Dallas County Living Well Magazine September/October 2020 | Page 10

Stephen P. Courtney, MD Board-Certified, Fellowship-Trained Orthopedic Spine Surgeon Practicing for 25 Years. For board-certified, fellowship trained orthopedic spine surgeon Dr. Stephen P. Courtney, patients come first. It’s an ethos that developed early on in his life and one that has helped guide him in his journey to earn a distinguished reputation among his professional colleagues, medical peers and, most importantly, his patients. Dr. Courtney began his medicine career from the ground up. While a teenager, he spent summers working in a rural north Louisiana hospital. As an orderly, he was an integral part of the hospital environment. While not a glorified job, cleaning bed pans, changing bed sheets, cleaning patient rooms, helping medical practitioners, and assisting patients, offered him an invaluable glimpse into the hard work and dedication necessary to succeed in the medical field. The job also served as the catalyst for his decision to pursue medical school. Inspired by the patients he’s cared for there, Dr. Courtney made education a priority. He was salutatorian of his high school class and went on to graduate summa cum laude from Northeast Louisiana University. While at Louisiana State University Medical School, he utilized his summer to perform spine biomechanical tests on human spine cadavers utilizing pedicle screws. Considered cutting edge biomechanics and technology at that time, most spine surgeons didn’t even know they existed yet. However, Dr. Courtney performed one of the first biomechanical tests on those implants. It was a feat that earned him the Howmedica Biomechanic Award and the Louisiana Orthopedic Association Award. He also placed fourth in the World Congress for Student Research Competition. Dr. Courtney’s residency at Texas A&M University Medical Center and further specialty training through a fellowship at Florida Neck & Back Institute in Gainesville, Florida, additionally cemented his strong medical foundation. From there, he continued to gain more knowledge and insight on how to help his patients with useful tools, while recognizing there was room for much improvement in the tools at hand. This realization inspired Dr. Courtney to design, develop, biomechanically test, complete FDA testing and oversee quality control and validation on a host of tools he created. To date, Dr. Courtney has developed nine spinal product lines and obtained nine patents and 14 trademarks on spine related products. When he’s not traveling the country training other physicians on how to utilize his products, Dr. Courtney dedicates himself to the patients of his own medical practice, Advanced Spine Center. Led by Dr. Courtney, the skilled team at Advanced Spine Center cares for patients with neck and back pain using a wide array of the most state-of-the-art tools and techniques—from conservative physical therapy and injection therapy—to advanced pain management, as well as surgical intervention. We employ the latest in minimally invasive spine surgeries, in addition to cutting-edge replacement technology. Incorporating both high tech and high touch, we get our valued patients back to their lives so they can enjoy all the activities they love. “We employ the latest in minimally-invasive spine surgeries, in addition to cutting-edge replacement technology, incorporating both high tech and high touch,” says Dr. Courtney. 8 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020