditions, our spine care specialists may use a variety of imaging tests, such as:

Computerized tomography (CT) scan
Discogram
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Myelogram
X-ray

Spine surgery

Our spine care specialists will work with you to determine the most effective treatment based on your diagnosis. Some of our procedures include:

Cervical disk replacement
Cervical foraminotomy (surgery to relieve pinched spinal nerve symptoms)
Laser spine surgery
Laminotomy (surgery to relieve pressure in the vertebral canal)
Lumbar disk replacement
Sacroiliac (SI) joint fusion
Spinal fusion
Tethered cord release

Additionally, our spine care specialists pioneered a minimally invasive spinal fusion technique, which has since been implemented across all spine care programs in our family of hospitals.

Minimally invasive spinal fusion

Extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) is a minimally invasive spinal fusion procedure. Instead of making an incision in the back muscles, XLIF involves a small incision on your side. This achieves the same surgical goals as an open spine surgery, but with smaller incisions and greater tissue preservation. Special equipment is used to monitor how close the surgeon’s tools are to your spinal nerves.

To be eligible for XLIF, the vertebrae must be easily reached from the side of the body.

Preoperative spine surgery education

We believe you will experience better surgical outcomes when you know what to expect with your surgery and recovery. For this reason, we provide preoperative education before your have spine surgery.

Our free spine surgery class covers topics such as:

Anatomy of the spine
Equipment needs
Home safety
Discharge needs
Pain management
Postoperative nursing care
Physical and occupational therapy
Precautions and limitations after spine surgery

We recommend taking the spine surgery class at least two weeks before your surgery. Family and/or caregivers who will be involved in your care after surgery are welcome to join you.

Spinal cord rehabilitation

Rehabilitation after spine surgery helps you recover quickly and safely. That is why we provide physical therapy and rehabilitation while you are still in the hospital, to help you begin your recovery.

We also partner with Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital, an acute rehabilitation center specialized in neurological rehabilitation. If you need additional rehabilitation after spine surgery, this partnership allows for a smooth transition from our hospital to an inpatient rehab center.