Minimally Invasive Outpatient Spine Surgeon. Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rush Univ Dr. Singh has been an award-winning researcher.
Dr. Singh is Board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and his clinical interests include the treatment of complex degenerative disorders of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. Dr. Singh also specializes in spine tumors and adult spinal deformities. Of particular research interest to Dr. Singh is minimally invasive, motion sparing spinal technology. Dr. Singh has a rapidly growing reputation in the area of "Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery." He frequently teaches techniques to neurosurgeons and spinal surgeons from around the country as well as Asia and Europe. He has published his findings in major medical journals and presented at national and regional medical conferences in addition to authoring several textbooks on spinal surgery. He frequently trains surgeons who observe his newly advanced surgical techniques in the operating room. He is also the principal investigator in several FDA clinical trials involving cervical disc replacements and motion preserving spinal technology.
12/22/2025
As an endoscopic spine surgeon, I’m continually amazed by the unparalleled clarity that endoscopy provides. In this case of extraforaminal decompression, the visualization is extraordinary—revealing a large neurovascular bundle adjacent to the exiting root.
What’s even more striking is the pulsatile nature of the concomitant artery, a detail that reinforces the precision and safety advantages of endoscopic techniques. This level of anatomical insight is what makes minimally invasive spine surgery so powerful for patient outcomes.
Endoscopy isn’t just a tool—it’s a window into the future of spine surgery.
12/19/2025
Proud to share the release of the definitive endoscopic spine surgery textbook, published by Elsevier.
Co-edited with Dan Park, MD and Luke Kim, MD, this work brings together leading experts from around the world to comprehensively cover all endoscopic spine procedures—monoportal and biportal.
This is a video-heavy, technique-driven reference, built for practical use in the OR, with clear steps, pearls, and pitfalls from surgeons performing these procedures at the highest level.
Deep thanks to our international faculty authors—your expertise and collaboration made this global effort possible.
Honored to help advance endoscopic spine surgery worldwide.
— Kern Singh, MD
Jin-Sung (LUKE) KimDaniel ParkMidwest Orthopaedics at RushRush University Medical CenterEuropean Society of Unilateral Biportal Endoscopy (ESUBE)
12/17/2025
How is muscle really built? 💪🧠
Not bro-science. Not hype. Just biology.
I just dropped a new episode of my podcast Spinal Strength—now live on Spotify and Apple Podcasts—where I break down muscle hypertrophy from the perspective of an orthopedic spine surgeon who lives both in the OR and the gym.
We cover:
• What actually triggers muscle growth (mechanotransduction explained simply)
• Eccentric vs concentric loading—what matters most
• Volume, intensity, and recovery as you age
• Nutrition timing: what helps vs what’s marketing
• Supplements—what’s real, what’s placebo
• Myths I hear every week from high-level athletes and patients
This is science-based, practical, and honest—no fluff, no sponsorship bias.
🎧 Listen here on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Tug0SHPhRvvtI4x65ksBl?si=JDxM7WP6RQekMGJk5nPc3g
Search Spinal Strength on Apple Podcasts as well.
If you lift, coach, treat athletes, or care about longevity—this one’s for you.
Tagging the fitness and science community 👇com ’s Health & Fitness by Science .com Periodization Labs Athletics
Let me know your thoughts—and what topics you want next.
— Kern Singh, MD
Orthopedic Spine Surgeon | Host, Spinal Strength 🎙️
12/11/2025
🚀 Two-Level Extraforaminal Decompression with UBE — Another Success Story!
Just completed a 2-level UBE endoscopic extraforaminal decompression on a cardiologist who needed a fast, effective, motion-preserving solution.
What continues to impress me about Unilateral Biportal Endoscopy (UBE) is its power and precision:
🔹 It can accomplish everything uniportal techniques can
🔹 …but with greater efficiency, faster workflows, and significantly better cost-effectiveness
🔹 Outstanding visualization and instrument freedom
🔹 Minimal tissue disruption and rapid recovery for patients
As surgeons, adopting techniques that elevate patient outcomes and reduce system costs is the future. And UBE checks every box.
If you’re interested in mastering this approach, join me for hands-on training.
Let’s push minimally invasive spine surgery forward together.
11/21/2025
🚨 NEW SPINAL STRENGTH SERIES ALERT 🚨
Women’s Health: The HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) Deep Dive
Hosted by two men who probably have no right talking about this… but we’re doing it anyway.
I’m excited to launch a new women’s health series on the Spinal Strength Podcast — this time, we’re tackling HRT: the science, the stigma, the benefits, the myths, and the real conversations women deserve.
