Who are the spine surgeons at Aptiva Health Louisville?

Aptiva Health Louisville's spine team is led by board-certified orthopedic spine surgeons Dr. Michael Casnellie and Dr. David McConda, with double board-certified pain management physician Dr. Steven Ganzel performing interventional injections, and advanced practice providers David Koonce, DNP, and Michael Gilbert, PA-C, coordinating patient evaluations and follow-up care. The spine team is based at the Spine Center of Excellence at 3615 Newburg Road.

Where is the Aptiva Spine Center of Excellence?

The Aptiva Health Spine Center of Excellence is at 3615 Newburg Road in Louisville, Kentucky. On-site MRI imaging is at the adjacent Concussion & Sports Medicine Institute at 3611 Newburg Road, and additional spine care is available at Aptiva's other Louisville locations including East, Downtown, and Middletown.

Do I need spine surgery?

Most spine pain does not require surgery. At Aptiva Health Louisville, we start every patient with conservative care — physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, and targeted injections when appropriate — and only recommend surgery when symptoms and imaging both clearly indicate it. Many patients resolve their symptoms without ever needing surgery. For patients who do need surgery, our spine surgeons use minimally invasive techniques whenever the anatomy allows.

What is minimally invasive spine surgery?

Minimally invasive spine surgery uses smaller incisions, specialized retractors that split rather than cut through muscle, and advanced imaging guidance to access the spine. The result is less blood loss, less post-operative pain, shorter hospital stays, smaller scars, and faster return to normal activity compared with traditional open spine surgery. Aptiva Health Louisville surgeons perform minimally invasive cervical decompression, lumbar decompression, MAS TLIF lumbar fusion, and SI joint fusion.

What is the difference between ACDF and cervical disc replacement?

ACDF (Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion) removes a damaged cervical disc and fuses the two adjacent vertebrae together — the most established surgery for cervical disc problems with decades of long-term outcome data. Cervical disc replacement removes the same damaged disc but replaces it with an artificial disc that preserves motion at that level. Disc replacement is appropriate for select patients with single-level disease and good adjacent disc health. Your surgeon will discuss which option fits your specific situation.

How long is recovery after spine surgery?

Recovery depends on the specific procedure. Most patients are walking the day of minimally invasive lumbar decompression and return to non-strenuous work in 2 to 4 weeks. ACDF and lumbar fusion recovery is somewhat longer — typically 4 to 6 weeks before return to non-strenuous work and 3 to 6 months before full activity. Aptiva Health Louisville coordinates post-operative physical therapy in-house, which speeds recovery and reduces the chance of recurrent symptoms.

Can I avoid spine surgery?

Many patients can. Most spine pain resolves with physical therapy, activity modification, anti-inflammatory medication, and targeted injections from Aptiva's interventional pain management team. Aptiva Health Louisville's spine team is structured around finding the least-invasive treatment that will solve the problem. We only recommend surgery when conservative care has not worked and imaging confirms the surgical indication. Some conditions — severe spinal cord compression, progressive neurological deficits, cauda equina syndrome — do require surgery to prevent permanent damage.

When should I see a spine surgeon vs. my primary care doctor in Louisville?

Start with your primary care doctor for new-onset back or neck pain. See a spine surgeon if your pain has not improved after 4 to 6 weeks of conservative care, if pain radiates into a leg or arm, if you have numbness or weakness, or if you have difficulty walking long distances because of leg pain. Spine specialists do not require a referral for most patients — you can schedule directly with Aptiva Health Louisville.

Does Aptiva Health Louisville perform second-opinion spine consultations?

Yes. Many of our spine patients come to us for a second opinion after being told they need surgery somewhere else. Bringing your prior imaging (MRI, X-ray, CT) and any prior physician notes makes the consultation most useful. Our team will review the imaging, perform an independent exam, and give you a clear recommendation — sometimes confirming the surgical plan, sometimes suggesting non-surgical alternatives or a different procedure.

