MDNews - Long Island

Matthew B. Kern, M.D., places a METRx System tube to dilate the fascia using fluoroscopic guidance. advanced treatments for spinal concerns such as injection therapy and minimally invasive surgical intervention. Tailored to the Case The majority of patients who come to the practice are referred by their primary care physicians, who may have already progressed patients through a course of general, conservative treatment and education. The consensus within the primary care community, as published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, is that referral to a specialist for back pain is appropriate when symptoms do not improve over the course of four to six weeks. Upon their first visits to Neurological Surgery, P.C., patients complete a history information form detailing their chief complaints and the lengths of time they have experienced pain. As Dr. Kern explains, the physician conducting the initial visit specifically looks for any signs of weakness and numbness as opposed to pain presenting on its own. A NEUROSURGEON'S CALLING ONE OF 12 spine specialists at Neurological Surgery, P.C., Matthew B. Kern, M.D., neurosurgeon, combines general neurosurgery practice with expertise in complex spinal surgery and surgical intervention for brain tumors and traumatic injuries of the brain, spine and spinal cord. Dr. Kern earned his medical degree at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – New Jersey Medical College and later completed a surgical internship and a one-year residency in general surgery at Newark's University Hospital. He then completed a research fellowship and a two-year residency in neurosurgery in New Jersey, followed by another two-year neurosurgery residency in Albuquerque, NM. Dr. Kern also served a year as chief resident of neurological surgery. Returning to the East Coast, Dr. Kern joined Neurological Surgery, P.C., in fall 2011 after having been in private practice in Evansville, IN, for 14 years. In addition to managing the neurological needs of his own patients, he was heavily involved in securing Level II Trauma Center status for St. Mary's Medical Center, also located in Evansville. He held the post of chief of adult and pediatric neurosurgery for seven years following the accreditation. Dr. Kern, who maintains membership with both the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, has served in the U.S. Army Reserve for 18 years. He holds the rank of lieutenant colonel and has com- pleted two overseas deployments. At Neurological Surgery, P.C., Dr. Kern offers Long Island patients artificial cervical and lumbar disc arthroplasty and minimally invasive spinal services, as well as dorsal column stimulation and peripheral nerve surgery. MDNEWS.COM ■ MD NEWS Long Island | 13 SPECIAL CLINICAL SECTION: PAIN MANAGEMENT SPECIALISTS

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