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Spine Conditions Treated in The Woodlands, TX

Back pain, neck pain, and radiating arm or leg symptoms can significantly impact your quality of life. Understanding your diagnosis is the first step toward relief. Dr. Cho specializes in the full range of spinal conditions for patients throughout The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe, and the Greater Houston area.

Back and Neck Pain

Back and neck pain are among the most common reasons patients seek medical care. While many episodes may resolve on their own, persistent or worsening pain — particularly when accompanied by leg, arm, or neurological symptoms — may indicate an underlying structural problem that benefits from specialist evaluation.

Common symptoms:
  • Aching, stiffness, or sharp pain in the back or neck
  • Pain that worsens with activity, prolonged sitting, or certain positions
  • Pain radiating into the buttocks, legs, shoulder, arm, or hand
  • Numbness or tingling in the upper or lower extremities
  • Headaches originating from the base of the skull
  • Muscle spasms, tightness, or difficulty sleeping due to pain
Treatment options:
  • Physical therapy, activity modification, and medications
  • Diagnostic imaging if symptoms persist despite conservative management
  • Injections for targeted pain relief
  • Specialist evaluation to rule out structural causes
  • Surgery when indicated by clinical findings and imaging
Herniated Disc, Spinal Stenosis & Sciatica

Some of the most common causes of radiating arm and leg pain, resulting from compression of the spinal cord or nerves.

Herniated Disc

The relatively soft center of a spinal disc pushes through a breach in the outer layer, compressing nearby nerves. One of the most common causes of sciatica and arm pain.

Common symptoms:
  • Radiating leg pain (sciatica) or arm pain
  • Numbness or tingling in the extremities
  • Weakness in the affected arm or leg
  • Pain worsening with coughing or sneezing
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Treatment options:
  • Many cases improve with conservative care (medications, physical therapy, injections)
  • Minimally invasive microdiscectomy for select cases
  • ACDF or disc replacement for cervical herniations
Neck Pain

Neck pain can range from muscle strain to more complex issues involving discs, nerves, or the spinal cord. Persistent neck pain with arm symptoms warrants specialist evaluation.

  • Common symptoms:
  • Pain or stiffness in the neck
  • Pain radiating into the shoulder, arm, or hand
  • Numbness or tingling in the upper extremities
  • Headaches originating from the base of the skull

  • Treatment options:
  • Physical therapy and ergonomic modifications
  • Anti-inflammatory medications
  • Cervical epidural steroid injections
  • ACDF or cervical disc replacement for structural causes
Herniated Disc

The soft center of a spinal disc pushes through a tear in the outer layer, compressing nearby nerves. One of the most common causes of sciatica and arm pain.

Common symptoms:
  • Radiating leg pain (sciatica) or arm pain
  • Numbness or tingling in extremities
  • Weakness in the affected arm or leg
  • Pain worsening with coughing or sneezing
Treatment options:
  • Many improve in 6–12 weeks with conservative care (PT, medications, injections)
  • Microdiscectomy for select persistent cases (highly effective with careful planning)
  • ACDF or disc replacement for cervical herniations
Spinal Stenosis

Narrowing of the spinal canal that compresses the cord or nerves. If the lumbar spine is involved, then most often causes leg pain and walking difficulty that typically improves with sitting.

Common symptoms:
  • Leg pain or heaviness worsening with standing or walking
  • Relief when sitting or bending forward
  • Decreasing walking distance over time
  • Balance or coordination problems (cervical stenosis)
Treatment options:
  • Physical therapy, injections, and activity modification
  • Lumbar laminectomy — the gold standard for lumbar stenosis
  • Decompression with fusion if instability is a concern
  • ACDF or posterior decompression for cervical stenosis

Degenerative Disc Changes

Age-related disc breakdown that causes chronic back or neck pain. Extremely common on imaging — not everyone with degenerative disc changes needs treatment, and many do not require surgery.