How quickly can I be seen for a spine evaluation at Aptiva Health Louisville?

The Aptiva Health Spine Center of Excellence offers same-day and same-week spine appointments at 3615 Newburg Road. New patients with imaging in hand can often be seen within 7 days of calling. For urgent symptoms — progressive weakness, severe radiating pain, or post-injury spine pain — same-day appointments are typically available.

What insurance does Aptiva Health Louisville accept for spine surgery?

Aptiva Health Louisville accepts most major medical insurance plans, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Kentucky Medicaid plans, workers' compensation, auto accident coverage (PIP and MedPay), and cash-pay arrangements. Our team verifies benefits before your visit.

Does Aptiva Health Louisville treat work-related and auto-accident spine injuries?

Yes. Many spine patients at Aptiva Health Louisville are being treated under workers' compensation or auto injury coverage. We work directly with employers, third-party administrators, attorneys, and adjusters, and our surgeons handle Kentucky workers' compensation documentation including Form 107, Form 113, and AMA Guides 5th Edition impairment ratings when applicable.

Spine Surgery in Louisville

Aptiva Health brings comprehensive orthopedic spine care to Indianapolis at 6801 Gray Road. Our spine team — led by board-certified orthopedic spine surgeons Dr. Jaideep Chunduri and Dr. David McConda, with Bradley Stephenson, PA-C providing same-week access and follow-up care — treats the full spectrum of cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back), and lumbar (lower back) conditions. We prioritize conservative care first — physical therapy, injections, and non-surgical pain management — and offer minimally invasive surgical options including ACDF, cervical disc replacement, lumbar decompression, MAS TLIF lumbar fusion, SI joint fusion, and laminectomy when surgery becomes the right answer. Patients across Marion and Johnson counties now have access to a coordinated spine care pathway with on-site imaging and physical therapy under one roof.

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Why Patients Choose Aptiva Health for Spine Care in Indianapolis

One Spine Team, One Care Pathway

Most spine patients in Indianapolis end up bouncing between three or four practices: a primary care office for the referral, a separate imaging center for the MRI, a spine specialist months out, and a separate physical therapy practice for rehab. Each handoff is another week of delay, another insurance authorization, another appointment to drive to.

Aptiva Health Indianapolis is structured differently. From the initial evaluation through MRI, conservative care, injections, surgery, and post-operative rehab, the patient stays inside one organization. The surgeon, the physical therapist, the pain management physician, and the imaging center all share the same chart and the same plan.

Conservative Care First, Surgery When It's Right

Most spine problems do not require surgery. Our spine team starts every patient with the least-invasive treatment that's likely to work — physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, targeted epidural and facet injections, and activity modification. We measure progress, image when needed, and only recommend surgery when the patient's symptoms and imaging both indicate it's the right step.

When surgery is the right answer, we use minimally invasive techniques whenever the anatomy allows — smaller incisions, less muscle disruption, less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, and faster return to normal activity.

immediate Spine Evaluations

Aptiva Health Indianapolis offers immediate spine appointments. Patients do not wait three months for a first visit.

Meet the Indianapolis Spine Team

Jaideep Chunduri, MD Board-Certified Orthopedic Spine Surgeon

Dr. Chunduri is a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon with more than 20 years of practice in the Cincinnati and Tri-State region. He has helped thousands of patients with neck pain, back pain, herniated discs, spinal stenosis, and complex spine conditions, and is recognized for his expertise in minimally invasive cervical and lumbar surgery, motion-preserving cervical disc replacement, and SI joint fusion. He brings the same standard of care he developed in Cincinnati to Aptiva Health's Indianapolis patients.

