Spine Surgeons in Virginia

Care Philosophy: Dr. Haines' background, reinforced by his clinical experience and treatment philosophy, positions him to provide progressive non-operative and operative treatment solutions to get patients back to a pain-free lifestyle more quickly. He works collaboratively with pain management specialists and physical therapists to provide the most comprehensive treatment plans and improved post-operative rehabilitation pathways. During the initial patient consultation, Dr. Haines intently listens and learns the in-depth history of a patient's pain and impairment as well as their goals for recovery. This information, paired with a detailed physical exam and appropriate imaging studies, allows him to present and explain diagnoses and tailored treatment options. Dr. Haines works collaboratively with the patient to devise the most successful treatment plan to get patients back to a pain-free lifestyle!

Care Philosophy: 1. Listen, listen, listen 2. Educate, educate, educate 3. Surgery is generally the last resort as most problems can & should be treated non-operatively 4. When surgery is necessary, minimally invasive approaches generally have better outcomes; however, sometimes a "traditional" approach is the best alternative.

Biography: Dr. Nikhil Nayak, MD, FAANS is a board-certified, fellowship-trained neurological surgeon with advanced training in spinal disorders. He specializes in minimally invasive, complex, and image-guided spinal surgery for degenerative, traumatic and oncologic conditions including cervical myelopathy, cervical and lumbar radiculopathy, spinal stenosis, spine fractures, primary and metastatic spinal tumors, adult degenerative scoliosis, and revision spinal surgery. He performs general cranial neurosurgery for brain tumors, intracranial hemorrhage, hydrocephalus, and related conditions, and participates in emergency call for brain and spine trauma. Dr. Nayak's versatility in spinal surgery affords him the ability to offer patients the full spectrum of available options for their spinal conditions, and he is frequently called upon to provide second opinions once surgery has been recommended. He is an early adopter of technological advances in neurosurgery and has specific expertise in artificial disc replacement, minimally invasive robotic spinal fusion, and non-fusion alternatives such as laminoplasty and ultrasonic-assisted spinal decompression. Dr. Nayak earned his MD and MHS degrees from Yale University and is a magna cum laude graduate of Georgetown University. He completed neurosurgery residency at the University of Pennsylvania and a clinical spine fellowship at Wellington Hospital in New Zealand. Dr. Nayak is Vice Chairman of Neurosurgery at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, VA and Clinical Instructor of both Neurology and Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine. He has co-authored over 25 peer-reviewed publications and has a special interest in tracking functional outcomes following spinal surgery. He is a Fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and regularly voted ``Top Doctor`` by DC-area publications.

Biography: Dr. Thomas Mazahery grew up in Northern Virginia and wanted to return to the area after his Fellowship to begin his orthopaedic practice. Dr. Mazahery graduated with a BA in Biology from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, and earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. He then completed a general surgery internship and an orthopaedic surgery residency at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. Additionally, Dr. Mazahery completed a spine fellowship with the renowned surgeon Dr. Henry Bohlman at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. As a spine specialist, Dr. Mazahery enjoys helping his patients return to normal function and resume their active lifestyles. He is especially fascinated by degenerative spine conditions, cervical spine pathology, and research related to improving spine surgery and technology. Having participated in extensive training for cervical spine conditions, Dr. Mazahery's special interests also include motion sparing technology, minimally invasive techniques, deformity correction, microsurgery, and the operative and non-operative care of the entire spine. Active in many professional leadership roles, Dr. Mazahery has been the recipient of several research grants and has presented his research at national and international meetings. He is presently a participant in the AOA Emerging Leaders Program, a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the North American Spine Society. In his leisure time, Dr. Mazahery enjoys running. To date, he has completed five marathons.

Care Philosophy: Prioritizing non-surgical solutions whenever possible, Dr. Jazinis approach emphasizes natural healing. Remarkably, many of Dr. Jazini's patients experience significant improvements without resorting to surgery, as a result of natural regenerative therapies such as stem cell therapy and PRP therapy; spinal injections, spine-specialized physical therapy, and total wellness changes.

Biography: Dr. Wegner is a spine surgeon. Eliminating debilitating pain and seeing people return to active, productive lives is extremely rewarding. A technically well-done spine surgery, performed for the correct reason, can be one of the most effective interventions in modern medicine and he is grateful for the opportunity to improve the lives of his patients. He finds it is important to develop a relationship with each individual patient through compassion and communication, and he strives to treat every patient as he would treat a member of his own family. He enjoys teaching and empowering his patients so they can make informed decisions about their spine care in order to obtain the best possible results.Dr. Wegner has extensive training from world leaders in both pediatric and adult spinal surgery. He treats all spinal pathologies from degenerative conditions to complex scoliosis and kyphosis, tumors, and revision surgery of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. In his free time, Dr. Wegner enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids.

