Theodore Fisher, MD, MS

Biography

Dr. Theodore Fisher is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who specializes in treating cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back) and lumbar (lower back) spine problems in adults and children. He provides care across the spectrum of spinal disorders, including scoliosis (curvature of the spine) degenerative diseases such as arthritis, disc herniation and spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal), tumors, and fractures. In many cases, Dr. Fisher is able to treat patients with non-surgical methods. When surgery is needed, he often is able to perform minimally invasive procedures, which decrease patient discomfort and speed recovery times. They include disc replacements, spinal fusions (joining bones of the spine), microdisectomy, laminectomy and kyphoplasty (a minimally invasive treatment for spine fractures caused by osteoporosis). In providing care, Dr. Fisher takes an individualized approach that tailors treatments to each patient’s specific needs and circumstances. He usually begins with conservative measures such as physical therapy and only proceeds to surgery if needed. He educates patients about their conditions and what they can do to both help care for themselves and to avoid additional problems in the future. His goal is to increase patients’ ability to function and participate in the activities they enjoy.

Additional Areas of Expertise

• Sciatica
• Stenosis
• Back Pain & Injuries
• Scoliosis
• Neck & Back Surgery
• Workers’ Compensation
• Independent Medical Examinations

Philosophy of Care

Education

Research and Publications

• Frush, TJ, Fisher, TJ, Ensminger, SC, Truumees, E, Demetropoulos, CK. Biomechanical Evaluation of Parasagittal Occipital Plating: Screw Load Sharing Analysis. Spine. 34(9):877-884, April 20, 2009.
• Fisher T, Williams S, Levine A. Chapter 27: Effective Use of Spinal Orthotics. Skeletal Trauma, 4^th Ed. – Basic Science, Management, and Reconstruction. Ed. Browner D, Jupiter J, Levine A, and Trafton P. 2008.
• Demetropoulos CD, Fisher TJ, Abjornson C, Sengupta DK, Herkowitz HN (2006) Instantaneous axis of rotation in the normal cervical spine – a biomechanical evaluation of cadaveric spines, Proceedings of the Cervical Spine Research Society Annual Meeting. Palm Beach, Florida, November 29 – December 2, 2006.
• Fisher TJ, Demetropoulos CD, Truumees E (2006) Biomechanical Evaluation Of Occipitocervical Fixation: Screw Load Sharing In The Occiput, Proceedings of the International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques 13th Annual Meeting. Athens, Greece, July 12-15, 2006.
• Demetropoulos CD, Fisher TJ, Abjornson C, Sengupta DK, Herkowitz HN (2006) Instantaneous Axis of Rotation in the Normal Cervical Spine – A Biomechanical Evaluation of Cadaveric Spines, Proceedings of the International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques 13th Annual Meeting. Athens, Greece, July 12-15, 2006.
• Demetropoulos CD, Sliva CK, Fisher TJ, Farthing JR, Abjornson C, Sengupta DK, Herkowitz HN (2005) Biomechanical evaluation of the cervical spine instantaneous axes of rotation following single level disc replacement, Proceedings of the Cervical Spine Research Society Annual Meeting. San Diego, California, December 1-3, 2005.
• Sliva CK, Demetropoulos CD, Fisher TJ, Farthing JR, Abjornson C, Sengupta DK, Herkowitz HN (2005) Biomechanical evaluation of the cervical spine kinematics following single level disc replacement, Proceedings of the Cervical Spine Research Society Annual Meeting. San Diego, California, December 1-3, 2005.
• Demetropoulos CD, Sliva CK, Fisher TJ, Farthing JR, Abjornson C, Sengupta DK, Herkowitz HN (2005) Biomechanical evaluation of the cervical spine instantaneous axes of rotation following single level disc replacement, Proceedings of the International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques 12^th Annual Meeting. Banff, Alberta, Canada, July 7-9, 2005.
• Sliva CK, Demetropoulos CD, Fisher TJ, Farthing JR, Abjornson C, Sengupta DK, Herkowitz HN (2005) Biomechanical evaluation of the cervical spine kinematics following single level disc replacement, Proceedings of the International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques 12th Annual Meeting. Banff, Alberta, Canada, July 7-9, 2005.
• Demetropoulos CD, Sliva CK, Fisher TJ, Farthing JR, Abjornson C, Sengupta DK, Herkowitz HN (2005) Biomechanical evaluation of the cadaver cervical spine instant axis of rotation following single level disc replacement with a fixed axis of rotation, Proceedings of the Spine Arthroplasty Society Annual Meeting. New York, New York, May 4-7, 2005.
• Sliva CK, Demetropoulos CD, Fisher TJ, Farthing JR, Abjornson C, Sengupta DK, Herkowitz HN (2005) Biomechanical evaluation of the cadaver cervical spine kinematics following single level disc replacement with the Prodisc-C prosthesis, Proceedings of the Spine Arthroplasty Society Annual Meeting. New York, New York, May 4-7, 2005.
• Fisher T, Tarraf M, Babich M. (2000) Parathyroid Hormone-Modulated Osteoblast Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis Through Protein Kinase C-Regulated Signal Transduction. Proceedings of the 14^th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Great Lakes Chapter of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Downer Grove, Illinois, June 1, 2000.
• Fisher T, Tarraf M, Babich M. Abstract – Parathyroid Hormone-Modulated Osteoblast Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis Through Protein Kinase C-Regulated Signal Transduction. The Pharmacologist. Volume 42(3), 2000.
• Fisher TJ. The Design and Construction of a Pneumatic Power-Assisted Dynamic Orthosis. Princeton University Senior Thesis. May 2, 1995.

Awards

• University of Illinois at Chicago: Outstanding James Scholar Award for Independent Research May 2001
• University of Illinois at Chicago Research Day Award for Best Poster Presentation March 2001
• Princeton University Donald Janssen Dike Award, Honorable Mention For Excellence in Undergraduate Research May 1995
• Elected as an Associate Member by the Princeton University Chapter Of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society May 1995

Visit My Website

http://www.orthodoc.aaos.org/fisher/

Curriculum Vitae

See my Curriculum Vitae [PDF]