The Neurosurgical Spine Division at the University of Pittsburgh is under the direction of Richard M. Spiro, MD. It is a multidisciplinary organization composed of specialists in the fields of physical therapy, physical medicine and rehabilitation, interventional neuroradiology and neurological spine surgery. Specialists from these fields work together as a unified group in the same location to provide the highest quality care for patients and athletes who have spine injuries, painful disc conditions, neck, arm, back or leg pain. Immediate access is available to all of UPMC Health System's extensive medical and surgical resources through the Spine Specialty Center.

The overall goal of our Spine Division is to return the injured patient/athlete to active status in the shortest amount of time. The initial approach is generally non-surgical, with surgical options reserved for patients/athletes with recurrent or disabling symptoms or progressive deficits. Complete diagnostic testing of all spinal and nerve disorders is available through the center. Our spine division offers all non-surgical adjunctive therapies.

Surgical excellence is the foundation of the center. The spinal neurosurgeons on our team are amongst the most skilled in the world in treating a wide array of spinal disorders. Our spinal neurosurgeons are available for consultation or referral at all times.

Within The Spine Services Division is The Center for Surgical Pain Management led by John J. Moossy, MD, and Pedro J. Aguilar, MD. This program provides a variety of surgical options for the management of medically intractable pain syndromes. The range of treatment varies from neuroaugmentation (i.e. spinal cord stimulation and intrathecal opioids) to surgical decompression (with or without spinal fusion) to ablative neurosurgery