Overview

Pioneers in spinal treatment

Our experienced spine care team provides treatment to ease your pain, correct any problems and get you back to the activities you enjoy. We treat adults and children.

Although nonsurgical options can be effective, we also offer minimally invasive spine surgery. If you do need a procedure, we are experts in innovative spine techniques.

Safe, effective care through research 

Our spine doctors and surgeons pay close attention to how patients improve after treatment. We work to improve care for you and your family. We study the latest surgical techniques and advancements. This means you receive safe and effective procedures that reduce complications.

Learn more about our research: Orthopedics | Neurosurgery

Conditions and treatments

Experienced spine care to reduce pain and improve your health

At UW Health we diagnose and treat all types of spine conditions, including:

  • Back pain and lower back pain

  • Complex cervical spine disorders

  • Disc injury 

  • Herniated disc and pinched nerves

  • Metastatic spine cancer

  • Myelopathy (compression of the spinal cord in the neck)

  • Neck pain

  • Sacroiliac dysfunction

  • Spinal bone spurs

  • Spinal cord injury

  • Spinal deformities (flatback, kyphosis, scoliosis)

  • Spinal stenosis

  • Spinal trauma

  • Spine cancers, such as chordomas

  • Spine-related sports or work injuries

  • Spine tumors

  • Spondylolisthesis

  • Whiplash

Treatment options tailored to you

We want to eliminate and reduce your pain and other symptoms. Your treatment may include nonsurgical and surgical treatments. We use minimally invasive surgery whenever possible. This lets you recover quicker, feel less pain, and have fewer complications.

Nonsurgical spine treatments include:

  • Massage therapy and body work

  • Orthotics

  • Spinal rehabilitation

  • Spine injections

  • Spine physical therapy

Surgical procedures we offer include:

  • Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion

  • Anterior, lateral (XLIF, DLIF, LIF) and posterior spinal fusions

  • Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) surgery for spondylolisthesis

  • Artificial disc replacement (cervical disc arthroplasty)

  • Complex and revision spinal surgery

  • CGT-guided spine surgery

  • Decompression and stabilization of spinal tumors

  • Endoscopic spine surgery

  • Foraminotomy (cervical and lumbar)

  • Microdiscectomy

  • Minimally invasive spinal fusion

  • Minimally invasive spine surgery

  • Pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation

  • Spinal deformity (scoliosis, kyphosis) correction and instrumentation

  • Spinal stenosis operations (laminectomy, laminoplasty, minimally invasive decompressions)

  • Stabilization of spinal trauma using minimally invasive techniques

  • Thoracoscopic spinal canal decompression

  • X-Stop procedure

Emergency care for spinal injuries

University Hospital is a Level I Trauma Center. This means we provide the highest level of emergency care for spinal injuries. Our trauma center is a regional referral center for neck and spine injuries.

Meet our team

A diverse team of experts

The spine care team at UW Health includes experts in neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, physiatry, pain management, health psychology, behavioral health, social work, nursing, physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Orthopedic surgery
Neurosurgery
Rehabilitation medicine and pain management
Physical therapists

Locations

How to find us

We offer specialized spine care at UW Health clinics in Madison, Prairie du Sac and Reedsburg.

Resources

Helpful information

Preparing for your visit

Learn about spine surgery

The following videos are to help patients learn about spine surgery.