Kern Singh, M.D.

02/12/2026

🔥 Revision TLIF. Migrated Cage. Severe Foraminal Stenosis.
Outpatient. Biportal. No hardware removal. No disposables.
Read that again.
While many still believe complex revision spine surgery requires extensile exposure, hardware removal, expensive disposable platforms, and inpatient admission… we’re proving otherwise.
This week in our STEP Spine Training & Education Program, we performed a UBE decompression for a migrated TLIF cage causing severe neuroforaminal stenosis.
Through a true biportal endoscopic approach, we achieved:
✔️ Panoramic visualization that the microscope simply cannot match
✔️ Targeted foraminal decompression
✔️ Preservation of existing instrumentation
✔️ No implant removal
✔️ No disposable systems driving artificial cost inflation
✔️ Same-day outpatient discharge
Let’s be honest — the future of spine isn’t about adding more hardware, bigger incisions, or more expensive single-use tech.
It’s about:
• Better visualization
• Smarter access
• Tissue preservation
• Cost discipline
• Reproducible education
The uncomfortable truth?
Complex pathology does not mandate complex exposure.
UBE is not a “gimmick” for small disc herniations. In trained hands, it is a platform for serious revision surgery.
Through STEP, we are not just teaching techniques — we are challenging outdated assumptions and training the next generation of surgeons to deliver cutting-edge care in a value-based outpatient environment.
Disruption isn’t loud.
It’s precise.
It’s efficient.
And it’s already happening.

02/12/2026

When world-class surgeons visit, you don’t show them theory — you show them ex*****on.

Honored to host Maxwell Boakye, MD, MPH, MBA, FACS, CPPS, CPHQ world-renowned neurosurgeon, at our outpatient ASC to see firsthand what’s possible when complex spine surgery is performed with the right systems, team, and technology.

Today's “routine” schedule included:

• Multilevel cervical deformity correction

• Two biportal endoscopic neuroforaminal decompressions for cage migration and bone overgrowth following TLIF

• Advanced revision pathology that many centers would automatically admit

All performed safely in an ambulatory surgery center.

No disposable endoscopic systems.

No unnecessary implants.

No excess cost layering.

Just precision surgery using non-disposable biportal endoscopic trays, an elite anesthesia team, and a highly coordinated ASC staff.

And the part that matters most:

Every single patient was discharged home by 3:30 PM.

Complexity does not mandate hospitalization.

Revision surgery does not mandate inefficiency.

Innovation does not require disposables.

This is what happens when outpatient spine is built intentionally — not retrofitted from inpatient habits.

Grateful for leaders like Dr. Boakye who continue to push the field forward through collaboration and shared learning.

The future of spine isn’t smaller incisions.

It’s smarter systems.

01/26/2026

15 Textbooks. One Journey. And a Chapter Closing.

Today I received a copy of my 15th and most likely final textbook, this one focused on Endoscopic Spine Surgery. This book was intentionally done with no bias, no commercial influence, and no industry agenda—just honest contributions from true thought leaders who actually practice endoscopy in all its forms around the world no matter what you want to call it.

Not everyone chose to participate.

Some declined due to ego.

Some due to conflicts of interest.

Some due to professional jealousy.

I never imagined that education and academic collaboration could come with this level of friction. It was an unexpected reminder that advancing science isn’t just about data and technique—it’s also about navigating human nature.

To the many who’ve asked:

It’s unlikely I’ll be writing brand-new textbooks going forward. But over the next decade, I will be working on the 2nd, 3rd… and maybe even 4th editions of the books I’ve already published. Evolution matters more than volume.

And to my kids ❤️

My first textbook was written before you were born.

My last one was written while you were still babies (at least in my mind).

This feels like the right moment to pause and recalibrate.

Time now to focus more on:

My life

My passions

My health and lifting

My Spinal Strength Podcast

Reconnecting with family and old friends

And continuing to build the future of spine surgery in new, more scalable ways

Grateful. Humbled. And ready for the next chapter.







Midwest Orthopaedics at RushRush University Medical CenterEuropean Society of Unilateral Biportal Endoscopy (ESUBE)ISASS: The International Society for Advancement of Spine SurgeryAmerican Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

01/16/2026

Breaking news:

Another Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush (MOR) partner spotted in the gym 🏋️‍♂️👀

This time it was Brian Cole, MD — world-famous sports surgeon, elite operator, and my partner at MOR. When your days are spent fixing professional athletes, it only makes sense you train like one.

