Spine Surgery in Northern Kentucky
Spine Surgery in Northern Kentucky
Aptiva Health operates at 2093 Medical Arts Drive, Hebron, KY 41048, KY 40509 in Hebron— a dedicated multidisciplinary spine practice anchored by board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon Dr. Jaideep Chunduri and interventional pain management physician, Steven Ganzel, DO, and a team of advanced practice providers who collectively evaluate, treat, and manage spine patients from initial visit through post-operative recovery. We treat the full spectrum of cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back), and lumbar (lower back) conditions, prioritizing conservative care first — physical therapy, injections, and non-surgical pain management — and offering 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. With on-site MRI, on-site physical therapy, and an in-house interventional pain management practice, the entire spine care pathway happens under one roof.
Medically reviewed by Jaideep Chunduri, MD. Last reviewed: July 2026.
Why Patients Choose Aptiva Health for Spine Care in Northern Kentucky
One Spine Team, One Care Pathway
Most spine patients in Northern Kentucky end up coordinating care across three or four practices: a primary care office for the referral, a separate imaging center for the MRI, a spine specialist booked months out, an injection appointment somewhere else, 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 Northern Kentucky 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 pain management physician, the physical therapist, 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.
Same-Week Spine Evaluations
Aptiva Health Northern Kentucky offers same-day and same-week spine appointments. Patients do not wait three months for a first visit. New patients with imaging in hand can often be evaluated within 7 days of calling.
Expert Spine care, MRi under one roof
Aptiva Health Northern Kentucky is located at 2093 Medical Arts Drive, Hebron, KY 41048 with on-site MRI imaging and Aptiva orthopedic, pain management, and physical therapy services. No separate trip to an outside imaging center, no week-long wait for the scan.
Schedule your appointment today!
Meet the Northern Kentucky Spine Team
Jaideep Chunduri, MD | Orthopedic Spine Surgeon
Dr. Jaideep Chunduri is an orthopedic spine surgeon at Aptiva Health and one of the most experienced spine surgeons in the tri-state region. He is the former Director of Orthopaedic Spine Surgery at TriHealth in Cincinnati, a founding orthopedic spine surgeon at Beacon Orthopedics, and SCOI fellowship-trained. He sees patients in Northern Kentucky, Indianapolis (beginning May 21, 2026), and the Greater Cincinnati region.
Steven Ganzel, DO — Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Interventional Pain Management
Dr. Ganzel is double board-certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Interventional Pain Management. For the Aptiva Health Spine Team, he performs fluoroscopy-guided epidural steroid injections, facet joint injections, medial branch blocks, radiofrequency ablation, and other interventional pain procedures for patients — many of which provide lasting relief and prevent the need for surgical intervention.
Spine Conditions We Treat in Northern Kentucky
Our Northern Kentucky 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 Northern Kentucky
When conservative care has not provided sufficient relief, our Northern Kentucky 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 procedures (often non-surgical alternatives)
Performed by Dr. Steven Ganzel under live fluoroscopic guidance, these procedures let many spine patients avoid surgery entirely:
Radiofrequency ablation (rhizotomy) — for facet-joint pain; can provide six to twelve months of relief.
Permanent spinal cord stimulator placement — for chronic neuropathic pain that has not responded to other treatments.
The Aptiva Stepped Care Approach to Spine Conditions
Spine surgery is rarely a first-line treatment. Our Indianapolis spine team follows a stepped-care approach that gives every patient the best chance of resolving their symptoms without surgery.
Step 1 — Activity modification, medication, and self-care. NSAIDs, short courses of muscle relaxants, nerve-pain medications when appropriate, ice and heat therapy, and avoiding the postures or activities that aggravate symptoms.
Step 2 — Physical therapy and non-invasive treatments. Spine-specific protocols, manual therapy, dry needling, and aquatic therapy when indicated.
Step 3 — Interventional pain management injections under fluoroscopic guidance by Dr. Ganzel — epidural steroid injection, facet joint injection, medial branch block, radiofrequency ablation.