Cohosted by the always-entertaining (and questionably qualified in women’s endocrinology) Alex Sroka, we dive into:
💊 What modern research actually says about HRT
🔥 Why decades-old fears have been debunked
🧬 How hormones impact strength, bone density, longevity, and spine health
😂 And yes… plenty of self-aware humor as two men bravely attempt to explain menopause
Our goal?
Elevate the conversation, share evidence-based information, and highlight the experts who live and breathe this field every day.
If you care about women’s health, longevity, or just want to hear two guys tiptoe through a hormonal minefield with grace (or try to)… tune in.
🎙️ https://shor.by/G78v
Alexander Sroka FDA
11/19/2025
🚀 Taking Cervical Spine Surgery One STEP Further
Just wrapped up a UBE (biportal) endoscopy for a left C7–T1 herniated disc in a patient with a prior cervical fusion — and yes, it was even less invasive than a cervical TDR.
While everyone keeps talking about endoscopy… we’re actually doing it — at high volume, with efficiency, and amazing patient satisfaction and in an outpatient ASC supported by the best nursing and anesthesia team in the country. This is where modern spine care belongs.
If you’re serious about integrating endoscopy into your practice in a cost-effective, patient-beneficial, and truly scalable way, stop watching from the sidelines.
👣 Come for a site visit.
Learn how we’ve systematized the workflow, optimized outcomes, and built reproducibility into every step.
Proud to highlight our S.T.E.P. – Spine Training and Education Program, designed to help surgeons take the leap into the next era of minimally invasive spine surgery.
Take the STEP forward. Your patients — and your practice — will thank you.
11/07/2025
🔹 Empowering the Next Generation of Spine Surgeons 🔹
Proud to host Dr. Brian Handal, DO as part of the STEP Program – Spine Technology Educational Program.
Brian is training in biportal endoscopy and mastering extreme ASC efficiency — skills that will help him become a disruptive force in Iowa and beyond. I’m excited to support his journey and share the tools, mindset, and strategy that drive innovation in spine surgery.
At Spinal Strength, we’re not just talking about change — we’re building it.
10/29/2025
7,000 Surgeries Later… and a Lot More Gray Hair 🩻😅
Yesterday I performed my 7,000th spinal surgery — a cervical total disc replacement.
When I started 21 years ago, it was all tricortical iliac crest cervical fusions and open retractors. Then came the tubes… and now, the endoscope. I still remember calling it “minimally invasive” when I was putting open screws through a McCullough retractor — times have definitely changed!
Along the way, I’ve written 16 textbooks, launched a health podcast (“Spinal Strength”), and somehow managed to get into the best physical and mental shape of my life — even if the gray hairs tell a slightly different story.
Today, 90% of my practice is ASC-based with same-day discharge. The transition from big hospital surgeries to efficient, patient-centered outpatient care has been remarkable.
I’m deeply thankful for everyone who’s helped me get here:
My staff, PAs, admins, and research team — your honesty and data-driven feedback keep me grounded and improving.
The Rush Hospital leadership and nursing teams for continually supporting innovation.
The Rush anesthesia team, whose precision, attention to detail, and adaptability have made outpatient spine surgery not only possible but now the standard.
The outstanding ASC teams at Gold Coast, Munster S4, and Rush Oakbrook — your coordination makes complex surgery look effortless.
And of course, the countless spine reps who’ve been there since day one — through every retractor, screw system, and 430 a.m. start time. And to all the others i may not have listed... too many to thank.
It’s been a journey of growth — personally, professionally, and surgically. I’ve evolved, the field has evolved, and I’m still learning every single day.
Here’s to the next 7,000 surgeries, more innovation, and maybe a few less gray hairs and to constantly trying to be a better surgeon every single day for my patients. Midwest Orthopaedics at RUSHRush University Medical CenterRush Oak Brook
10/24/2025
Honored. Motivated. Never Satisfied.
Huge thanks to Dr. Nathan Ma**er, spine surgeon from Vermont, for calling our ORs “the most efficient he’s ever seen.” Means a lot coming from someone who understands the grind.
I’m Kern Singh, MD — and this is why I never stop pushing:
📊 7,000+ patient database — not opinion, data
🔹 First in our group to do outpatient spine surgery
🔹 Negotiated with payors before outpatient spine codes even existed
🔹 Worked with Dr. Asokumar Buvanendran 18 years ago to build a simple, reproducible outpatient anesthesia protocol
🔹 Built an incredible team — nurses, X-ray techs, anesthesia, OR staff — the real engine behind the efficiency
I’m tired of hearing: “I’ve done it this way for years and it works.”
Great — show me the data.
