TEMPLETON — The new Spine Center is now open as the next phase of the Tenet Health Central Coast-UCSF Health neurosurgery affiliation. The clinic, which is located on the campus of the Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, will offer experts from both THCC and UCSF to diagnose and treat spine or neuro issues with holistic and innovative treatments.

“Surgery is really a last resort,” said Dr. Phillip Kissel, the Director of Neurosurgery for Tenet Health Central Coast. “Therefore, a state-of-the-art spine center that can effectively treat a myriad of spine and neuro conditions, bridges the gap between surgery and pain management. It’s really a tremendous benefit to the community to create greater local access to these integrative diagnostics and treatments.” 

Indeed, a wide array of services are provided, including:

advertisement
  • Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injection therapies;
  • Interruption and blocking techniques to stop pain signals from reaching the brain;
  • Electrodiagnostic testing, which is used to diagnose injuries and disorders of the peripheral nervous system (this testing includes analysis of the complex connections of the spinal nervous system and common conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome);
  • Diagnostic Imaging, including cervical, and lumbar discograms;
  • Cervical, lumbar, and thoracic transforaminal epidural injections to ease pain in the lower back, mid-back and neck;
  • Lumbar and cervical intralaminar injections to decrease inflammation and irritation of nerve roots or herniated disks;
  • Costovertebral joint injections to help ease breathing;
  • Minimally invasive spine surgeries – a technique that uses smaller incisions that, generally, can reduce the risks involved with traditional surgery;
  • Holistic and physical therapies.

Typical conditions that can be treated include:

  • Back or spine fractures;
  • Degenerative disc disease;
  • Herniated disc;
  • Kyphosis;
  • Radiculopathy;
  • Scoliosis;
  • Spondylolisthesis.

Dr. Robert Gamburd, a professor on the UCSF Department of Neurological Surgery, is on the staff at the Tenet Health Central Coast-UCSF Health spine clinic. The UCSF Medical Center is recognized as the nation’s best hospital for neurology and neurosurgery in the 2021-22 Best Hospitals survey. 

“I live it every day,” said Dr. Gamburd, who has had two lower back surgeries. “So I have to practice what I preach about being an active participant in one’s own recovery and in self-care. My condition is something I have to deal with for the rest of my life, so I know how the patients feel, often first hand. I try to provide approaches that are tailored to each patient’s needs, because each one is unique.”