Spine Surgeon Serving Carson City, NV

Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal that compresses the spinal cord or nerve roots. In the lumbar spine, it causes leg pain, heaviness, and cramping with walking — known as neurogenic claudication. In the cervical spine, it can compress the spinal cord and affect balance, coordination, and hand dexterity.

Vertebral Compression Fracture

A vertebral compression fracture occurs when one of the spinal vertebrae collapses, most commonly from osteoporosis. These fractures cause sudden, severe back pain and can lead to progressive spinal deformity if untreated. Many patients experience dramatic relief with kyphoplasty — a minimally invasive procedure performed by Dr. Chavarria.

Degenerative Disc Disease

Degenerative disc disease describes the gradual breakdown of the spinal discs that cushion the vertebrae. As discs lose height, flexibility, and water content with age, they can cause chronic neck or back pain, stiffness, and — when they compress adjacent nerves — radiating arm or leg symptoms. Though common, it is manageable with the right treatment approach.

Sciatica

Sciatica is a symptom — not a diagnosis — describing pain that travels along the sciatic nerve from the low back through the buttock and down the leg, sometimes as far as the foot. It is almost always caused by a herniated disc or spinal stenosis compressing the nerve root, and it responds well to treatment when the underlying cause is correctly identified.

Scoliosis

Scoliosis — a lateral curvature of the spine — affects adults either as a progression of adolescent-onset disease or as a new de novo deformity driven by disc and facet degeneration. When it causes significant pain, neurological symptoms, or progressive deformity, Dr. Chavarria offers surgical correction that restores alignment, stabilizes the spine, and dramatically improves quality of life.