Dr. Bridwell has also served as president of the Scoliosis Research Society. His passion for orthopedic spine surgery is clear, though he doesn’t remember exactly what drove him to enter the medical field, according to a hospital news report. However, he does recall why he decided to enter into spine surgery. He was interested in operating through the abdomen and chest like cardio-thoracic surgeons, which was his second subspecialty choice, according to a University of Washington report.
Most of his patients are adults and children with scoliosis, and many of his patients need intervention. “Usually physical therapy can’t correct it,” Bidwell said in a hospital report. “It may help some of the pain symptoms that go along with the deformity, but it can’t really correct the problem. In a growing child, spinal braces can sometimes either correct the deformity or keep it from getting worse, but in adults, braces really don’t help very much.”
Throughout his career, Dr. Bidwell has consistently been named as one of America’s Top Doctors and Best Doctors in America, and has appeared on Becker’s Orthopedic & Spine Review lists of top spine surgeons. He has also conducted research on scoliosis and other spinal procedures, published in professional journals such as Spine and the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. He was also editor in chief for The Textbook of Spinal Surgery for three editions.
Dr. Bridwell has also served as a member of the adult spine self-assessment examination committee of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and held other leadership positions in the North American Spine Society. He is a member of the editorial board and reviewer for SpineUniverse and has served on the advisory board for the American Society of Neurophysiological Monitoring.
Dr. Bridwell earned his medical degree at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and completed several spine fellowships and scoliosis research at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital, the University of Illinois Hospital and Chicago Shriners Hospital, all in Chicago.
Learn more about Dr. Keith Bridwell.
Read other coverage about orthopedic and spine industry leaders:
– Orthopedic and Spine Industry Leader to Know: Dr. Richard Evans of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
– Orthopedic and Spine Industry Leader to Know: Dr. Michael J. Milne of The Orthopedic Center of St. Louis
