Not every Pennsylvanian can claim to have been born, raised, and trained to perform complex spine surgeries without moving out of the Commonwealth. Clearfield County native Bryan Bolinger, DO, is one of the few who can.
Dr. Bolinger developed a love for neuroscience during his undergraduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh. He worked at the lab bench and performed clinical research at the UPMC Brain Trauma Research Center and the Safar Center for Resuscitation Research.
He then completed medical school and residency in Philadelphia before completing a complex spine fellowship at UPMC. His fellowship work focused on minimally invasive spine surgery and adult reconstructive spine surgery.
Dr. Bolinger returned to central Pennsylvania and is doing what he loves most: providing specialized spine care. He helps people get back to doing the things they love most, whether playing with grandkids, enjoying the great outdoors, traveling, or simply living their everyday lives in a better state of health.
But Dr. Bolinger isn’t the region’s only fellowship-trained complex spine surgeon. He’s one of four in central Pennsylvania.
“This collection of fellowship-trained spine surgeons is rare, even at academic medical centers,” said Dr. Bolinger’s colleague, Sheela Vivekanandan, MD. “Our program leverages this expertise to give our patients who struggle with a variety of spine-related conditions individualized care.”
During her seven years of neurosurgical training, Dr. Vivekanandan learned advanced microsurgical techniques for operating on the brain and spine and even spent an entire year learning about rare and complex spinal conditions and their treatment options.
Dr. Vivekanandan’s skills and expertise add to the uniqueness of the newly established Spine Care Program created by UPMC in Central Pa. With more than eight physicians and six advanced practice providers, the team brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. These experts in orthopaedics, neurosurgery, pain management, and rehabilitation work together in a medical specialty that isn’t as straightforward as it might seem.
“A lot of people will experience back pain at some point in their lives,” Dr. Vivekanandan said. “When it lasts beyond six to eight weeks, that’s when we want them to come see us. Nobody should have to live with the kind of pain that inhibits them from working, doing household chores, or engaging with hobbies.”
They’ve Got Your Back At All Ages and Stages
The UPMC in Central Pa. Spine Care Program treats patients of all ages. Our experienced providers treat a wide variety of issues, including severe scoliosis, spinal tumors, degenerative bone disease, and chronic pain. Some surgeons also specialize in revision surgery, helping people whose prior surgeries failed to provide relief.
“The spine holds us up every single day, so it’s not surprising that more people will see a doctor for spine care at some point in their lives compared to other specialists,” said Jerry Robinson, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon on the team. His background in orthopaedics adds a unique perspective to the Spine Care Program’s interdisciplinary nature.
“There is sometimes this divide in the field of medicine between orthopaedics and neurosurgery as to who ‘owns’ the spine,” Dr. Robinson said. “But the beauty of our new program is that everyone is working together to develop the best treatment plans for our patients.”
Patient-Centered Collaborations
Patients who come for a spine care visit might interact with only one provider. But behind the scenes, a whole team of specialists consults on their case and decides on the best treatment plan. It’s like getting a second, third, and even fourth opinion, all from one visit.
Dr. Bolinger says this approach makes the program stand out. “Each team member specializes in certain techniques or approaches to spine care, but our niche might not be what every patient needs,” he said. “The power of this collaboration is that we develop individualized treatment plans that don’t always involve surgery, at least not right away.”
The multidisciplinary team members assist each other in creating specific treatment plans for each patient’s needs and goals. For pain relief without surgery, a variety of pain management techniques, including steroid injections, nerve blocks, and nerve ablations, are available.
Even though Dr. Robinson is an experienced robotic and minimally invasive spine surgeon, he and his colleagues only recommend surgery if absolutely necessary. When surgery is warranted, the team collaborates on the best approach. After all, the spine is a complex network of bones and nerves — it needs to be handled with care.
Specialized Spine Care for Kids
Naveed Nabizadeh, MD, joined the UPMC in Central Pa. Spine Care Program to care for the region’s youngest patients. Approximately 3% to 4% of children have spinal issues, and Dr. Nabizadeh treats them for conditions including scoliosis and other spinal deformities. Dr. Nabizadeh also treats adult degenerative spine cases and, like his colleagues, focuses on using other interventions to correct spinal deformities and alleviate pain before resorting to surgery.
As a highly published expert in spine surgery, Dr. Nabizadeh enjoys developing solutions for patients facing difficult spinal conditions.
“I’m the kind of person who enjoys challenging work,” Dr. Nabizadeh said. “Spine is a difficult subspeciality of medicine and developing individualized care plans for patients and sharing knowledge with my peers is an important part of my career.”