Meet the Experts
Douglas Won, MD and Dr. Michael Rimlawi are two of the most advanced diagnostic and treatment surgeons for back and neck pain and spinal disorders in the United States, specializing in state-of-the-art minimally invasive procedures.
Douglas Won, MD is a board-certified and fellowship-trained spine surgeon who specializes in endoscopic laser and minimally invasive spine surgery and has been chosen as one of "America's Top Orthopedist/Spine Surgeons" in 2009 by Research Consumers' Council of America. Dr. Won, MD uses cutting-edge surgical techniques to avoid traditional open back and neck fusion surgeries whenever possible. Dr. Won, MD is uniquely trained in that he had both orthopedic-spine and neurosurgery-spine fellowship training at Washington University in St. Louis, as well as the William Beaumont Spine Center in Michigan. His dual-fellowship training is considered the highest level in spine surgery training.
Dr. Won is also a member of the very prestigious Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. Members are board certified orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons with known expertise in minimally invasive spine surgery. Each member is nominated by an established MIS colleague and their membership approved by the Society Board of Directors comprised of the world experts in minimally invasive spine surgery. Each member must maintain ongoing training and make scientific contributions to the field of spine surgery.
Dr. Won was the first surgeon in Texas to perform endoscopic laser spine surgery with a 3mm incision. With his endoscopic laser surgery, the procedure is performed without general anesthesia, and the patient walks out of the surgery center only one to two hours after surgery. The incision does not need any stitches and simply requires a Band-Aid®. With faster recovery, the patient can return to work in a few days. Dr. Won also recognizes that surgery is not always the best option and uses the latest non-surgical methods to treat neck and back pain prior to exploring surgical options. In fact, over 95% of his patients improve through non-surgical care.
Dr. Won is very active in research and development of innovative spine care. He has many publications in scientific journals and textbooks, and he has lectured in all aspects of spinal disorders. Dr. Won has appeared regularly as a medical expert for ABC/WFAA-TV, CBS Radio, The Marty Griffin Show on 1080 KRLD, Sunday Morning Magazine with Mark Willis on FM. 103.7 KVIL and FM 106.7 KDL. Furthermore, he is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He continues to lecture and train other spine surgeons around the world in the latest minimally invasive techniques.
Spine surgery has evolved dramatically over the past 10 years, and Dr. Won prides himself in applying the most advanced minimally invasive surgical techniques. This translates into less pain, smaller incisions, no muscle damage, no hospital stay and faster recovery time, so that his patients can get BACK TO LIFE!
Learn More About Dr. Won
Dr. Michael Rimlawi is a board certified and fellowship trained spine surgeon. His acceptance into the spine fellowship at the University of California uniquely trained Dr. Rimlawi in both ortho-spine and neuro-spine surgery, an opportunity offered to a select few surgeons in the nation and considered the highest level in medical specialty training.
This invaluable experience allowed Dr. Rimlawi to focus on all aspects of spine surgery, including major spine trauma, tumor and complex spine deformities –like scoliosis, as well as artificial disc, kyphoplasty, X-stop and the newest innovations in micro-endoscopic spine surgery. After completing a distinguished fellowship, Dr. Rimlawi returned to Dallas Texas and became one of DFW's top trauma spine surgeons while working with Methodist Hospital.
As a spine surgeon, the complexity of major spine trauma is a demanding service requiring a high level of skill due to the intricate and delicate nature of the spine under the weight of overwhelming complications. Though very few spine surgeons have extensive trauma experience, Dr. Rimlawi dedicated himself to the field in the early years of his hospital practice.
In private practice, Dr. Rimlawi was primarily referred to by other physicians and patients; revision work, treating patients with previous unsuccessful spine surgeries, became a large component of his practice. Through this work he became increasingly interested in the potential benefits of minimally invasive spine surgery.
Throughout his career Dr. Rimlawi has been at the forefront in leading innovations related to minimally invasive surgery. While many spine surgeons continue to perform traditional "open back" surgeries, or perform minimally invasive surgeries with expandable retractors, Dr. Rimlawi is pioneering the field of "true" minimally invasive spine surgery. He was the first surgeon in Texas to perform the newest micro-endoscopic (camera assisted) spine surgery. This new technique involves an incision less than a quarter the size of even standard minimally invasive spine surgeries. No general anesthetic, no stitches needed; patients go home one hour after the procedure with a simple Band-Aid. Dr. Rimlawi was also the first surgeon in the country to perform the Globus Minimally Invasive XLIF procedure. He regularly performs minimally invasive fusion procedures and even treats complex scoliosis surgeries with minimally invasive techniques.
Dr. Rimlawi is active in numerous spine organizations including The North American Spine Society. He lectures at medical conferences training other spine surgeons around the country on the newest minimally invasive techniques. He appears as a consulting spine expert for NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX and 105.3 The Fan F.M. He also serves as scientific advisor to numerous international spine technology companies.
Dr. Rimlawi co-founded the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute, MISI -Dallas, which strives to treat all pathologies of the spine (Cervical, Thoracic and lumbar) with the most advanced techniques. MISI-Dallas patients have smaller incisions, less pain and quicker recovery than traditional neck and back surgeries. Dr. Rimlawi remains profoundly dedicated to treatments that offer less trauma and optimal benefit. He is most honored to have been selected for the 2008 patients' choice award.
Richard Rhim, MD is a board-eligible and fellowship-trained spine surgeon. He joins the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute as their newest surgeon. He received his medical degree from the New York University School of Medicine in New York, NY. Following this, he completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL [ranked among the very best orthopedic programs in the country by U.S.News & World Report]. He then trained at a combined orthopedic and neurosurgical spine fellowship at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston, MA.
Dr. Rhim specializes in spinal reconstructive surgery utilizing the latest minimally invasive and microsurgical techniques as well as traditional open surgery, where appropriate. He treats all conditions of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine including herniated discs, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, scoliosis, spinal fractures and failed prior back surgery.
Dr. Rhim's treatment philosophy centers on compassionate, conservative, evidence-based care. Where possible, he pursues non-operative treatment first, reserving surgical care only for those who do not experience adequate pain relief. He is trained in all aspects of modern, minimally invasive techniques including tube access, lateral interbody instrumentation/fusion, kyphoplasty, X-stop™ and micro-endoscopic spine surgery. In addition, he is trained in the use of the Aesculap BoneScalpel™, an ultrasonic bone scalpel which allows for safer, more precise bony work while making injury to nerves, dura and soft tissues less likely.
Dr. Rhim is board eligible by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery and is a member of the North American Spine Society, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and Texas Medical Association.