Step 4 — Minimally invasive procedures and surgery when conservative care has not provided sufficient relief or when the diagnosis clearly requires surgical decompression.
Many patients reach Step 2 or Step 3 and stop there — their symptoms resolve and they do not need surgery. For the patients who do need surgery, the stepped-care evaluation makes sure the surgery is targeting the right problem at the right level.
When Should You See an Aptiva Spine Surgeon in Northern Kentucky?
Most spine pain comes on gradually and resolves with conservative care. Certain patterns warrant prompt evaluation by a spine specialist:
Back or neck pain that has not improved after 4–6 weeks of rest, activity modification, over-the-counter anti-inflammatories, and basic stretching.
Pain radiating into the leg or arm that follows a specific nerve pattern.
Numbness, tingling, or weakness in an arm or leg.
Pain that worsens at night or wakes you up.
Difficulty walking long distances because of leg pain that improves with sitting (a classic sign of lumbar spinal stenosis).
Neck pain combined with hand clumsiness or balance problems — can be a sign of cervical myelopathy.
A prior spine surgery that did not provide the relief expected.
Spine pain following a fall, accident, or work injury.
Get to an emergency room immediately if you experience: sudden loss of bladder or bowel control, sudden severe weakness in both legs or both arms, saddle anesthesia (numbness in the area that would touch a saddle), or symptoms following a high-energy injury. These can indicate severe spinal cord or cauda equina compression, which is a surgical emergency.
For non-emergency spine evaluation, Aptiva Health Northern Kentucky offers same-day and same-week appointments — patients do not wait months for an evaluation.
Schedule a Consultation in Northern Kentucky — Schedule Now
Aptiva Health – Northern Kentucky: 2093 Medical Arts Drive, Hebron, KY 41048
Drive times:
5 minutes from CVG (Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport)
10 minutes from Florence, KY via I-71/75
12 minutes from Burlington and Union via KY-237
15 minutes from downtown Cincinnati via I-275 East
18 minutes from Covington and Newport
20 minutes from Anderson Township and Mt. Washington (OH)
25 minutes from Price Hill, Westwood, and Delhi Township
30 minutes from Florence Mall and the Boone County line south
Communities we routinely serve: Hebron, Florence, Burlington, Union, Walton, Erlanger, Edgewood, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Fort Wright, Independence, Covington, Newport, Fort Thomas, Cold Spring, Alexandria, Highland Heights, and across the river in Cincinnati, Anderson Township, Delhi Township, Cheviot, Price Hill, and Westwood.
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Walk-in injury care availability may vary; call ahead to confirm.
Insurance accepted: Most major medical insurance, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, most Kentucky Medicaid plans, workers' compensation, auto injury coverage (PIP and MedPay), and cash-pay.
Patients Aptiva Health with their Spine Care
“Dr. Casnellie, Simon and Tori gave my life back to me after suffering from chronic SI pain for a year following a car accident. 12 months post op, my husband and I celebrated by going dog sledding in Alaska. None of this would’ve been possible without the team at Aptiva. ❤️ THANK YOU APTIVA!”
“Dr. Casnellie and staff, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your help and continued help this year! I know I have a very hard road but with your help the road seems easier! Thank you so much!”
“After pushing through tremendous lower back pain for a few years, went to see Dr. McConda. After a thorough examination and an MRI he found the culprit- a herniated disc. We discussed various treatment options and landed on an epidural injection as our first defense. I was little nervous about the procedure, but the Doc walked me through it and it was a breeze. I felt instant relief and now three years later I’m still pretty much pain free. Life altering is how I would describe the experience as prior to my time with Dr. McConda I was in daily pain and limited in regards to movement and strength. My days were a constant struggle to lift/carrry/bend/twist, etc. Today I’m very active, I can work-out, practice yoga, golf, hold my kiddos, and even wrestle alligators if need be. I’m a new dude. If you are in the Louisville area and are experiencing any kind of back pain go see Dr. McConda STAT!”
