The Spine Pod

In this episode of The Spine Pod, co-hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf travel to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho to sit down with Dr. Jeff Larson, a neurosurgeon and motion preservation specialist at CDA Spine and Brain. With three decades of experience, over 60 publications, and a thriving social media presence dedicated to patient education, Dr. Larson has built a practice rooted in a simple but po...

In this episode of The Spine Pod, co-hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf sit down with Dr. David Yam, a board-certified neurosurgeon at Prosser Memorial Health in Washington. Dr. Yam completed his medical education, internship, and neurosurgery residency at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, and with nearly two decades of experience, has since built a career rooted...

In this special episode of The Spine Pod, hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf sit down with Andrew, a spine surgery patient and police officer from San Diego, California, who shares his powerful story of choosing motion-preserving artificial disc replacement (ADR) over fusion for his chronic back pain. In this first patient story ever on The Spine Pod, Andrew offers a powerful and personal p...

In this episode of The Spine Pod, hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf sit down with Dr. Kamal Woods, a double fellowship-trained surgeon in both orthopedics and neurosurgery, and founder of Vertrae® in Miamisburg, Ohio.   Dr. Woods received his medical degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine and completed a fellowship in minimally invasive and complex spine surgery from Cedars‑S...

In this episode of The Spine Pod, hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf sit down with Dr. Christopher Yeung, the current President at the Desert Institute for Spine Care (DISC) in Phoenix, Arizona, a nationally recognized leader in endoscopic spine surgery and a driving force behind the shift toward outpatient, function-preserving procedures.     Dr. Yeung’s approach to spine care blends innov...

In this episode of The Spine Pod, hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf sit down with world-renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Todd H. Lanman, founder of Lanman Spinal Neurosurgery and the ADR Advanced Disc Replacement Spinal Restoration Centre in Beverly Hills, California.   As one of the most experienced and vocal advocates for motion preserving spine surgery in the U.S., Dr. Lanman brings not just c...

In this episode of The Spine Pod, hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf sit down with Dr. Kevin Rutz, an orthopedic spine surgeon based in St. Louis who brings over two decades of experience in spine care, including nearly 2,000 disc replacement procedures.  With this breadth of experience in motion preservation, Dr. Rutz shares his insights and knowledge on the best applications for when to u...

In this episode of The Spine Pod, co-hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf head to Shreveport, Louisiana to sit down—scrubbed in and ready—with one of the true leaders in modern spine care, Dr. Pierce Nunley. Founder of the Spine Institute of Louisiana, Dr. Nunley brings decades of surgical experience, a passion for research, and a hands-on approach to patient care that’s shaping the future of...

In this episode of The Spine Pod, hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf sit down with Dr. Jason Cuéllar, a fellowship-trained orthopaedic spine surgeon based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, whose practice is built on a simple but powerful goal—restoring motion and function to every patient possible.   With over two decades of education and training—earning his MD, PhD, and completing educational st...

In this episode of The Spine Pod, hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf sit down with Dr. Jonathan Stieber, Director of the Spine Center at both OrthoManhattan and OrthoEnglewood, Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Mount Sinai and Clinical Associate Professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Practicing in the heart of New York City for more than 17 years, Dr. Stieber brings a uniq...

Struggling with leg and/or back pain and overwhelmed by confusing MRI results? You’re not alone—and this episode is for you.   In this special episode of The Spine Pod, hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf rejoin forces with Dr. Ahilan Sivaganesan (Dr. Siva), a neurosurgeon building an all-encompassing spine program with Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) at NCH in Naples, Florida. After crea...

Ep 17 Founder Series Pt 2: A 20-Year Journey to Make Motion Preservation the New Standard in Spine, Scott Hodges, DO   In Part 2 of our Founder Series, co-hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf sit down with fellowship-trained, orthopedic spine surgeon Dr. Scott Hodges. Well known by several titles, including Medical Director at 3Spine, co-inventor of MOTUS, and leading advocate for motion pres...

Ep 16 Founder Series Pt 1: A Lifetime of Spine Surgery, Motion Advocacy & Giving Back, Craig Humphreys, MD   In this first episode of our two-part Founder Series, co-hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf sit down with Dr. Craig Humphreys, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon, innovator, and pioneer in spine surgery, to discuss the evolution of motion preservation and the rewarding jo...

