Restoring Function Over Fusion: Motion Preservation in Modern Spine Surgery, Jeff Larson, MD

About this episode

Dr. Jeff Larson discusses the importance of motion preservation in spine surgery and challenges the traditional reliance on fusion techniques.

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 powerful philosophy: give patients their life back with the least surgical burden possible. Dr. Larson's journey into neurosurgery began with mentorship under Dr. John Tew in Cincinnati, where he learned that the art of surgery is about taking what's complex and making it simple. After training in cerebrovascular surgery, Dr. Larson made the deliberate choice to leave academics behind and focus on spine care in a place where he could balance professional excellence with the life he wanted to live. Throughout the episode, Dr. Larson discusses how spine surgery has become unnecessarily complex over the past 30 years, with fusion becoming the default answer to nearly every spinal problem. He challenges this paradigm by advocating for thoughtful, individualized care that prioritizes motion…

People in this episode

Hosts: Courtney Schutze, Brady Riesgraf

Guest: Jeff Larson, MD

Topics covered

• spine surgery
• motion preservation
• patient care
• neurosurgery
• surgical techniques
• healthcare
• rehabilitation

Keywords

• spine surgery
• motion preservation
• cervical disc replacement
• fusion surgery
• patient education
• neurosurgery
• rehabilitation
• healthcare
• surgical burden

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CDA Spine and Brain