As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 16, 2001
                                                 Registration No. 333-__________
================================================================================

                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D.C. 20549
                               ________________

                                   FORM S-8

                            REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                     under
                          THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                               ________________

                          ORATEC INTERVENTIONS, INC.
            (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

       Delaware                                          33-3180773
(State of incorporation)                    (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

                               3700 Haven Court
                             Menlo Park, CA 94025
                   (Address of principal executive offices)
                            _______________________

         ORATEC Interventions, Inc. 1999 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
               ORATEC Interventions, Inc. 1999 Stock Option Plan
                           (Full title of the Plans)

                            _______________________
                               Kenneth W. Anstey
                            Chief Executive Officer
                          ORATEC Interventions, Inc.
                               3700 Haven Court
                         Menlo Park, California  94025
                                (650) 369-9904
(Name, address and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
                            _______________________
                                   Copy to:


                                 Mark B. Weeks
                                 Keith Valory
                               Venture Law Group
                          A Professional Corporation
                              2800 Sand Hill Road
                         Menlo Park, California 94025
                                (650) 854-4488

              (Calculation of Registration Fee on following page)


- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------



                                                                     Proposed        Proposed
                                                 Maximum Amount       Maximum         Maximum        Amount of
                                                     to be           Offering        Aggregate     Registration
Title of Securities to be Registered             Registered (1)      Price Per     Offering Price        Fee
                                                                        Share
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                       
1999 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
 Common Stock, $0.001 par value.........        425,000 Shares       5.74 (2)         $2,439,500        $ 609.88

1999 Stock Option Plan
 Common Stock, $0.001 par value.........        898,729 Shares       6.75 (3)         $6,066,421        $1,516.61

          TOTAL                               1,323,729 Shares                        $8,505,921        $2,126.49
          -----

_______________________
(1)  This Registration Statement shall also cover any additional shares of
     Common Stock which become issuable under any of the Plans being registered
     pursuant to this Registration Statement by reason of any stock dividend,
     stock split, recapitalization or any other similar transaction effected
     without the receipt of consideration which results in an increase in the
     number of the Registrant's outstanding shares of Common Stock.

(2)  Estimated in accordance with Rule 457(h) under the Securities Act of 1933
     (the "Securities Act") solely for the purpose of calculating the
     registration fee.  The computation is based on the average of the high and
     low sale prices of the Common Stock as reported on The Nasdaq National
     Market on February 9, 2001, multiplied by 85%, which is the percentage of
     the trading purchase price applicable to purchases under the referenced
     Plan.

(3)  Estimated in accordance with Rule 457(h) under the Securities Act solely
     for the purpose of calculating the registration fee.  The computation is
     based on the average of the high and low sale prices of the Common Stock as
     reported on The Nasdaq National Market on February 9, 2001.


                                    PART II
              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.   Incorporation of Documents by Reference.
          ---------------------------------------

     The Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") requires us to
"incorporate by reference" certain of our publicly-filed documents into this
prospectus, which means that information included in those documents is
considered part of this prospectus. Information that we file with the SEC after
the effective date of this prospectus will automatically update and supersede
this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any
future filings made with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the "Exchange Act"), until we
terminate the effectiveness of this registration statement.

     The following documents filed with the SEC are hereby incorporated by
reference:

     (a) Our Prospectus filed on April 5, 2000 pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the
Securities Act (No. 333-95815), which contains audited financial statements for
our latest fiscal year for which such statements have been filed.

     (b) Our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31,
2000 (File No. 000-26745), June 30, 2000 (File No. 000-26745) and September 30,
2000 (File No. 000-26745).

     (c) The description of our Common Stock in our Registration Statement on
Form 8-A filed with the SEC under Section 12 of the Exchange Act on March 22,
2000 (File No. 0-26745), including any amendments or reports filed for the
purpose of updating such description.

     We will furnish without charge to you, on written or oral request, a copy
of any or all of the documents incorporated by reference, other than exhibits to
those documents. You should direct any requests for documents to Nancy V.
Westcott, c/o ORATEC Interventions, Inc., 3700 Haven Court, Menlo Park, CA
94025.