Ep. 15 From Ideas to Action: How Spine Surgery is Evolving for Better Patient Outcomes, Lali Sekhon, MD   Welcome to Season 2 of the Spine Pod! In this episode of The Spine Pod, hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf sit down with Dr. Lali Sekhon, a neurosurgeon dedicated to improving patient outcomes through patient-centric treatment options. Operating out of Reno, NV at the Reno Orthopedic Ce...

Ep 14 The Hip-Spine Connection: What Every Patient & Surgeon Needs to Know, Russell Bodner, MD   In this special episode of The Spine Pod, we break from tradition by welcoming our first sports medicine orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Russell Bodner, a renowned hip-spine expert with over 35 years of experience. Known for his groundbreaking research and contributions to hip and spine biomechanics, Dr. B...

Ep. 13 Teaching the Future of Spine: Research, Motion Preservation, & Improving Care, Jeffrey A. Goldstein, MD   In this episode of The Spine Pod, co-hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf sit down with Dr. Jeffrey A. Goldstein, a globally recognized expert in orthopedic spine surgery and Director of the Spine Surgery Fellowship and Education programs at NYU Langone. With over 30 years of c...

Join hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf for a special live episode of The Spine Pod, recorded from the floor of the North American Spine Society (NASS) 2024 conference in Chicago. This episode explores the latest advancements in spine surgery, with conversation spanning the spectrum of motion preservation, navigation, robotics, and minimally invasive surgery (MIS). You’ll get to hear from a...

Ep. 11 A Spine Surgeon Who Refuses to Quit: A Battle for Better Spine Care, Evalina Burger, MD   In this episode of The Spine Pod, hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf sit down with Dr. Evalina Burger, an orthopedic spine surgeon at the UCHealth Spine Center - Anschutz Medical Campus. Dr. Burger recounts her transformative journey from South Africa to the United States, where she has establis...

Ep. 10 Motion Preservation First: A Spine Surgeon’s Journey to a Fusion-Free Practice, J. Alex Sielatycki, MD    In this episode of The Spine Pod, hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf sit down with Dr. Alex Sielatycki, an orthopedic spine surgeon dedicating his career to revolutionizing spine surgery through motion preservation. Operating out of Steamboat Springs, CO at the Steamboat Orthoped...

Ep. 09 Mentorship Meets Innovation in Spine Surgery: Creating a Path to Better Care, Richard V. Chua, MD, FAANS, FACS In this episode of The Spine Pod, hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf explore the transformative power of technology in spine surgery with Dr. Richard Chua. As a leading neurosurgeon and professor at Banner University Medical Center in Tucson, AZ, Dr. Chua discusses how minim...

Ep. 08 - The World of Motion Surgery: A Vocation to Motion Preservation & Global Spine Care, Jared Ament, MD, MPH, FAANS In this episode of The Spine Pod, co-hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf explore the world of spine surgery through the lens of Dr. Jared Ament, fellowship trained neurosurgeon and co-director of the Spine Neurosurgery at the Neurosurgery & Spine Group. Dr. Ament’s...

In this episode of The Spine Pod, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Christopher Good, President and CEO of the Virginia Spine Institute (VSI), sits down with hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf to discuss his multi-faceted and holistic approach to spine care. Dr. Good explains how his practice integrates multiple specialties under one roof to offer comprehensive, patient-centered spine treatment. Inspi...

Ep 06 - What Do Spine Surgeons & Professional Athletes Have in Common? - Choll Kim, MD, PhD In this episode of The Spine Pod, hosts Courtney Schutze and Brady Riesgraf sit down with Choll Kim, MD, PhD, from the Excel Spine Center in San Diego, CA. A leading expert in Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) and endoscopic spine surgery, Dr. Kim shares his journey to becoming a pioneering spine surgeon...

Ep. 05 - The Intersection: Motion Preservation & Complex Spine Surgery, Alan Daniels, MD & Bassel Diebo, MD   On this episode of The Spine Pod, we dive into the synergistic nature of complex spine surgery and motion-preserving techniques driving innovative options and enhanced patient outcomes. Dr. Alan Daniels and Dr. Bassel Diebo, renowned complex spine surgeons at University Orthopedics...

Ep 04 - Who’s The Best? Surgeon Rankings, Malaligned Incentives, & Cost Transparency: Ahilan "Siva" Sivaganesan, MD Part 2   If you missed part I with Dr. Ahilan Sivaganesan: Where’s The Money? Health Economics, Motion Preservation, & Value-Based Care you can find it here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-spine-pod/id1745442311?i=1000657800891   In this episode of The Spine Pod, h...