Spine Care and Back Pain Relief at Pacific Neuroscience Institute

New comprehensive specialty spinal care center opens with PNI-South Bay at Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, California.

The spine plays multiple essential roles in the body and anyone who has had a back issue can attest to how debilitating the pain can be.

Spinal pain is one of the most common symptoms that brings patients to their physician. It is also one of the leading sources of disability. According to the fact sheet from National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH-NINDS), about 80 percent of adults experience lower back pain at some point in their lifetimes.

Literally the backbone of our bodies, the spine starts at the base of the skull and supports the length of the torso and abdomen ending at the tailbone with articulations to the pelvis. Made up of individual smaller bones called vertebrae, the backbone is flexible allowing for a wide range of movement. It is the structural component that keeps our bodies aligned and balanced. More importantly it houses and protects the spinal cord that exits at the base of the brain and travels the entire length of the backbone. The brain and the spinal cord together comprise the central nervous system and the peripheral nerves that branch off the spinal cord enervate the rest of the body.

Looking after your spine

Spinal disorders may be caused by spine trauma, genetic components or disease including cancer. As the backbone is made of bone, a misconception is that all spine issues are taken care of by orthopedic surgeons. In reality, neurosurgeons are integrally involved in spinal surgery due to the delicate nature and proximity of major nerves in these regions.

To meet the need for a specialty spine center in the South Bay area, in 2019, Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance opened its state-of-the-art Spine Institute, bringing together a multidisciplinary team of surgical experts of neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons, and capitalized on the hospital’s already nationally recognized rehabilitation centers.

The Spine Institute at Providence Little Company of Mary  is now the only comprehensive spinal treatment center in the South Bay. The institute cares for all emergency and conventional neuro-spinal disorders, focusing on advanced minimally invasive spinal procedures.

Pacific Neuroscience Institute South Bay neurosurgeons lead this expert team at Providence Little Company of Mary. Director of Neuro-Spine Surgery, Jean-Philippe Langevin, MD, and Director of Neurosurgery, Walavan Sivakumar, MD, treat patients to help relieve and cure back conditions due to spine involvement. As spine issues are complex and delicate, these expert neurosurgeons work along side specialists in orthopedic and general surgery, as well as interventional pain and radiology, psychiatry, physical medicine, and rehabilitation.

“When selecting a spine center, it’s important to choose a medical group that is comprehensive and offers cutting-edge surgical techniques,” says Dr. Langevin. “Not everyone will need spine surgery to improve their pain and function and having access to alternative therapies is critical. If surgery is needed then the minimally invasive approaches we offer can lead to a faster recovery.”

“We are very excited to be able to offer this kind of specialty spine care,” comments Dr. Sivakumar. “The Spine Institute at Providence Little Company of Mary exemplifies PNI’s mission to provide comprehensive care for all neurologic disorders by bringing together dedicated specialists, utilizing state-of-the-art facilities and leading-edge technology, and using a collaborative  approach.”

Finding the best spine care

PNI neurosurgeons specialize in the surgical treatment of spinal disorders using minimally invasive methods. They treat a wide spectrum of adult spinal disorders from disc degeneration to complex reconstruction due to spinal tumors.

Spine Treatment for Tumors

• Complex tumor resection (intradural and extradural)
• Spinal reconstruction following resection

Treatment for Back Pain

• Minimally invasive spinal decompression
• Microdiscectomy
• Keyhole approaches to the spine
• Motion-preserving cervical arthroplasty (disc replacement)
• Minimally invasive spinal fusion

Spine Treatment for Other Trauma

• Minimally invasive spinal fusion computer-assisted spinal fusion
• Vertebroplasty

For more information about The Spine Institute at Little Company of Mary, please contact PNI-South Bay clinics in Torrance at 424-212-5361.

Zara Jethani, MS, MBA, is the marketing and communications director for Pacific Neuroscience Institute. Her background is in graphic design, molecular genetics research and healthcare marketing.