Up to 80% of us will experience a disabling episode of back or neck pain in our lives, whether as a result of a degenerative disc disorder, spinal infection or other conditions. A smaller number of people will suffer the devastation of paralysis following a spinal cord injury. The Spine Program at VGH is the largest program of its kind in the world, treating patients with spinal injuries and other spine conditions such as arthritis, cancer, deformity and infections of the spine. Patients currently travel from all over Canada to access the highly specialized surgical care available from VGH’s unique spine program. The Spine Outpatient Centre at VGH is scheduled to open a new facility in early 2008.