Item 4.  Description of Securities. Not applicable.
         -------------------------

Item 5.  Interests of Named Experts and Counsel. Not applicable.
         --------------------------------------

Item 6.  Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
         -----------------------------------------

     Our Certificate of Incorporation reduces the liability of a director to the
corporation or its shareholders for monetary damages for breaches of his or her
fiduciary duty of care to the fullest extent permissible under Delaware law. Our
Bylaws further provide for indemnification of corporate agents to the maximum
extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law. In addition, we have
entered into indemnification agreements with our officers and directors.

Item 7.  Exemption from Registration Claimed. Not applicable.
         -----------------------------------

                                     II-1


Item 8.  Exhibits.
         --------

          Exhibit
          Number
          ------

          5.1   Opinion of Venture Law Group, a Professional Corporation

          23.1  Consent of Venture Law Group, a Professional Corporation
                (included in Exhibit 5.1).

          23.2  Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Auditors

          24.1  Powers of Attorney (see signature page).

_____________

Item 9.   Undertakings.
          -------------

     The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

          (1)  to file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement to include any
material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously
disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such
information in the registration statement.

          (2)  that, for purposes of determining any liability under the
Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new
registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

          (3)  to remove from registration by means of a post-effective
amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering.

     The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the
Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement
shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities
offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be
deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

     Insofar as the indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities
Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is
against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore,
unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such
liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or
paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in a
successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered hereunder, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel
the question has already been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a
court of appropriate jurisdiction the question of whether such indemnification
by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be
governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

                                     II-2


                                  SIGNATURES


     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant,
ORATEC Interventions, Inc., a corporation organized and existing under the laws
of the State of Delaware, certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe
that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused
this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Menlo Park, State of California, on
this 16th day of February, 2001.

                                        ORATEC Interventions, Inc.


                                        By:  /s/ Nancy V. Westcott
                                             -----------------------
                                             Nancy V. Westcott
                                             Chief Financial Officer

                                     II-3


                               POWER OF ATTORNEY

     KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature
appears below constitutes and appoints Kenneth W. Anstey and Nancy V. Westcott,
jointly and severally, his or her attorneys-in-fact and agents, each with the
power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name,
place or stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any amendments to this
Registration Statement on Form S-8, and to file such amendments, together with
exhibits and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, granting to each attorney-in-fact and agent, full power and
authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary
to be done in and about the premises, as fully as he or she might or could do in
person, and ratifying and confirming all that the attorneys-in-fact and agents,
or his or her substitute or substitutes, may do or cause to be done by virtue
hereof.

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities and on the dates indicated.



Signature                             Title                                 Date
- ---------                             -----                                 ----
                                                                    
    /s/ Kenneth W. Anstey
- ---------------------------------     President, Chief Executive Officer    February 16, 2001
  Kenneth W. Anstey                   and Director (Principal Executive
                                      Officer)

    /s/ Nancy V. Westcott
- ---------------------------------     Chief Financial Officer (Principal    February 16, 2001
  Nancy V. Westcott                   Financial and Accounting Officer)

    /s/ Wayne R. Moon
- ---------------------------------     Director                              February 16, 2001
  Wayne R. Moon

    /s/ Hugh R. Sharkey
- ---------------------------------     Director                              February 16, 2001
  Hugh R. Sharkey

    /s/ Richard M. Ferrari
- ---------------------------------     Director                              February 16, 2001
  Richard M. Ferrari

    /s/ Patrick F. Latterell
- ---------------------------------     Director                              February 16, 2001
  Patrick F. Latterell

    /s/ Jeffrey A. Saal
- ---------------------------------     Director                              February 16, 2001
  Jeffrey A. Saal
 

                                     II-4


                               INDEX TO EXHIBITS


Exhibit
Number
- ------

  5.1     Opinion of Venture Law Group, a Professional Corporation

 23.1     Consent of Venture Law Group, a Professional Corporation
          (included in Exhibit 5.1).

 23.2     Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Auditors

 24.1     Powers of Attorney (see signature page)