Modesto Patients and Endoscopic Spine Surgery

Our office is in Fresno

Central Valley Advanced Spine sees patients at one office in Fresno. We have no location in Modesto or elsewhere in Stanislaus County, and surgery happens in Fresno too. Modesto to Fresno is roughly 90 to 95 miles, city center to city center, and the drive usually takes about 90 minutes without traffic.

Modesto has three large hospitals, Memorial Medical Center, Doctors Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente Modesto, and spine surgeons practice in the area. Sacramento is closer to the north. So if you are reading this from Modesto, you have choices. People who come south to see us usually want a specific conversation about endoscopic surgery, or a second opinion before they agree to a larger operation somewhere else.

How endoscopic surgery works

A small tube goes through the skin and muscle to the spot where a disc or bone spur is pressing on a nerve. An endoscope, which is a small camera, goes down the tube and sends a magnified picture to a screen. The surgeon then passes tiny tools through the same tube to take out the piece of disc or bone that is causing the pressure.

The main difference from open surgery is how the muscles are handled. They are spread apart rather than cut or stripped off the bone. The incision is often closed with a single stitch or two. The full details, including risks, are on our endoscopic spine surgery page.

In 2025 Dr. Higginbotham performed what was reported as the first endoscopic spine surgery in Fresno.

Who it may help

Good candidates usually have one clear problem in one spot. The most common is a herniated disc in the low back that causes sciatica, meaning pain down the leg. Some types of lumbar spinal stenosis, especially narrowing where a nerve exits the spine, can also be treated this way. In selected cases it is used for a disc in the neck.

It is usually not the right choice for an unstable spine, a large curve or problems at many levels. In those cases we will talk about other options, including no surgery at all.

Work in Modesto and the low back

Food processing is a big part of work in Stanislaus County. Around two-thirds of manufacturing jobs in the county are in companies that turn farm products into food and drink, like wineries, poultry plants and snack and canned food makers. Many of those jobs mean long shifts standing on hard floors, repeated bending and lifting, and forklift or truck driving.

That does not mean every line worker will have a disc problem, and people with desk jobs get sciatica too. What it does mean is that recovery time matters. Many people want to know when they can go back to a job on their feet. Because endoscopic surgery leaves the muscles mostly intact, some people recover faster from it than from open surgery, but the return date depends on your job, your procedure and how you heal. We will give you a plan you can share with your employer.

Getting ready from Modesto

1. Collect your imagingAsk Memorial, Doctors, Kaiser or whichever center did your MRI to send the images to our office. The written report alone is not enough.
2. Check your insuranceSome plans need a referral to see a surgeon outside your area. A quick call to your plan before booking can save a delay.
3. First visit in FresnoExam, imaging review and a talk about options. If your MRI is already here, this can often be one trip.
4. Surgery dayYou check in at Fresno Surgical Hospital. Many endoscopic procedures are outpatient. Bring a driver. The ride home is about 90 minutes, so plan a stop to stand and walk.
5. Follow-upA few visits over the following weeks. Physical therapy, if needed, can often be done in Modesto.

If your surgery is early in the morning, some patients from Modesto choose a hotel in Fresno the night before so they are not on Highway 99 before dawn.