Testimonial: Wendi's Story

Wendi had excruciating leg pain from a herniated disc that prevented her from doing what she loves. After trying all the non-surgical options, she opted to undgergo an endoscopic microdiscecomy.

Endoscopic spine surgery is a new technique only offered by a handful of surgeons in the country. Using a small fiberoptic camera the size of a ballpoint pen and specialized tools, I was able to remove the disc herniation and get Wendi back in action. Immediately after the procedure she felt improvement in her pain and she went home only a few hours after the procedure!  

Testimonial: Mike's Story

Mike was experiencing constant severe pain shooting down his leg - he couldn’t walk, sit, or sleep without pain for months. He’d tried physical therapy, medications, and injections all without lasting relief. Since he exhausted all non-operative options we decided to move forward with a minimally invasive lumbar fusion. Using 2 fingertip-sized incisions, I released the pressure on his nerve and stabilized his spine with screws. 

Surgery went smoothly, and he went home hours after surgery! Days later he was only taking Tylenol for pain, and two weeks after surgery he had no pain whatsoever! He is now back to his normal life. Hear what Mike has to say about the experience in this short video!

Lecture: What is Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery?

Just gave the first lecture of our University Orthopedics Community Lecture Series!

In this patient-focused talk I discuss one of my favorite topics: minimally invasive spine surgery.

I cover several topics including:

What is minimally invasive spine surgery?
Examples of minimally invasive spine surgery
Tubular/Endoscopic surgery
Disc Replacement
Robotic surgery
Outpatient spine surgery
Who is a candidate for minimally invasive spine surgery?

2nd Annual Mark Palumbo Memorial Lecture

Just gave the 2nd Annual Mark Palumbo Memorial Lecture in Spine Surgery at Brown University! Mark Palumbo was an absolute titan in the field of spine surgery and I am so grateful that I was asked to honor his legacy.

In this talk, I discussed three exciting topics that I am very passionate about: minimally invasive, robotic, and outpatient spine surgery. There are many new technological advantages that allow us to take care of patients like never before - smaller incisions, robotic precision, and faster recovery!

Invited Lecture at Spine Summit

Just finished giving an invited lecture on minimally invasive spine surgery to other spine surgeons, PAs, NPs, fellows, residents, and medical students at the Brown Spine Summit in Newport, RI.

I think it is important for us to be honest about the benefits and limitations of any surgical technique. Minimally invasive spine surgery is game-changing in the right patient, however if you don’t do your homework beforehand, neither surgeon nor patient will be happy.

NEW ARTICLE: Return to Pro Football after Cervical Spine Injuries

In this letter to the Editor of Spine, myself and several prominent spine surgeons who take care of professional football athletes comment on a recent article outlining suggested Return to Play Guidelines after Cervical Spine Injuries in American Football Athletes.

This is a tricky topic because there are not many hard and fast rules, however it is important to protect players while also not being overly restrictive.

Take a look!

INTERVIEW: Big questions for Spine in 2021

Take a look at my recent interview in Becker’s Spine HERE

Along with other leaders in the field, I try to answer some of the most important questions facing the spine surgery field today.

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Here’s an excerpt:

Q: What is the most controversial trend in spine today?

…Bryce Basques, MD : The most controversial trend I see in spine surgery is the development of "solutions looking for problems" by the device industry. The core fundamentals of good spine care have remained the same for years, yet there continues to be massive investment and marketing in various spinal technologies that seem to fill a void in untapped intellectual property voids, rather than a demand by patient needs.

Today, robotics and various minimally invasive techniques have high potential, yet I would caution surgeons, especially those early in practice, from broadly adopting these techniques without scrutiny. Especially in saturated markets, spine surgeons may think that these newer technologies are an opportunity to differentiate or market themselves. However, if adoption of these techniques leads to inefficiency, complications and poor outcomes, your reputation will suffer and any potential marketing benefit will be lost. In the current financial climate, surgeons will be expected to justify the cost of this technology to payers as well. I would encourage surgeons to be highly discerning in the technologies or advancements they adopt and pursue patient care avenues that demonstrate high value.