Kern Singh, M.D.

Kern Singh, M.D. Outpatient Minimally Invasive and Endoscopic Spine Surgeon. Vice Chair and Chief of the Section of Spine Surgery @ Rush University Medical Center

Dr. Singh is Board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and his clinical interests include the treatment of complex degenerative disorders of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. Dr. Singh also specializes in spine tumors and adult spinal deformities. Of particular research interest to Dr. Singh is minimally invasive, motion sparing spinal technology. Dr. Singh has a rapidly

growing reputation in the area of "Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery." He frequently teaches techniques to neurosurgeons and spinal surgeons from around the country as well as Asia and Europe. Dr. Singh has been an award-winning researcher. He has published his findings in major medical journals and presented at national and regional medical conferences in addition to authoring several textbooks on spinal surgery. He frequently trains surgeons who observe his newly advanced surgical techniques in the operating room. He is also the principal investigator in several FDA clinical trials involving cervical disc replacements and motion preserving spinal technology.

08/13/2026

One of the more technically demanding revision cases I’ve done: an outpatient anterior retroperitoneal extraction of a non-union expandable titanium TLIF cage that had migrated into the neural foramen.

The challenge here isn’t just the extraction itself — it’s approaching from the front to remove hardware originally placed posteriorly, working carefully around the great vessels and neural structures in the retroperitoneal space, while keeping the exposure minimally invasive rather than defaulting to an open anterior approach.

Cage non-union and migration cases like this are relatively rare, but when they happen, approach selection matters as much as technique. Curious how others have handled anterior extraction in similar revision scenarios — anterior retroperitoneal, or do you find open exposure necessary depending on migration extent?

08/07/2026

This week, Dr. James Showery, spine surgeon from UT Health, joined me for a series of complex cases — including an endoscopic revision for neuroforaminal bone overgrowth from a migrated TLIF cage, and a posterior ALIF technique using bilateral complete facetectomy as a minimally invasive alternative to open osteotomy.

Cases like these are exactly why continued collaboration across institutions matters — pushing the technical boundaries of what's possible through an endoscopic and minimally invasive approach, and sharing that knowledge with colleagues who bring it back to their own practices.

Grateful for surgeons like Dr. Showery who make the trip to learn, exchange ideas, and challenge each other's technique.

08/06/2026

Is your high cholesterol actually your fault? 🧬

Or is more of it just written into your genes?

New episode of Spinal Strength is live — we’re unpacking the nature vs. nurture debate on cholesterol. Family history, daily habits, and where the line really is between what you can control and what you can’t.

If you’ve ever looked at your numbers and felt like it was somehow on you… this one’s worth a listen.

08/04/2026

Cervical spondylolisthesis presents a unique reduction challenge: restoring alignment without sacrificing stability.

In this case, I walk through our approach — complete discectomy and endplate preparation, full release of the posterior longitudinal ligament, followed by plate-assisted lagging of the inferior vertebrae to achieve controlled translational reduction.

The technique combines thorough disc space preparation with hardware-assisted correction, allowing for precise reduction while maintaining segmental stability.

Full technique breakdown is up on my YouTube channel — search "Kern Singh MD."

Would be glad to hear how others are approaching reduction in these cases.

07/31/2026

Cervical UBE — unilateral biportal endoscopic foraminotomy at C3-4.

UBE technique is much more commonly discussed in the lumbar spine, but it translates well to cervical pathology — the biportal approach allows for enhanced visualization and precise decompression of the nerve root while preserving surrounding musculature and cervical stability.

How many of you are incorporating biportal endoscopic technique into cervical cases, versus keeping it lumbar-only for now?

07/24/2026

New on my YouTube channel: real endoscopic and minimally invasive spine surgery, explained clearly. Live surgical case footage, the latest research broken down in plain language, and honest answers to the questions patients actually ask before spine surgery.

Link in the comments to subscribe. 🎥

07/23/2026

New research from our team: we compared the real-world costs of uniportal endoscopy, biportal endoscopy, tubular, and open spine surgery — 195 cases across 5 care settings. The results may surprise you.

Uniportal endoscopic surgery ran nearly 2.5x the cost of tubular surgery, driven almost entirely by specialized disposable equipment. Biportal endoscopy, by contrast, came in only moderately higher — using standard equipment most facilities already have.

Full breakdown of the findings and what it means for surgical decision-making below.

07/22/2026

A technique worth sharing: endoscopic L4-5 laminectomy using en bloc resection of the ligamentum flavum — filmed in 8K with GoPro new Mission camera.

This is the first in a series of educational videos I'm producing with for both surgeons and patients interested in endoscopic technique. More to come. Suresh Chekuri

Grateful Gorgon City shared his experience following his cervical disc replacement — hearing patients feel like themselv...
07/20/2026

Grateful Gorgon City shared his experience following his cervical disc replacement — hearing patients feel like themselves again is what this work is about. Thank you for trusting us with your care. 🙏

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Chicago, IL
60612

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