Spine and Joint care


When you get your procedure at Mercy Medical Center Mt Shasta, you can enjoy the benefits of personalized care, and close attention from our specialists. We offer comprehensive care for the whole spine, and even though every diagnosis is different, you’ll find our spine specialists have you covered. We are committed to making your experience comfortable and your recovery as successful as possible. 

Don’t settle for a life defined by chronic pain. You can trust our experts to properly diagnose and treat your spine condition so you can regain a more fulfilling life.

Spine Care

Neck and back pain are discomforts you shouldn't have to live with. Four out of five Americans will have an episode of back pain during their lifetime, and the effects can range from discomforting to debilitating. An unhealthy spine can impact your health and overall well-being. If you have back and neck problems that affect your life, surgery and treatment can help correct abnormalities and offer relief.

Causes of Spine problems

The spinal column performs a delicate balancing act every day, providing structural support for your body and a pathway for nerve impulses. There are many injuries or conditions that can compromise the spine's ability to serve without pain.

Common causes of spine disorders include:

  • Injury, including sports-related injuries and accidents
  • Genetics, including genetic syndromes and inherited conditions such as scoliosis
  • Overuse, including repetitive movements, such as frequent bending or twisting 
  • Infections, such as those of the bones and tissues protecting the spine, a spinal disc, or the spinal fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord (meningitis)
  • Aging, including loss of bone and the weakening of bone and tissues that make up the spine, which may cause spine disorders such as herniated discs
  • Tumors, which can damage the bony vertebrae and sensitive spinal nerve tissue

Conditions we treat

Common conditions treated include:

  • Cervical spondylosis (Degenerative changes within the intervertebral disc), 
  • Chronic back pain with Spinal cord stimulator placement and pain pump implantation
  • Herniated discs
  • Sacroiliitis, 
  • Sacrococcygeal disorders 
  • Sciatica
  • Spinal fractures
  • Spinal stenosis

Preparing for your procedure

Before surgery, our specialists offer pre-operative information for patients to learn about their procedure, how to prepare, and understand what recovery will be like. This knowledge ensures that they fully understand what is supposed to happen, and helps provide information so that they can do everything possible to have the best outcome. 

As part of the surgical procedure, nerve blocks are used in conjunction with anesthesia medications. Nerve blocks are used for surgical pain and post operative pain control. This decreases the use of narcotics during and after surgery, and we are an almost zero narcotic operating room. Oftentimes a surgical patient can leave the hospital without having any narcotics due to the pain control they receive from the nerve blocks. 

By using nerve blocks, patients typically feel much better when they wake up, due to being given zero to very little narcotics and general anesthesia medications. They may experience less nausea, pain and other symptoms related to general anesthesia and may allow patients to start the healing process sooner, recover more quickly, and can get back to life faster. 

Joint care

Each year, more than one million Americans make the decision to end their chronic joint pain by undergoing a joint replacement procedure. With joint replacement, the orthopedic surgeons at Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta can help you get back up on your feet and back to your active lifestyles.

If you are facing hip or knee replacement surgery, you probably have many questions and concerns. Rest assured that at Mercy Mt. Shasta, your orthopedic team will manage every aspect of your care.

Hip Replacement

If you have advanced arthritis in your knee or hip you may need total joint replacement. With hips, you have traditional total hip replacement, or a partial replacement. Each of these orthopedic procedures is a type of hip replacement, but there are important differences.

In a traditional total hip replacement, the head of the thighbone and the damaged socket are both removed and replaced with metal, plastic or ceramic components.

Knee Replacement

Knee replacement surgery involves removing or resurfacing parts of your thigh bone, shin bone or kneecap, and replacing it with a prosthetic. This prosthetic is a metal and plastic covering used to replace cartilage that has worn away over the years.

All components of a knee replacement procedure are cemented into place. The cement sets in about 10 minutes, allowing you to use the joint immediately after surgery. 

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