Specializing in spines

It is no wonder back pain is one of the most common reasons patients seek medical care, as an estimated 80% of people in the U.S. experience back pain during their lifetime. For many it becomes a chronic condition. If you are one of the millions suffering from back pain, don’t try to push through the discomfort, as there are experts at University Hospitals dedicated to spine health.

University Hospitals Spine Institute was created in 2017 to streamline care for patients with spinal issues, offering a multidisciplinary approach consisting of spinal specialists across many disciplines, including neurology, orthopedics, physical therapy, radiology, rheumatology and pain management. Patients do not need to travel to the downtown campus, as UH St. John Medical Center in Westlake serves as the West Side hub.

“We have seen an increased need for spine care as the population ages in Northeast Ohio,” says Gabriel Smith, MD, a fellowship-trained, board-certified neurosurgeon at University Hospitals who is the medical co-director of the University Hospitals Spine Institute. “St. John Medical Center has all the leading-edge technology to perform complex spine surgery, including robotic-assisted spine surgical capabilities. We offer a patient-focused journey for spine care, including physical therapy, medications, pain management, all the way to complex and minimally invasive surgeries.”

While the majority of back and neck issues can be treated without surgery, when necessary, the surgeons at University Hospitals focus on minimally invasive techniques, which lessens the patient’s length of stay, decreases pain medication requirements and help patients return to work or their daily routine faster.

“One of my patients last month, a 57-year-old woman who suffered from back and leg pain for six years, underwent a minimally invasive surgery and had immediate relief of pain and went home within 24 hours of surgery,” says Dr. Smith, who also serves as the neurosurgery section chief for UH St. John Medical Center. 

A Level 3 trauma center, UH St. John Medical Center also provides emergency spine surgery, though the majority are surgeries that address refractory pain to medical treatment. Last year, the physicians performed over 300 spine surgical procedures at UH St. John Medical Center.

Not only does UH St. John Medical Center offer comprehensive spine care for patients, it also is a teaching site for the neurosurgical residency program and is an integral part of the complex spine surgery fellowship offered for advanced training through the department.

In addition, a new West Region Neurological Institute Hub at UH Westlake Health Center opened last year. Neurologists and neurosurgeons from the nationally ranked UH Neurological Institute collaborate with experts from the UH Spine Institute to develop personalized treatment plans—providing two convenient locations in Westlake where patients can get care close to home for spinal disorders.

 UH St. John Medical Center is located at 29000 Center Ridge Road in Westlake. For an appointment at the Spine Institute, call 216-286-8888.