The section of spine and neck surgery at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush is comprised of board certified orthopaedic specialists and registered orthopaedic nurse specialists. Together, this team of leading experts can help diagnose, evaluate and treat patients with varying degrees of neck and back pain.

Neck and low back pain are common occurrences in the general population. It is estimated that approximately 80% of the population will experience pain in the low back and/or neck at some time in their life. Fortunately, most of those cases resolve without surgical treatment. Surgical treatment of neck and low back problems can vary depending on several factors. The actual problem in the back or neck, where the pain is located, the severity of the pain, if and in what way the nerves in the neck or back are affected, and response to nonoperative measures to treat the pain all influence the decision to proceed with surgery. As long as the nerves in the neck and/or back are functioning properly, surgery is indicated only after conservative (nonoperative) treatment has been tried and failed.

The type of surgery that is recommended to correct a problem in the neck or back can sometimes vary from surgeon to surgeon. It may therefore be beneficial to question your doctor as to what other options, if any, are available. It may also be beneficial to get a second opinion. The patient shouldn't hesitate to ask the surgeon if this is their area of specialty or how many of these procedures he has done. It is important to remember as a patient, that the time to ask questions and make sure that you have a thorough understanding of what you are going to have done is before you have the operation.

For additional information about the Midwest Orthopaedics experts in the field of spine and neck surgery, call 877MD BONES.

• Howard S. An, M.D.
• Gunnar B. Andersson, M.D.
• Christopher J. DeWald, M.D.
• David_Fardon, M.D.
• April Fetzer, D.O.
• Edward J. Goldberg, M.D.
• K. W. Hammerberg, M.D.
• Frank M. Phillips, M.D.
• Kern Singh, M.D.


Chicago Magazine's 2008 Top Doctors - Spine, Back and Neck
Chicago Magazine's 2007 Top Doctors - Spine, Back and Neck
Chicago Magazine's 2006 Top Doctors - Spine, Back and Neck
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