Dr. Thomas Cartwright - Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon : Since 1998, I’ve been delivering high-quality, personalized spinal care to North Houston residents. The approach is thoughtful and scientific. As a surgeon, I truly believe that the procedures I perform can improve peoples' lives. However, it is also true that the vast majority of patients can get better without surgery. What treatment I recommend depends on the patient's symptoms and diagnosis, the severity of the symptoms and whether neurological issues are involved, results of imaging studies and what treatments have already been attempted. Some conservative options are physical therapy along with home exercises, medications and pain management referral for injections.
When these treatments fail, surgery may be an option for improving the pain. Some surgical options include laminectomy, microdiscectomy, fusion or artificial disc replacement.
My ultimate goal is to improve my patients' lives as much as possible, as conservatively as possible.