Dallas County Living Well Magazine Winter 2015 | Seite 9

Looking at all the
possibilities

J

By Jean Louis Benae, MD
By Living Magazine

ean Louis Benae, MD, might be a neurosurgeon, but his practice isn’t just about
surgery. In fact, he would rather be one of the first doctors you see if you are
experiencing neck or back pain – not the last. Why? If he sees you early on, he
can work with you to provide the best “road map” to recovery, preferably without surgery. Yes, without surgery! “The last think you want to do is operate on
someone who doesn’t really need surgery,” Dr. Benae said. “We take the time to look at
all the possibilities.”
At Plano Surgical Hospital, Dr. Benae works tirelessly to
get to the bottom of why his patients are in pain. “Pain
can come from many different sources,” he explained. “It
is more important to know why it is happening.” Digging
deap to uncover the source of the pain is one of many
reasons Dr. Benae is passionate about what he does. To
him, understanding the root cause is key to developing the
best plan of action. He has often had patients tell him how
grateful they are that he took the time and went the extra
mile to find answers for them.
Education is Key
Being in pain can be scary. Not knowing why or what’s
going to happen can be even scarier. Dr. Benae strives to
minimize fear by educating his patients all along the way.
He takes whatever time is needed to help them understand
why they are in pain, what various treatment modalities
(chiropractic care, pain management, physical therapy,
etc.) are available to them, and why one might be prescribed over another.
By educating his patients, listening to them and also working closely with the other care providers treating his patients, Dr. Benae is able to be very through in his care. By
getting involved early and overseeing his patients’ treatments every step of the way, he can determine which ones
are the most beneficial.
Ultimately, if a patient’s pathology requires a more aggres-

sive treatment, then minimally invasive options will be offered. “The care is much more comprehensive this way,”
he said. “You want someone who can put it all together.”
From Africa To Texas
Dr. Benae moved to Paris, France from his native Cameroon, Africa at age 13. Early on, he was fascinated with the
brain, because, as he said, he “learned the brain plays an
integral role in the human experience.” In Cameroon, the
field of neurosurgery was non-existent at that time. In Paris,
everything he was reading about neuroscience was coming from English speaking countries. So, at 20, he decided
to “go to the source,” moved to California and enrolled at
the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to pursue
a degree in Physiological Sciences. He then obtained a
Doctorate in Medicine at the David Geffen UCLA School
of Medicine. After a fellowship in neurotrauma research at
UCLA, a residency in Wisconsin and working as a neurosurgeon in Mississippi, Dr. Benae realized he wanted
to branch out on his own and start his own practice. He
looked to Texas, where he already had friends and family,
to make his move.
Dr. Benae’s practice, North Texas Brain & Spine Specialists, opened in June 2014 just down the street from Plano
Surgical Hospital. And he couldn’t be any happier. “I love
it. It’s really, really good,” Dr. Benae said of Texas. “It’s a
little bit difficult for some of my patients in Mississippi who

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DALLAS COUNTY Living Well Magazine | WINTER 2015

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