I believe spine surgeons are athletes — if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. I tell my trainees:
👉 If I’m doing the same thing next year, I’m declining.
Come watch us:
✅ Endoscopic cases
✅ Outpatient cervical laminoplasty
✅ Lumbar corpectomies — all done in the ASC
No gimmicks. No extra cost. Just reproducible outcomes.
Don’t say it can’t be done… until you’ve seen it done.
10/23/2025
Grateful to host Dr. Micah Smith and Dr. Nathan Ma**er this week through our STEP – Spine Training & Education Program.
During the am, they observed 11 spine cases, 8 of which were endoscopic including one bilateral C4-5 Laminectomy seamlessly executed thanks to the incredible teamwork of the Rush Oak Brook Anesthesia and Nursing Team. Their precision, efficiency, and professionalism make this kind of high-volume education possible.
We showcased our BEST (Biportal Endoscopic Spine Technology) non-disposable instrument trays – cost-effective, durable, and designed to improve access to endoscopic spine surgery without the waste and expense of disposables.
Proud to see STEP continuing to train the next generation of spine surgeons while pushing innovation, efficiency, and sustainability in spine care.
If you're interested in visiting, learning more, or bringing BEST to your ASC or hospital, feel free to reach out. Rush University Medical CenterMidwest Orthopaedics at Rush European Society of Unilateral Biportal Endoscopy (ESUBE)
10/16/2025
🚀 Training the Next Generation of Spine Surgeons
Through my STEP (Spine Training and Education Program), I’ve had the privilege of working with incredible surgeons like Dr. , Dr. Sanjay Khurana, and Dr. Shelby Burks — all advancing the art and science of biportal endoscopic spine surgery.
At STEP, we focus on hands-on learning, innovation, and making advanced spine techniques accessible and affordable.
💡 Excited to share that we’re now offering our non-disposable biportal instrument tray and reusable cannulas — built to be ASC- and hospital-friendly while maintaining surgical precision.
If you’re a surgeon interested in:
✅ Visiting STEP to observe or train
✅ Learning biportal endoscopy
✅ Exploring cost-effective, reusable instrument solutions
📩 DM me — always happy to collaborate, share knowledge, and continue pushing the field forward.
10/09/2025
Another Successful STEP Training Day
An incredible day in the OR as part of our Surgeon Training Education Program (STEP). I had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Shelby Burks, neurosurgeon from The University of Miami, for a full day of spine surgery and education.
Together, we completed 10 complex cases:
✅ 2 cervical disc replacements
✅ 7 biportal endoscopic spine surgeries (including one on an orthopedic surgeon!)
✅ A two-level lumbar laminectomy for severe stenosis due to facet arthropathy on a spine surgeon’s father
✅ And a posterior ALIF for a patient who traveled from Arkansas for care
Dr. Burks was able to see the efficiency and rhythm of our OR team and experience the precision and versatility of biportal endoscopy firsthand.
Programs like STEP are what keep our field advancing — providing opportunities for collaboration, education, and continuous improvement in surgical technique and patient outcomes.
Looking forward to seeing Dr. Burks again soon in Park City for the Selby Spine Meeting!
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Dr. Singh has an international reputation in the area of minimally invasive spinal surgery. He frequently teaches minimally invasive techniques to neurosurgeons and spinal surgeons from around the world and most recently was an invited guest lecturer to Saudi Arabia. He is also extensively involved in designing new minimally invasive spinal instrumentation for cutting-edge spinal surgery.
Dr. Singh's clinical interests include the minimally invasive treatment of complex degenerative disorders of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. Dr. Singh also specializes in minimally invasive treatment of spinal tumors and adult spinal deformities.
Dr. Singh is known for his excellent outcomes and his use of cutting-edge procedures. He is an award-winning researcher and has published his findings in major medical journals (more than 200 publications, presentations and book chapters). He most recently won awards for his research including Best Paper at the North American Spine Society (NASS) and Society of Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery (SMISS) International Meetings in 2013. He frequently trains surgeons who observe his newly advanced surgical techniques in the operating room. He is also the principal researcher in several FDA clinical trials involving cervical disc replacements and motion-preserving spinal technology.
Dr. Singh is listed in Becker's Orthopedic Spine and Pain Management as one of the nation's Top 100 spine surgeons and specialists. He was also awarded the "Top 10" Doctor Award, Most Compassionate Doctor, and Patient's Choice Award from Vitals.com. Dr. Singh was also appointed to serve as the chair of the Spine Program Committee for the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Annual Meeting from 2017-2020.
A graduate of Jefferson Medical College, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude, Dr. Singh completed his training at Emory University in a combined Orthopaedic and Neurosurgical spine fellowship.
