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Spine Surgery

UPMC is one of the most experienced centers in the nation for the surgical treatment of spine conditions.

Our multidisciplinary approach to treating spine diseases and disorders starts with your primary care provider. Once your doctor refers you to us, you will meet with physical therapists, occupational therapists, and pain management and injection specialists to help relieve your pain and restore your mobility.

If conservative therapies are not adequate, you may need a surgical approach. A surgeon can recommend the least invasive procedure to provide you with the most benefit and highest functional outcome.

While UPMC spine experts still perform traditional back and spine surgeries, the team has expanded the number of conditions treated with minimally invasive procedures. Once used only for minor disc herniations or mild degenerative disease, minimally invasive techniques can now also treat scoliosis, tumors, and trauma.


Find the Right Care For You

Two Disciplines – One UPMC

At UPMC, we treat spine conditions surgically through two disciplines — neurosurgery or orthopaedic surgery. 

Where spine surgery is concerned, the main difference between neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons lies in their areas of expertise and training:

  • Neurosurgeons — Specialists in the nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. They use surgery to treat conditions affecting the spinal cord and nerves, such as herniated discs, spinal cord tumors, and certain types of chronic pain.
  • Orthopaedic surgeons — Specialists in the musculoskeletal system, including the bones, joints, muscles, and ligaments of the spine. They use surgery to treat degenerative disc diseases, spinal deformities, and spinal trauma. Orthopaedic spinal surgeons also treat disc herniations and spinal stenosis.

Highly skilled neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons perform spine surgery at UPMC. Consulting with both types of surgeons will help determine the best surgical approach for your specific condition.

By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2025-06-26.