See Dr. Chunduri's bio →

David McConda, MD Board-Certified Orthopedic Spine Surgeon

Dr. McConda is a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon who specializes in minimally invasive neck surgery, minimally invasive lumbar fusion, and SI joint fusion. His practice is built around helping patients understand whether they actually need surgery — many do not — and, when they do, getting them through the most minimally invasive procedure that will solve the problem and let them get back to normal life.

See Dr. McConda's bio →

Bradley Stephenson, PA-C Physician Assistant

Bradley Stephenson is a physician assistant at Aptiva Health Indianapolis. He provides same-week new-patient evaluations, post-operative spine follow-up care, and coordinates the conservative-care pathway for spine patients alongside Dr. Chunduri and Dr. McConda. For many patients, Bradley is the first clinical face of Aptiva's Indianapolis spine team — and the person making sure imaging, physical therapy, and specialist referrals happen on schedule.

Spine Conditions Treated at Aptiva Health Indianapolis

Spine Conditions We Treat in Indianapolis

Our Indianapolis spine team evaluates and treats the full range of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine conditions:

Herniated disc (cervical, thoracic, lumbar) — soft inner disc material pushing through the outer wall and pressing on a nerve root.
Spinal stenosis — narrowing of the spinal canal that causes leg pain with walking (neurogenic claudication) or arm/hand symptoms in cervical stenosis.
Sciatica — radiating leg pain from a pinched lumbar nerve root.
SI joint dysfunction — pain originating from the sacroiliac joint that mimics low back pain.
Degenerative disc disease — age-related disc wear that produces chronic back or neck pain.
Spondylolisthesis — one vertebra slipping forward over the one below it, often at L4–L5.
Spondylosis — age-related arthritis of the spine.
Radiculopathy — nerve root irritation producing pain, numbness, weakness, or tingling in the arm or leg.
Myelopathy — spinal cord dysfunction, most commonly in the cervical spine, causing hand clumsiness, balance problems, and progressive weakness.
Neck pain — acute and chronic.
Back pain — acute and chronic.
Failed back surgery syndrome — patients with persistent symptoms after prior spine surgery elsewhere who need re-evaluation.
Work-related and auto-accident spine injuries — see our Indianapolis work injury and Indianapolis auto injury pages.

Spine Surgeries Performed in Indianapolis

When conservative care has not provided sufficient relief, our Indianapolis spine team performs the full range of minimally invasive and open spine surgeries. Most are performed on an outpatient or short-stay basis at the appropriate surgical center.

Cervical (neck) spine surgery

Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) — removes a herniated or degenerated cervical disc and fuses the adjacent vertebrae. The most established surgery for cervical disc problems with neurological symptoms.
Cervical disc replacement (cervical disc arthroplasty) — a motion-preserving alternative to ACDF for select patients. Replaces the diseased disc with an artificial disc that preserves cervical motion at that level.
Cervical decompression / discectomy — removes the disc material causing nerve compression without fusion when anatomy allows.
Cervical laminectomy and laminoplasty — for cervical spinal stenosis or myelopathy. Laminoplasty preserves more of the spine's structure than traditional laminectomy.

Lumbar (lower back) spine surgery

Lumbar decompression / discectomy — removes the herniated disc material pressing on a lumbar nerve root. The most common lumbar spine surgery.
Lumbar laminectomy — removes part of the lamina to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. The most common surgery for symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis.
Minimally Invasive Lumbar Fusion (MAS TLIF) — used when stenosis is combined with spinal instability or significant spondylolisthesis. The Minimal Access Surgery (MAS) TLIF approach splits the back muscles rather than cutting through them, which reduces blood loss, post-operative pain, scarring, and recovery time compared with traditional fusion.

Sacroiliac (SI) joint surgery

Minimally invasive SI joint fusion — for patients with confirmed SI joint dysfunction who have not responded to physical therapy, injections, and conservative care. Performed through a small incision with implants that stabilize the joint.

Pain management surgery

Permanent spinal cord stimulator placement — for patients with chronic neuropathic pain who have not responded to other treatments.