The spine can be affected by arthritis, degenerative wear and tear problems affecting the joints and disks, as well as a variety of other abnormalities that cause pain, numbness and weakness. Problems in the low back or lumbar spine can affect the leg and foot, while problems in the cervical spine of the neck can affect the arms and hands.

Modern spinal care is very complex. When surgery is needed, patients should seek out highly trained experts. Dr. Filler is a former director of the Comprehensive Spine Program at UCLA and is an associate of the Institute for Spinal Disorders at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. He is the author of a widely read book about spinal problems from Oxford University Press and is one of the worlds leading experts in spinal surgery. Through the Center for Advanced Spinal Neurosurgery in Santa Monica, Dr. Filler offers a complete range of spinal surgery. His expertise includes fusion surgery and artificial disk surgery. In addtion, he specializes in the evaluation and treatment of patients who have already had spine surgery but who had a bad result from surgery. When pain and nerve symptoms are not relieved or are made worse by spine surgery, there is often a correctable problem that explains the failure and Dr. Filler is expert in finding what needs to be fixed.

To learn more about the many spinal disorders treated by Dr. Filler, choose from any of the links below.

Evaluation and Repair of Failed Spine Surgery

The reasons why some spinal surgeries fail usually fall into three categories:

1. The diagnosis was wrong: the problem is affecting a nerve and is not in the spine
2. The surgery was technically inadequate: this means that the surgeon did not actually accomplish what was planned or the plan was wrong or insufficient.
3. There has been a recurrence: the original surgery worked for a brief period but the problem has re-occured.

Among the most significant problems facing a patient who has had a bad outcome after spine surgery is the difficulty of getting the original surgeon to identify what is wrong and correct it. Many spine surgeons prefer not to do any surgery on a patient who has had spine surgery once before.

At the INM and the Center for Advanced Spinal Neurosurgery in Santa Monica, California, Dr. Filler is highly committed to helping patients with failed surgeries. Using advanced diagnostic imaging techniques, as well as new minimally invasive surgical methods, many difficult spinal problems can be solved.

Having completed an advanced Spinal Neurosurgery Fellowship and having personally developed several new treatment techniques, Dr. Filler can offer the best spinal neurosurgery available anywhere. He is committed to finding the solution to difficult spinal surgical problems.

To learn more about the many spinal disorders treated by Dr. Filler, choose from any of the links below.

 

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