Constant neck and back pain may be related to problems with the spine. San Ramon Regional Medical Center offers advanced treatments to help patients find lasting relief from conditions ranging from lower back pain to spinal stenosis. Our doctors review all back pain relief options from physical therapy to non-surgical or surgical procedures to help you find a way to restore quality of life.

Spine conditions occur in the cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back) or lumbar (low back).

Non-Surgical Treatment for Back Pain

Often the first step in treating spine pain is to explore a range of non-surgical treatment options such as:

• Pain Management – We offer several ways to manage pain, including biofeedback, medication, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and counseling.
• Injections – Injections may offer temporary relief based on the type and location of the pain. We offer epidural steroid injections, cortisone steroid injections, facet joint injections and injections to the nerve root sacroiliac.
• Physical Therapy – A physical therapist may help strengthen the muscles around the spine with passive and/or active treatments, stretching and exercises suggestions for low impact and/or strengthening.

Surgical Services for Spine

If non-surgical options are not effective, some conditions may require surgery, and injuries may require surgery first. Other conditions that we treat with surgery include:

• Herniated Discs
• Myelopathy and Stenosis
• Spondylolisthesis
• Vertebral Fractures
• Degenerative Disc Disease
• Spinal Cord Compression
• Sciatica
• Scoliosis
• Cervical

San Ramon Regional Medical Center has board-certified spine surgeons that can help determine surgical treatment options for spine care. Surgical options may include:

• Robotic-assisted Spine Surgery – The doctor performs the surgery using a robotic arm to guide the procedure. Globus ExcelsiusGPS™ is a sophisticated system that is designed to make spinal fusion safer and help with precise placement of implants and hardware placement. Surgeons can pre-map their surgical approach to increase accuracy using navigation and 3D technology. The minimally invasive approach enables the surgeon to separate the muscles surrounding the spine rather than cutting through them. Benefits include smaller incisions, less tissue and muscle damage, and less pain, less blood loss and faster recovery. Learn more about Robotic Surgery at San Ramon Regional Medical Center.
• Endoscopic Spine Surgery – Surgeons insert an endoscope through a small incision, which can help minimize the amount of tissue injury, trauma and post-operative pain.
• Laminectomy/Discectomy – One way to remove a herniated disc is through a procedure in which part of the lamina is removed as well as a portion of a ligament. This procedure enlarges the spinal canal to relieve pressure on the spinal cord, sac of nerves or nerve roots.
• Microdiscectomy – If a smaller injection is possible for treatment, the discectomy is called a microdiscectomy. Even small amounts of disc material that is out of place can put pressure on the spinal cord, sac of nerves or spinal nerve roots.
• Spinal Fusion – Bone grafts, screws and rods may join two or more vertebra together to eliminate motion between the vertebra that causes pain.
• Treatment of Spine Trauma – An accident or injury may require immediate surgery to repair damage to the spine including decompression and/or stabilization of the spine.
• Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury – Similar to trauma, surgeons specifically work on the spinal cord.
• Hardware Revision – A previous spine procedure may require adjustment of hardware.

Regardless of your condition, the spine team at San Ramon Regional Medical Center has the experience and commitment to provide comprehensive and compassionate care.

Breakthrough Spine Procedure at San Ramon Regional Medical Center is a Game Changer

While you may know that the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, what is less known is that back injuries aren’t always due to aging: even 50% of young people experience back pain during adolescence.

What can be devastating is that undetected stress fractures in the spine can, potentially, lead to a lifetime of back pain. Some of these adolescents – typically young athletes may have these undetected stress fractures (pars fractures), which can progress into an actual break, called spondylolysis. If it progresses, the spinal disc can slip forward, which is what you may have heard called a “slipped disc.”

In fact, a slipped disc can cause severe back pain and nerve related symptoms later in life and is a common cause for spinal fusion surgery in the Unites States.

However, there is good news: in recent surgery using an innovative, minimally invasive technique at San Ramon Regional Medical Center, Dr. Saqib Hasan, successfully performed Endoscopic Pars Fracture Repair to address pars fractures in young athletes. This technique, which Dr. Hasan believes could be the first in California, fixes the fracture in the vertebra while stopping further slippage.

In this complex procedure, Dr. Hasan was able to perform a back fracture repair, bone grafting and screw placement using endoscopic and computer-based navigation technologies.

“It is a big step forward from more traditional, open spine surgery that typically involves significant cutting and dissecting of the back muscles,” said Dr. Hasan. “I can safely and accurately accomplish complex surgical tasks with incisions that are only the size of a number two pencil.”

Unlike traditional surgeries, this minimally invasive approach uses an endoscope—a small

camera and surgical instrument system that requires only tiny incisions. The result is faster

recovery, less pain and a quicker return to activity, including sports. This comprehensive procedure is already helping young athletes pursue their dreams by lowering the long-term risk of spinal fusion

surgery. Among the first fellowship-trained endoscopic spine surgeons in the United States, Dr. Hasan is at the forefront of next-gen minimally invasive spinal care.

This advancement is some of the latest in technology at San Ramon Regional, which was the first hospital in the U.S. to acquire the da Vinci robotic surgical system and where the world’s first voice-activated robotic surgery was performed.

“The best thing about being part of San Ramon Regional Medical Center, is that we have access to some of the latest and greatest cutting-edge technologies in the Unites States,” said Dr. Hasan. “By leveraging these new technologies, surgeons can be innovative in the way we treat our patients and elevate the standard of care.”