For decades, patients suffering from back pain, sciatica, herniated discs or lumbar stenosis have faced a fragmented clinical journey: orthopedic consultations in one location, neurosurgery in another, and imaging exams scattered across different facilities. Each specialist assessed the patient from the perspective of their own field, leaving it to the patient to connect diagnoses, opinions and decisions.
”The Joaquim Chaves Saúde Spine Unit was created to change this paradigm.“
We bring together, in a single location, Spine Orthopedics and Neurosurgery specialists, with a truly integrated approach. We share the same clinical team, the same diagnostic resources, and a joint clinical decision-making protocol. Patients are assessed holistically, within a single care pathway, and receive a clear, well-founded and personalized treatment plan — without unnecessary repetition, multiple appointments or avoidable delays.
Most spinal conditions do not require surgery. In an integrated unit, each patient is directed from the outset to the most appropriate specialist, ensuring an accurate diagnosis and treatment tailored to their specific condition.
When surgery is required, the decision is made jointly by orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons, based on a multidisciplinary evaluation and full access to all relevant clinical information. This model ensures greater safety, better outcomes, and a simplified experience for the patient.
Book your spine consultation online with our specialists.
Spinal Conditions
We treat a wide range of spinal disorders, from common spinal problems such as pain, to degenerative or more complex conditions that affect mobility and quality of life.
Among the main spinal conditions we treat are:
• Cervical osteophytes (bone spurs)
• Spinal deformities: kyphosis, scoliosis and lordosis
• Neck pain (cervicalgia)
• Sciatic pain (sciatica)
• Lower back pain (lumbalgia)
• Spondylolisthesis (spinal instability)
• Spondylosis, spinal osteoarthritis or lumbar osteoarthritis (L5–S1)
• Lumbar and cervical spinal stenosis
• Vertebral fractures (including osteoporotic fractures)
• Cervical disc herniation
• Lumbar disc herniation
• Osteoporosis and osteopenia (risk factors for vertebral fractures)
• Intervertebral disc disease (discopathy or disc degeneration)
• Spinal tumors and metastases
Treatments at the Spine Unit
Treatment varies according to the severity of the condition and ranges from non-surgical treatments to minimally invasive or conventional surgery. The goal is to address the cause of pain using the most effective and least invasive approach possible.
An initial clinical assessment is carried out, followed, when necessary, by diagnostic tests such as lumbar or cervical CT scans, spinal X-rays, lumbar or cervical MRI, or bone densitometry.
