Neck and Back / Spine Specialists

Neck and Back / Spine Specialists

Four out of five people experience debilitating back pain at least once in their lives. Back strains are painful when it hurts to walk, sit, or lie down. If pain limits your movements, find a solution. Bone & Joint’s Spine Care Team is the most comprehensive team of spinal experts under one roof in Central Wisconsin. Our team offers nonsurgical spine-care treatments including spine-specific physical therapy, interventional pain management, and corticosteroid injections to relieve your physical symptoms. We also offer surgical services such as discectomies and provide emotional support as you work through pain management issues, treatment, and recovery.

See a specialist if you have:

  • Bone Spurs
  • Disc Pain
  • Low Back Pain
  • Neck Pain
  • Spinal Spondylolysis
  • Spinal Stenosis

Neck and Back / Spine Conditions

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Between the vertebrae of your spine are soft discs. They let your spine twist and bend. They absorb shocks. But if damaged, the disc’s soft center can push through the disc wall becoming “herniated.” This bulge presses against nerves in your spine, causing pain.

Common Causes:

A herniated disc can be caused by the normal wear and tear of aging. As you age, your spinal discs become less flexible and more prone to cracks and tears. Herniated discs are also caused by traumatic injury. And, they can also happen if you lift something heavy.

Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more of your joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Common Causes:

The most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis involves wear-and-tear damage to your joint’s cartilage — the hard, slick coating on the ends of bones where they form a joint. In rheumatoid arthritis, the body’s immune system attacks the lining of the joint capsule, a tough membrane that encloses all the joint parts. The disease process can eventually destroy cartilage and bone within the joint.

Your spinal nerves travel through your spinal canal and exit through openings we call “foramen.” If any of these spaces are too narrow, your nerves become compressed and cause “spinal stenosis.” It’s a problem that most often happens in the neck and lower back.

Common Causes:

What causes spinal stenosis? Some people are born with a small spinal canal. But for others, something happens to cause the narrowing. It can be linked to the bone spurs of osteoarthritis. It can be caused by a gradual thickening of ligaments in the spine. It can be caused by a herniated disc or some other injury. And, it can be caused by a tumor.

A pinched nerve occurs when too much pressure is applied to a nerve by surrounding tissues, such as bones, cartilage, muscles or tendons. This pressure disrupts the nerve’s function, causing pain or numbness. For example, a herniated disk in your lower spine may put pressure on a nerve root, causing pain that radiates down the back of your leg.

Common Causes:

A pinched nerve occurs when too much pressure (compression) is applied to a nerve by surrounding tissues. In some cases, this tissue might be bone or cartilage, such as in the case of a herniated spinal disk that compresses a nerve root. In other cases, muscles or tendons may cause the condition.

Facet arthropathy is a degenerative condition that affects the spine. The spine is made up of segments of vertebrae running along the spinal column. Between each vertebra are two facet joints. Facet joints are made up of two bony surfaces cushioned by cartilage. Facet arthropathy occurs when the facet joints begin to wear down and put pressure on the spinal cord, resulting in pain.

Common Causes:

While there is no single obvious cause of facet arthropathy, the condition is primarily caused by aging.

This condition occurs when a lumbar vertebra slips out of place. It slides forward, distorting the shape of your spine. This may compress the nerves in the spinal canal or the foramen (open spaces on the sides of your vertebrae). These compressed nerves can cause pain and other problems.

Common Causes:

Spondylolisthesis has a variety of causes. In children, it is often due to a birth defect in that area of the spine. Some people develop this condition because of an overuse injury called “spondylolysis.” This is a stress fracture of the vertebral bone. In adults, arthritis and the loss of disc elasticity that results from aging are the most common causes of spondylolisthesis.

This condition is an irritation or compression of one or more nerve roots in the lumbar spine. Because these nerves travel to the hips, buttocks, legs and feet, an injury in the lumbar spine can cause symptoms in these areas. Sciatica may result from a variety of problems with the bones and tissues of the lumbar spinal column.

Common Causes:

One common cause is a herniated disc. A herniated disc is a rupture in the fibrous outer wall of a vertebral disc, which allows the soft nucleus of the disc to bulge outward. This bulge can press harmfully against a nerve root.

Neck and Back / Spine Services

Diagnostic Services:

We offer a full range of on-site diagnostic services including x-ray, MRI, and more. For a full list of on-site technology and more information, please visit Why Bone & Joint.

Orthopedic Spine Surgery:

Our orthopedic surgeons work with you to find the best solution for your individual needs. With years of experience, our doctors regularly perform a variety of surgeries to restore the health of our community. Common procedures include:

  • Spinal Decompression Surgery
  • Spinal Fusion
  • Disc Replacement Surgery
  • Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

Providers

Michael J. Andrews, DO

Pain Management, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Brittany L. Bickelhaupt, MD

Pain Management, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Benjamin J. Hackett, MD

Orthopedic Spine Surgeon

Charles J. Hansen, MD

Orthopedic Spine Surgeon

Lester A. Owens, DO, PT, FAAPMR

Pain Management, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist

Kulpreet K. Sahota, MD, PAAPMR

Pain Management, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist

Scott D. Stuempfig, MD, FAAPMR

Pain Management, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist

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