Och Spine at NewYork-Presbyterian

Och Spine at NewYork-Presbyterian is dedicated to the evaluation and treatment of patients suffering from disorders of the spine and spinal cord. Our team of clinical professionals responds to individual patient needs by providing innovative non-operative and operative treatments.

One of the most important roles of the spine is to surround, protect, and transmit the spinal cord and spinal nerves. Only through such a protected environment can the spinal cord and nerve roots remain safe and effective function. Most spinal conditions, such as stenosis, herniated disc, degenerative spine conditions, trauma, and tumors, can threaten spinal nerve or spinal cord function potentially causing nerve pain and sciatica, numbness, weakness, or even paralysis of the arms and legs.

Why Choose Us

Neurosurgeons are expertly trained and prepared to manage spinal conditions for several reasons:

• Board-certified spine neurosurgeons have completed a minimum of seven years of rigorous neurosurgery residency training.
• Neurosurgeons are trained to evaluate, examine, manage, and operate on and around the nervous system—the most delicate and crucial element of human function and life. Such training not only encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and nerve roots, but the surrounding supporting spine and intervertebral discs.
• Neurosurgical training is characterized by microsurgical precision, technical skill, and technological advancement.
• Neurosurgeons are trained in the skill sets of microsurgery, minimally invasive surgery, neural protection, and image guidance.
• Neurosurgeons receive both training and education in the full spectrum of spinal surgery during residency.
• Neurosurgeons are expertly qualified to operate on the spine and intervertebral discs structures in order to safely protect, decompress, and repair the spinal nerves and spinal cord.
• Neurosurgical training and expertise encompass not just microsurgical decompression of the spinal cord or nerve roots but the surgical treatment of all spinal conditions including intradural spinal pathology, dural injury, and spinal fluid leaks or other adverse events that may be encountered during or after spinal surgery.
• In addition, spine neurosurgeons are also trained in the surgical management of other conditions that involve the spine that may cause pain, deformity, or threaten neurological function such as scoliosis, kyphosis, spondylolisthesis, degeneration, trauma, and instability. These conditions may require spinal correction, reconstruction, instrumentation, fusion, and stabilization, all of which are expertly managed by a trained spinal neurosurgeon.

Preparing for Your Appointment

At Och Spine at NewYork-Presbyterian, our neurosurgeons want you to feel as prepared as possible for your surgery. We want to make sure you understand the goals of your procedure, as well as what you can expect following the surgery.

The information on this site can help you understand your condition, its general surgical treatment, and how to prepare for surgery in general. For example: make a list of your medications and allergies for your doctor; do not wear nail polish or makeup on the day of surgery. But your neurosurgeon is the very best resource for helping you understand the ins and outs of your individual case, so use your time with him or her at your appointment to ask questions. Some patients find it helpful to write down questions as they think of them, and bring those lists of questions to their appointments.

The world-class neurosurgeons at Och Spine at NewYork-Presbyterian continue a long tradition of skill, care, and expertise that result in the best possible surgical outcomes for our patients.