Spine Surgery in Portland, OR

Not every spine procedure can safely be done outside a hospital. Your surgeon will recommend the right setting for your case. Spine surgery performed at the Center for Specialty Surgery generally includes procedures like microdiscectomy, laminectomy, and certain single-level fusions, cases where the surgery itself, and your overall health, make same-day discharge a safe and realistic goal.

More complex cases, such as multi-level fusions, revision surgery, or procedures for patients with certain underlying health conditions, are often better suited to a hospital setting where longer monitoring and a broader range of support services are available. Your surgeon has already weighed these factors by the time surgery is recommended here, so if your procedure is scheduled at our facility, it's because your case fits what an outpatient setting can safely handle.

If you're earlier in the process and still deciding whether spine surgery is the right step at all, your surgeon will explain which procedure and surgical setting are appropriate for you. Your care team at Orthopedic + Fracture Specialists(opens in a new tab) can walk you through your full range of surgical and non-surgical options.

What to Expect

Before Your Surgery. In the weeks before your procedure, you'll have a pre-operative appointment where your surgical team reviews your health history and gives you specific instructions to follow, typically including stopping certain medications, such as blood thinners, for a set period before surgery, along with guidance on what to eat and drink the night before.

The Day of Surgery. Please follow the arrival time and check-in instructions provided by your care team. When you arrive, our staff will check you in and guide you through the next steps. Our pre-operative team will review your health history, start an IV, and get you into a gown and non-skid socks. Both your surgeon and your anesthesiologist will speak with you before you're taken back to one of our five operating rooms. Our physician anesthesiologists are trained in nerve block techniques designed to reduce how much narcotic pain medication you'll need once you're in recovery.

After Your Procedure. You'll move to a recovery area staffed by a dedicated nurse who monitors your vitals and helps manage any pain as you wake up. Many spine procedures performed here allow for same-day discharge, though your surgical team will only clear you to go home once you meet specific recovery goals, like stable vital signs and the ability to safely move and use the bathroom. You'll need a family member or friend to drive you home and stay with you afterward.

For a fuller walkthrough of the day, see our What to Expect guide.

Recovery After Spine Surgery

Recovery varies widely depending on which procedure you have. A spinal fusion usually takes longer to heal than a decompression because it relies on new bone growth to support your spine. Your surgeon will explain what to expect for your procedure.

In the days immediately following surgery, it's normal to feel some pain, swelling, or fatigue around the incision site. Icing the area as directed, taking pain medication as prescribed, and following your surgeon's activity restrictions all support a smoother recovery. Watch for warning signs that need a call to your surgeon's office: increasing redness or warmth around the incision, new or worsening drainage, a fever above 101°F, or new numbness, weakness, or loss of bladder or bowel control.

Physical therapy is a common next step for many spine patients, and it's available in the same building through the team at Orthopedic + Fracture Specialists(opens in a new tab), so your surgeon and therapist can coordinate your care directly. For a closer, day-by-day look, visit How We Get You Home.

Understanding the Risks

Like any surgery, spine surgery carries real risks, and we believe you deserve a straightforward answer about what those are rather than reassurance alone. Possible risks include infection, bleeding, a reaction to anesthesia, nerve injury, and, for some procedures, the chance that a second surgery is eventually needed. Your surgeon will go over the risks specific to your procedure in detail before you consent to surgery.

We take these risks seriously. Center for Specialty Surgery tracks infection and complication rates every quarter and reports them publicly rather than keeping them internal. Our physician anesthesiologists also use nerve block techniques to manage pain with less reliance on narcotic medication, which carries its own risks of dependency and side effects.

If you have specific concerns about how your health history might affect your surgical risk, that conversation is best had directly with your surgeon.

What Spine Surgery Costs

Most spine surgery performed at the Center for Specialty Surgery is billed through your medical insurance, the same way it would be at a hospital, through your surgeon's office and our billing team. Where costs do differ is in the facility fee: outpatient surgery centers like ours generally carry lower overhead than a full hospital, which can mean a lower total cost for comparable procedures, though your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your specific insurance plan and deductible.

We accept most major insurance plans; visit our Insurance page for the full list, or call our billing team directly with coverage questions.

Our Safety and Quality Standards

 Center for Specialty Surgery has been performing spine and orthopedic procedures since 2003, accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and certified by Medicare. Our infection and complication rates are tracked every quarter and reported publicly,  and we've been recognized among Newsweek's Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers(opens in a new tab) in Oregon in 2025, 2026, and 2027.