Care Philosophy: At Colonial Orthopaedics and The Spine Institute of Virginia, we provide comprehensive care for spinal issues using a patient centered approach. Our focus is to educate our patients about the disease process afflicting them, the treatment options available to them and providing the tools for making informed decisions regarding their care. Where surgery is the treatment choice, I advocate a minimally invasive approach wherever possible, relying on my eight years of experience in these techniques.

Care Philosophy: Dr. Good specializes in the non-operative and operative treatment of all spinal conditions with special expertise and training to include complex spine surgery and spinal deformities. His expertise extends to all types of cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine care ranging from acute conditions to degenerative conditions and complex revisions to unsuccessful prior surgeries. His dedication to returning his patients back to their lifestyles safely and effectively has him using the latest techniques in spinal reconstruction as well advanced skills in minimally invasive and motion-preserving surgery. His most recent breakthrough in spinal health care was the first robot-guided surgery in the mid-Atlantic region. In addition to the latest techniques in spinal reconstruction, Dr. Good is also advanced in minimally-invasive and motion-preserving surgery.

Care Philosophy: Dr. Schuler founded Virginia Spine Institute in 1992 to advance the development of contemporary neurological and orthopaedic spinal surgery. For nearly 25 years, Virginia Spine Institute has dramatically improved the lives of over 50,000 people suffering from back and/or neck pain. He is recognized as a national leader in the treatment of cervical and lumbar spine disorders and named among the 100 Best Spine Surgeons and Specialists in America. Over the past two decades, he has grown this award-winning spinal health care practice into the largest multidisciplinary spine center in the region. Since 1993, he has been the spine consultant to the Washington Redskins. In 2002, Dr. Schuler founded the Spinal Research Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to improve spinal health care through research, education, and patient advocacy.

Care Philosophy: As a pioneer in spinal health care, Dr. Hasz has been using minimally invasive techniques (MIS) for over a decade in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan region. His minimally invasive practice includes the use of novel robot-guidance, endoscopy, and laser techniques as indicated. He is also a leader in artificial disc technologies. His dedication to advancing spinal health care has him actively participating in clinical trials and studies. He was one of the first in the region to use the MetRx MIS system for lumbar and cervical surgery, the DLIF/XLIF approach for spinal fusion and deformity work, the Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty procedures for spinal fractures, the IDET procedure for low back pain, and the ProDisc artificial disc. He is pioneering minimally invasive surgery techniques for the treatment of sacroiliac joint dysfunction. He works with athletes and weekend warriors to get them back to their active lifestyles as quickly and safely as possible.

Biography: Dr. Tareen was born and raised in Gaithersburg, Maryland. His interest in medicine began in high school when he shadowed an orthopaedic surgeon during his AP Biology class. He attended University of Pittsburgh for his undergraduate training, obtaining a B.S. in Molecular Biology before coming back to Maryland for his medical training at University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Tareen stayed in Baltimore and completed his Orthopaedic Surgical training at University of Maryland Medical Center and the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. He then elected for an additional year of training in Orthopaedic Spine Surgery at the New York University/Hospital for Joint Disease in New York, New York. Dr. Tareen has extensive training in minimally invasive spinal fusion, motion preserving surgery with cervical disc replacement, and robotic spine surgery. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, live music, watching sports (Washington Football Team, Capitals), and drinking craft beer.

Care Philosophy: Dr. Ibrahim believes in treatment of the person as a whole to relieve their pain that is originating from all areas of the spine. Along the lines of his focus in research, he strives to take care of patients' pain both immediately after surgery and for the long term.

Biography: Bradley Kolesar, PA-C, is a certified physician assistant with Spine Care Specialists in Hopewell, Virginia. Mr. Kolesar earned his Master of Physician Assistant from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. He also completed a Bachelor of Science in Applied Health Science, graduating magna cum laude, from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Mr. Kolesar has over 15 years of experience in orthopedic care including providing medical examinations for new patients and follow-up visits diagnosing and treating a wide range of spine conditions. He also provides assistance in the operating room during orthopedic spine cases. Mr. Kolesar is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistant, Virginia Academy of Physician Assistant, and Physician Assistants in Orthopedic Surgery. He is certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Basic Life Support.When not working, Mr. Kolesar enjoys exercising, golfing, hunting, woodworking, and spending time with his wife and two children.