  • Common symptoms:
  • Chronic low-grade back or neck pain worse with activity
  • Pain with sitting, bending, or lifting
  • Flare-ups lasting days to weeks
  • Stiffness and reduced mobility

  • Treatment options:
  • Physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, and injections
  • Activity modification and weight optimization
  • Fusion when a likely pain source is identified
sciatica pain
Sciatica
Radiating pain along the sciatic nerve — from the low back through the buttock and down the leg. A symptom, not a diagnosis, most commonly caused by a herniated disc or spinal stenosis.
Common symptoms:
  • Sharp, shooting pain down one leg, occasionally both
  • Numbness or tingling in the leg or foot
  • Weakness in the affected leg
  • Pain worse with sitting or coughing
Treatment options:
  • Many cases resolve in 6–12 weeks with conservative care
  • Physical therapy, medications, epidural steroid injections
  • Microdiscectomy for herniated disc-related sciatica
  • Laminectomy for stenosis-related sciatica
Spondylolisthesis

One vertebra slips forward over the one below, potentially narrowing the spinal canal or nerve openings. Severity ranges from mild (Grade 1) to severe.

  • Core symptoms:
  • Lower back pain worse with activity and extension
  • Leg pain, numbness, or weakness
  • Stiffness in the lower back and hamstrings
  • Difficulty standing upright for long periods

  • Treatment options:
  • Monitoring with imaging for stable, mild cases
  • Core stabilization with physical therapy, injections
  • Decompression with fusion (TLIF, XLIF, OLIF, ALIF) for unstable slips with nerve compression or refractory symptoms
Compression Fractures
Vertebral compression fractures occur when a vertebral body collapses, most commonly from osteoporosis or spinal tumors. Can cause significant pain and progressive kyphotic (forward-curved) deformity.
Common symptoms:
  • Sudden onset of back pain, often after minor activity or fall
  • Pain worsening with standing or movement
  • Height loss or progressive stooped posture
  • Tenderness over the affected vertebra
Treatment options:
  • Bracing, rest, and pain medications for acute fractures
  • Kyphoplasty when patients prefer definitive treatment or when conservative treatment fails
  • Osteoporosis treatment to prevent future fractures
  • Surgical stabilization if neurological compromise exists

Spinal Fractures

Spinal fractures range from vertebral compression fractures to unstable burst fractures. Severity determines treatment, from conservative management to urgent surgical intervention.

Common symptoms:
  • Sudden or acute back or neck pain, many times after a fall or injury
  • Pain worsening with standing or movement
  • Height loss or progressive stooped posture
  • Neurological symptoms if the spinal cord or nerves are involved
  • Visible deformity or inability to stand upright
Treatment options:
  • Bracing, rest, and pain medications for stable fractures
  • Kyphoplasty for compression fractures in lieu of, or unresponsive to, conservative care
  • Calcium and vitamin D supplementation to prevent future fractures
  • Surgical stabilization with instrumented fusion for unstable fractures
  • Emergency or urgent surgery for fractures with neurological compromise
Spinal Tumors

Abnormal growths in or around the spine that may compress the spinal cord or nerves. Can be primary or metastatic.

  • Common symptoms:
  • Progressive back or neck pain, often worse at night
  • Neurological changes including weakness, numbness, or bowel and bladder issues
  • Pain unresponsive to non-surgical treatment

  • Treatment options:
  • Surgical resection when safely accessible
  • Radiation therapy for inoperable or metastatic tumors
  • Stabilization surgery if structural integrity of the spine is compromised
  • Kyphoplasty for tumor-related compression fractures
Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Dysfunction

Pain originating from the sacroiliac joint, where the spine meets the pelvis. Often mimics low back pain or sciatica and can be difficult to diagnose without targeted testing.

Common symptoms:
  • Low back or buttock pain, often one-sided
  • Pain radiating into the hip or upper thigh
  • Pain worsening with prolonged sitting, standing, or stair climbing
  • Difficulty pinpointing the exact source of pain, e.g. MRI may be normal
Treatment options:
  • Physical therapy targeting SI joint stabilization
  • SI joint injections for both therapeutic and diagnostic purposes
  • Activity modification and bracing
  • SI joint fusion if conservative care fails and the joint is confirmed as the pain source
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