Between long spine cases, lead aprons, endoscopes, and surgical volume that doesn’t believe in “light days,” staying in shape isn’t a hobby — it’s a job requirement. Spine surgery is a full-contact sport.

That’s where training + recovery + mindset come in.

And yes — a big part of that for me is my Spinal Strength Podcast (Spotify & Apple Music), where I talk about building resilience, longevity, and strength for life inside and outside the OR.

This is now the second MOR partner I’ve run into lifting weights — after cohen, md — which officially confirms it:

MOR is taking over orthopaedics… and gyms across the United States.

World-class partners. World-class surgeons.

Built for the OR. Built to last.

01/16/2026

https://www.beckersspine.com/spine/the-new-outpatient-spine-advantage-dr-kern-singh/

Kern Singh, MD, professor and chief of spine surgery at Chicago-based Rush University Medical Center, has been performing outpatient spine procedures for almost two decades, long enough to see the shift from edge-case to expectation. Now, with more spine procedures moving into ASCs and hospital outp...

01/15/2026

Another powerful morning in endoscopic spine surgery.

This AM I completed 10 challenging endoscopic cases using biportal endoscopy — ranging from severe multilevel stenosis to massive facet cysts and complex cervical pathology.

What continues to amaze me is how biportal endoscopy allows us to deliver open-surgery level decompression with minimally invasive morbidity, faster recovery, and true ASC-friendly economics. This is exactly where spine care is headed.

I was honored to host outstanding visiting surgeons and innovators:
, and Mikhail, MD from -Sinai in Los Angeles — sharing techniques, challenging each other, and pushing the field forward together.

I’m also excited to announce that our ASC-optimized endoscopic tray systems are now available —
cost-effective, non-disposable, and designed for real-world high-volume endoscopic practice.
Better for surgeons. Better for surgery centers. Better for patients.

Endoscopic spine surgery isn’t coming.
It’s here — and it’s scaling.

01/12/2026

I rarely do spine meetings these days — my focus is exactly where it should be: rebuilding the Rush Spine Section, strengthening the Orthopaedic Department at Rush main hospital, lifting heavy, and being fully present for my two kids.

Between surgery, leadership, training, and hosting the Spinal Strength Podcast on Spotify and Apple Music, my time is guarded carefully.

So how could I possibly pass up the Selby Spine Meeting this February in Park City?

I’ll be speaking on Biportal Endoscopy (UBE) and why it represents one of the most disruptive shifts in modern spine surgery:

✔️ Lower cost without compromising outcomes

✔️ Faster adoption for surgeons

✔️ True minimally invasive decompression and fusion

✔️ A scalable, global solution for spine care

UBE isn’t just another technique — it’s a platform that will reshape how spine surgery is delivered worldwide.

Huge thanks to my good friends John Small and Shelby Burks for the invitation. And a special shout-out to Shelby Burks, who has personally witnessed the power of UBE firsthand in my operating room at Rush Oak Brook — once you see it live, you understand why the future of spine is already here.

Looking forward to pushing the field forward in Park City.

01/09/2026

Visible abs are built in the kitchen…
…but apparently rev ealed in the operating room, podcast studio, and occasionally the airport security line. 😄
On the latest episode of 🎧 Spinal Strength (Spotify and Apple), I break down the science—not the nonsense—behind getting visible abs:
✅ Fat loss vs core strength (they are not the same thing)
✅ Why chasing “ab workouts” is usually a distraction
✅ What actually matters: nutrition, metabolic health, sleep, consistency
✅ And yes—why most people already have abs, they just can’t see them yet
As a spine surgeon, I care less about six‑packs for selfies and more about building cores that protect your spine and last decades. Aesthetics are a byproduct—not the prescription.
Big respect to voices in the fitness space pushing evidence over hype: Nippard
Norton, PhD
Ben Greenfield
Periodization

Fitness
Training
🎙️ Listen on Spotify: Spinal Strength
Built strong. Move well. Think long‑term.
PhysicianPerspective Longevity StrengthTraining

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.