Call us at 806-744-7223 or complete the form to request an appointment.
Grace Spine Care Center
Our Approach
At the Grace Spine Care Center, our goal is to help improve your neck and back pain using the most minimally invasive techniques and advanced technologies. Our practice is unique because both surgical and non-surgical spine care specialists are part of the same care team, collaborating closely together.
Whether you need spine surgery, pain management, imaging, lab work or physical therapy, you can find it all here in one location. Our facility includes:
- Compounding pharmacy that customizes medications to your personal needs
- Emergency room access
- Full surgical hospital
- Outpatient surgery center
In most cases, referrals from other specialists or primary care physicians aren’t required.
If you’re looking for either an evaluation or a second opinion, we’re here to help you – and all patients across the West Texas and Eastern New Mexico.
The traditional care path for those with back or neck pain can sometimes be a long and winding road. Because specialists in orthopedics, neurology, and spine surgery are often focused solely on their own area of expertise and are not traditionally co-located with related providers, someone with back or neck pain may be forced to visit different specialist at multiple locations.
And since these disparate providers may not communicate with each other about a patient’s status and progress, they need to start over each time by resubmitting medical information and creating a new medical record every time they visit a new provider.
In an effort to improve patient experience and provide a broad spectrum of spine-related diagnoses, treatment and care, we’ve created the Spine Care Center…a much more efficient and productive option for those suffering from back or neck pain.
Grace’s Spine Care Center combines the expertise of all medical disciplines that care for people with spine-related conditions. Medical expertise of the Spine Care Center specialists include spine surgery, orthopedic surgery, interventional pain management, outpatient physical therapy and rehabilitation, chiropractic care, emergency room access, outpatient surgery center, compounding pharmacy, imaging and neurology.
Here you’ll find specialists in both surgical and non-surgical spine care all located under one roof, backed by a regional referral center to help patients from all across the West Texas region with all the capabilities to deliver a personalized treatment plan designed for each person’s individual circumstance and lifestyle. Then we’ll follow up with post- procedure education and recommendations to help ensure optimal recovery and improved outcomes.
At the Spine Care Center we’ll coordinate your spine care and help you navigate the system and guide you through the entire process.
Which Spine Specialist is Right for me?
Most adults will have neck or back pain at some point in their lives. With several different spine specialists, how does a person decide who they should see?
So, how do you decide whom you should go see? Here are several general rules to guide you.
Most spine-related problems will not require surgical treatment. There are few worrisome signs, however, that should prompt you to seek help from a surgeon:
- High-energy trauma in a young healthy person or any trauma in an older person with brittle bones
- Family history of cancer
- Signs of infection: fever above 101.5, chills, night sweats
- Weakness in the arms or legs
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
Since most surgeons require an appointment to be seen in their office, it is usually quicker to visit an emergency department if you are having any of the above symptoms.
Most cases of back pain, neck pain, or even a pinched nerve, will resolve themselves within 8-10 weeks. To speed up recovery, short-term rest (no longer than 1-2 days), anti-inflammatory medications (like Advil or Aleve) and muscle relaxants may be helpful. A family doctor or an emergency medicine practitioner can prescribe these treatments.
Chiropractic manipulation and physical therapy are both effective options for relieving both muscle spasm and arthritic pain.
If the symptoms do not resolve after several weeks, it may be time to see a spine specialist like a pain management doctor or a surgeon. Sometimes a clinical picture may require a referral to a neurologist or a rheumatologist. The best bet is to discuss your symptoms with a family doctor. He or she will recommend which specialist to see based on your unique situation.
One of the issues that come about with dealing with older individuals is the concern about vertebral compression fractures or fractures in their spine, it can happen just lifting up an extra heavy set of laundry out of the washer or it can happen from slipping on some ice on a January morning, a variety of things can occur, but then the pain is significantly limiting and it does not go away very quickly.
One of the great things that Grace does that not many orthopedic surgeons do, is a kyphoplasty procedure which is basically through a small incision, just a quarter inch in size on your back, we insert a needle into your broken back bone and inject some bone cement. It is kind of like putting a cast on the inside of the bone, you stabilize it with the cement that is injected into there. It interdigitates and goes between all the broken fragments and within 15 minutes it is stabilized and solid. So when those patients wake up from that surgery, they feel the difference, their pain is almost gone, in fact for most of them it is just the pain of the needle stick and the small cut we make in their back. It is an outpatient day surgery and that is good example of what we have been able to do with technology advancement, with new applications of old technology using cement like we used for knee replacements for many years, that is a good thing that has come about for people today.
Our Services
Kyphoplasty Procedure
Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat vertebral compression fractures. This outpatient surgery quickly stabilizes compression fractures in the spine, like a cast.
Through a small, quarter-inch incision, your surgeon injects bone cement into the affected area. The cement goes between all bone fragments and solidifies within 15 minutes. Most patients wake up from surgery with minimal or no pain. Recovery is also easier than traditional spine surgery.
To learn more, call Grace Spine Care Center at the number above.
Frequently Asked Questions
At Grace Spine Care Center, we focus on different kinds of spine problems.
