Here are five spine, neurosurgeons and spine practices that provide care for professional soccer teams in the United States.
If you would like to recommend another surgeon or practice for inclusion on this list, please contact Anuja Vaidya at avaidya@beckershealthcare.com.
Howard S. Derman, MD (Houston Methodist). Dr. Derman is the director of the Houston Methodist Concussion Center and a concussion specialist for the Houston Dynamo and Houston Texans. He is an associate professor of neurology at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City and founding member of the Neurological Institute of Houston Methodist Hospital. He has a professional interest back and neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, electromyography, epilepsy and musculoskeletal pain. He is also involved in several research projects focused on both the causes of concussions and programs to help athletes return to play. He earned his medical degree at Rush Medical College in Chicago and completed his residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he also completed a clinical fellowship.
William Dillin, MD (Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic, Los Angeles). Dr. Dillin is a spine consultant to the Los Angeles Galaxy as well as several other professional athletic teams from Los Angeles. He is a co-founder of the Kerlan-Jobe Spine Center as well as an associate at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. He is a member of the North American Spine Society, AO Spine and Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. He has a professional interest in the treatment of spinal disorders, back and neck pain. He earned his medical degree at The University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio and completed an orthopedic surgery residency at University of California, San Francisco. His spine fellowship was completed at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia under the direction of Richard Rothman, MD, and Frederick A. Simeone, MD.
Srdjan Mirkovic, MD (NorthShore University HealthSystem, Chicago). Dr. Mirkovic is the spine consultant for the Chicago Fire. He is an orthopedic spine surgeon as well as an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. He is on staff at Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University HealthSystem and Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. His clinical interests include spinal stenosis management, lumbar spinal fusions, cervical spine disease management and cervical fusions. He has also received the Outstanding Spine Research Award from the North American Spine Society twice. He earned his medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He also completed a fellowship in spine surgery at the University of California San Diego Medical Center.
Texas Back Institute (Plano). Texas Back Institute is the official spine specialty provider for FC Dallas, one of the charter teams of Major League Soccer. The institute is one of the largest freestanding multidisciplinary academic spine centers in the world. Its medical team includes board-certified spine surgeons, pain management specialists and physical therapists. The institute's physicians have participated in numerous FDA Clinical trials, and more than 80 spine surgeons have been trained in its fellowship program. It also includes the Texas Back Institute Clinical Research, dedicated to advancing new spinal technologies and techniques.
Robert Watkins III, MD (Marina Del Rey Hospital, Marina Del Rey, Calif.). Dr. Watkins performed a successful microscopic lumbar discectomy on Chivas USA goalkeeper Tim Melia in 2013. He is the co-director of the Marina Spine Clinic and is a founding member of the North American Spine Society. He focuses on cervical artificial disc replacement, cervical foraminotomy, laminoplasty, laminectomy, fusion, discectomy and kyphoplasty. Dr. Watkins earned his medical degree at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency at University of Southern California/LAC+USC Medical Center in Los Angeles and has completed a fellowship at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopedic Hospital in the United Kingdom.
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