Expert insights on spine health, surgical innovations, and minimally invasive techniques from Dr. Marc Greenberg
Comprehensive spine surgery resource
Want a deeper overview of your options? Download the free Greenberg Spine Patient Guide covering all conditions, procedures, and what to expect.
Download Free Guide
Compare disc replacement vs. fusion for active adults. Fellowship-trained Fort Wayne spine surgeon Dr. Marc Greenberg explains motion preservation benefits, recovery timelines, and how to choose the right option.
A patient-friendly educational guide to minimally invasive spine surgery (MIS) for Indiana patients. Covers what MIS actually means (a spectrum of techniques using smaller incisions and muscle-sparing approaches to achieve the same surgical goal), how it differs from traditional open surgery (comparison table covering incision size, muscle handling, blood loss, hospital stay, post-operative discomfort, and visualization), common conditions treated with MIS (herniated discs, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, compression fractures, and degenerative disc disease — all with the caveat that surgery follows conservative care trial), what recovery looks like across four phases (immediate post-op, first two weeks, weeks 2-6, and longer-term with warning signs to call about), and practical guidance for accessing MIS care in Indiana and Northeast Indiana including the importance of fellowship training and starting with a consultation. Includes FAQPage JSON-LD, internal links to MIS overview, procedures, and related blog posts.
A patient's guide to choosing a spine surgeon in Indiana. Covers what credentials and fellowship training to look for (board certification plus dedicated spine surgery fellowship), key questions to ask during consultation (connecting symptoms to imaging, discussing all treatment options, asking about minimally invasive alternatives), the value of motion-preserving procedures like cervical disc replacement and minimally invasive decompression, when to seek a second opinion (extensive surgery, uncertain diagnosis, limited options offered), and how Indiana and Fort Wayne patients can evaluate local surgeons through credential research, assessing practice focus, considering access, and trusting the consultation experience. Includes red flags vs. green flags comparison, FAQPage JSON-LD, internal links to second opinion, minimally invasive, procedures, and related blog posts.
An educational guide on spondylolisthesis for Indiana patients. Covers what spondylolisthesis means in plain terms (a vertebra slipping forward), the five-grade classification system with a clear table showing what each grade means and the typical approach, the different types (degenerative as the most common in adults over 50, isthmic from a stress fracture often in adolescent athletes, congenital, traumatic, and pathologic), how it is diagnosed (X-ray, MRI, dynamic flexion-extension views), symptoms (mechanical back pain and nerve-related leg symptoms — with the important note that many people have no symptoms at all), and the graduated treatment approach from conservative care through surgical fusion. Includes FAQPage JSON-LD, internal links to spondylolisthesis patient education, lumbar fusion, laminectomy, and related resources.
A patient-friendly guide to sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction for Indiana patients. Covers SI joint anatomy explained in plain language, the five main causes (acute injury, repetitive stress, pregnancy-related changes, prior lumbar fusion, and degenerative arthritis), the diagnostic process (history, physical exam with provocation maneuvers like FABER and Gaenslen tests, imaging, and the gold-standard diagnostic injection), conservative treatment ladder (activity modification, physical therapy, medications, and image-guided injections), when SI joint fusion may be considered after adequate conservative trial, and how Indiana patients can access evaluation. Includes FAQPage JSON-LD, internal links to SI joint patient education, SI joint fusion procedure, and related spine conditions.
An educational recovery guide covering microdiscectomy and ACDF recovery timelines. Covers both procedures as commonly outpatient or short-stay, the distinction between early radicular pain relief and incisional soreness using conditional language, a general week-by-week recovery arc (first days, first 2 weeks, ~4-6 weeks, longer-term with fusion maturation for ACDF), common activity guidance (walking early, BLT restrictions, driving and return-to-work decisions from the surgeon), and warning signs to call about (fever, wound drainage, new or worsening weakness, bowel/bladder changes). Includes FAQ accordion with FAQPage JSON-LD. Internal links to microdiscectomy and ACDF procedure pages, condition pages, and the second-opinion page.
An educational comparison of minimally invasive spine surgery (MIS) and traditional open spine surgery. Covers what MIS means (smaller incisions, muscle-sparing tubular or endoscopic approaches), how open surgery differs (longer incision, muscle stripping), potential benefits of MIS in appropriate candidates (less tissue disruption, less blood loss, hospital stay planning, faster early recovery) using conditional population-level language, evidence on comparable long-term outcomes for appropriate procedures, candidacy factors (who may and may not be a candidate), and the supporting role of robotic guidance and navigation for surgical accuracy. Includes FAQ accordion with FAQPage JSON-LD. Internal links to minimally invasive, endoscopic, robotic procedure pages, condition pages, and the second-opinion page.
An educational, reassuring guide on the spine surgery decision-making process. Covers why most back and neck problems resolve without surgery (2-5% ever need it), the conservative-care-first ladder (time, activity modification, physical therapy, medications, injections), what findings tip toward considering surgery (structural problem matching symptoms, persistent or progressive symptoms after fair trial of conservative care), red flags requiring urgent evaluation (progressive weakness, bowel/bladder changes, saddle numbness), and that a consultation or second opinion is information-gathering, not a commitment to surgery. Includes FAQ accordion with FAQPage schema.
Dr. Marc Greenberg, co-author of a 2026 single-institution retrospective study published in Spine, contributes to the evidence on how smoking affects outcomes after anterior cervical disc replacement (ACDR). The study of 102 patients found smokers had a 15.8% reoperation rate versus 1.2% for non-smokers, with reoperations related to implant loosening or migration. Patient-reported outcomes and spinal alignment were similar between groups.
Explore our procedures and patient education resources to understand your treatment options.