An elective spine problem is an issue that isn’t considered an emergency or life-threatening. Examples include conditions like a herniated disc, scoliosis or even chronic neck or back pain.
Elective spine problems can be treated with surgery, but there are several non-surgical options. You also get to decide if you want to try a non-surgical approach.
Chronic neck and back pain don’t always require surgery. Many people can manage and alleviate their symptoms through non-surgical treatments, including:
- Chiropractic care
- Interventional pain management
- Lifestyle modifications
- Medications
- Physical therapy
These options are all available at the Grace Spine Care Center.
We start to consider surgery if these treatments aren’t providing the comfort that you need to move through your day-to-day activities.
If you’re referred to us for a surgical consultation, it doesn’t mean that you’ll need surgery. Most spine-related problems don’t require surgical treatment.
First, we can try pain management or non-surgical treatments, like physical therapy and lifestyle modifications, to see if that alleviates your pain and helps you get back to daily activities that you love.
If your pain and discomfort continue, then we can talk more seriously about different surgical options and what feels like the best choice for you.
Whatever form your treatment plan takes, we make those decisions together.
Minimally invasive spine surgery, such as a spine endoscopy, uses smaller incisions to help minimize your discomfort and reduce your recovery time.
Our patients tend to go home either the same day or the following day.
Not necessarily. We do accept referrals – and some insurances will require a referral – but you don’t always need a referral to make the appointment for an initial evaluation.
It’s always best to call your insurance provider and check.
When you call us, we’ll try to schedule your first appointment within two weeks.
If there’s an urgent need for a consultation, we can usually accommodate you and schedule an appointment within one or two days.
To get the most out of your first visit, we recommend bringing:
- Any previous spine imaging that’s available, like MRI, CT scans or X-rays – both radiology reports and images on a disc
- Other studies, such as EMG and nerve conduction, arterial ultrasound and bone scans
- Reports from previous injections
- Reports from previous spine surgeries
- All medication bottles
- Insurance card and ID
This helps us answer your questions much more quickly.
However, just a reminder, you’re not required to have any previous test or imaging results before you see us. Don’t let that stop you from making an initial appointment.
Yes! In fact, we encourage you to come with a family member or loved one. We understand that all the information that you receive during your initial visit can feel overwhelming.
Bringing a loved one along to listen can help you keep track of details and help inform your decisions.
If you’re going to have surgery, then we’d also like you to bring a loved one to your pre-operative appointment, which often takes place two weeks before surgery.
We want both of you to understand what to expect before, during and after your procedure.
The pre-assessment appointment is your starting point with Grace Spine Care Center. From the minute you walk in the door, you’re in good hands.
Just because we specialize in spine surgery, doesn’t mean you always need spine surgery – and we’re here for you every step of the way.
- Review your history
- First, you’ll meet with an experienced, advanced spine care practitioner to talk about your spine issues. We never overbook our schedules so that you get our full attention during each appointment.
- Look at any previous test results
- If you have previous spine imaging or other study results, we examine them with you. The goal is to thoroughly learn about your medical needs.
- Then, we explain the disease process and how we could manage it. We might also arrange for appropriate testing, so we can better understand your condition together.
- Create a treatment plan
- Together, with you and your family, we come up with a treatment plan.
- Our treatment framework is usually five steps that increase in complexity:
- Lifestyle modifications and self-management options
- Physical therapy or chiropractic care
- Medications
- Interventional pain procedures, such as injections
- Surgery
- Schedule follow-up appointments
- We help schedule any follow-up appointments and go over your next steps.
All surgical procedures are different based on your specific needs. If surgery is a part of your treatment, our team will walk you through what to expect during each stage of this journey.
After surgery, we will give you a list of DO’s and DON’Ts to help with recovery and help make sure that you have what you need before you’re discharged. Most patients go home the same day or the following day. If it’s necessary, we can arrange for patient transfer to a rehabilitation center or arrange home health.
All patients come back for a post-op appointment in two weeks and again in six weeks.
Most pain from surgery is caused by inflammation and lasts three to five days. The entire healing process can take two weeks for the wound and 12 weeks for bone healing. It may take up to a year to feel the full benefits of surgery.
You’ll be guided through the process with text messages, and we’ll be available to answer your questions either in person or over the phone.
How Back Surgery Changed One Life
Cameron suffered from back pain for most of his life. Over the years, he explored many treatment options but didn't find lasting relief. When his pain became debilitating, he met with our team of experts and learned that he would need spine surgery. Watch his story to learn how surgery changed his life - and the difference expert care can make.
Tips for Managing Back or Neck Pain
Neck and back pain can keep you from doing what you love. Learn how to manage your pain, and what treatment options are available.
Part of Covenant Health
The people of West Texas and eastern New Mexico have trusted Covenant with their care for more than 100 years. We are leading the way in compassionate care and neuroscience innovation.
- We perform the largest local number of WATCHMAN device implants in the region, which help prevent countless strokes among the people of our community.
- If you need stroke care, we are only stroke center in the region, so you’ll get the most comprehensive, expert treatment and rehabilitation.
- We are part of the Providence family, so as our patient, you benefit from an extensive collaborative network.
