John K. Hong, M.D. | 10/26/2026 If you have persistent back pain, sciatica, or spinal stenosis, you may have heard terms such as decompression, discectomy, fusion, and endoscopic spine surgery. Understanding what these procedures do—and how they differ—can help you make an informed decision about treatment. One distinction is especially helpful: decompression and fusion describe the goal of surgery, while open, microscopic, and endoscopic describe how the surgeon performs i

When the cold settles in around Park City, and the snow starts to stick, moving our bodies can feel a little more difficult than usual. Joints feel tighter, muscles stiffen up, and just getting out of bed in the morning can be a bit of a task. For some of us, that winter stiffness is not only about the cold. It could be tied to something deeper, like ongoing back or neck problems that just have not gone away. If you have noticed that your joints feel locked up, especially whe

Back and neck pain during winter can feel especially tough, especially here in Salt Lake City, Utah, where cold weather tends to hang around for months. When simple movements like getting out of bed or walking outside become harder, some people begin to wonder if surgery might be the next step. Lately, one option more people are asking about is endoscopic spine surgery in Salt Lake City. It is a type of minimally invasive surgery that can help with certain types of back or ne