“Dr. McConda is the best Orthopedic Spine Surgeon in Kentucky. While his medical knowledge of the spine and back are superior to others, I have never been around a doctor with such great bedside manner. He took time to explain what was happening to me, why it was happening, and the various options to correct it. I never felt rushed or pushed in a certain direction. I would highly recommend Dr. McConda (and his staff) for any back or spine issue.”
“So impressed with Dr. Ganzel. I was incredibly nervous to do the procedure without sedation, but he explained everything, and it was near next to painless! 100% recommend for any epidural/steroid injections.”
“Excellent MD very caring knowledgeable and helpful. I went into Dr Ganzel expecting the worst case scenario, as I have never had a good experience with a PMR doctor. This whole situation turned out far better than what I could have hoped for . I’m now not in pain and very grateful for this physician and the injections I was able to receive.”
Frequently Asked Questions About Spine Surgery in Northern Kentucky
Who are the spine care providers at Aptiva Health Northern Kentucky?
Aptiva Health Northern Kentucky spine care is led by Jaideep Chunduri, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon who evaluates and treats a wide range of neck and back conditions.
Dr. Chunduri works alongside Steven Ganzel, DO, who provides Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and interventional spine care. Together with Aptiva Health’s imaging, physical therapy, and support teams, they help coordinate both surgical and non-surgical treatment from the initial evaluation through recovery.
Where is Aptiva Health Spine Surgery Northern Kentucky located?
Aptiva Health Northern Kentucky is located at:
2093 Medical Arts Drive
Hebron, KY 41048
The location serves patients throughout Hebron, Florence, Burlington, Union, Erlanger, Covington, and the surrounding Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati communities.
To schedule an appointment or speak with the team, call 859-592-1008.
Do I need spine surgery?
Many neck and back conditions can be treated without surgery. When appropriate, the Aptiva Health Northern Kentucky spine team may begin with conservative options such as physical therapy, activity modification, medication, or image-guided interventional treatments.
Surgery may be considered when non-surgical care has not provided enough improvement or when your symptoms, examination, and imaging indicate that a surgical approach may be appropriate. Dr. Chunduri will review your condition and available options with you so you can make an informed decision about your care.
What is minimally invasive spine surgery?
Minimally invasive spine surgery uses specialized techniques and smaller incisions to access the affected area of the spine while limiting disruption to surrounding muscles and tissues.
Depending on the procedure and individual patient, this approach may offer advantages such as smaller incisions and less disruption to nearby tissue. Dr. Chunduri determines whether a minimally invasive approach is appropriate based on your diagnosis, imaging, anatomy, overall health, and treatment goals.
What is the difference between ACDF and cervical disc replacement?
Both procedures may be used to treat damaged discs in the neck that are placing pressure on nearby nerves or the spinal cord.
Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) removes the damaged disc and stabilizes the affected area by fusing the adjacent vertebrae.
Cervical disc replacement removes the damaged disc and replaces it with an artificial disc designed to preserve motion at that level.
The best option depends on several individual factors. During your consultation, Dr. Chunduri will review your symptoms, imaging, spinal alignment, and overall condition and explain which treatment options may be appropriate.
How long is recovery after spine surgery?
Recovery varies based on the type of procedure, your overall health, and your individual treatment plan. Some patients begin walking shortly after surgery and gradually return to lighter activities, while more complex procedures may require a longer recovery period.
Your plan may include follow-up appointments, activity guidelines, and physical therapy. The Aptiva Health Northern Kentucky spine team will monitor your progress and provide individualized guidance throughout recovery.
Can I avoid spine surgery?
In many cases, yes. Non-surgical care may help improve neck or back symptoms and can include physical therapy, medications, injections, activity modification, and other conservative approaches.
Aptiva Health Northern Kentucky considers appropriate non-surgical options before surgery whenever it is safe and reasonable to do so. Steven Ganzel, DO provides interventional spine care for patients who may benefit from procedures such as epidural steroid injections, facet treatments, medial branch blocks, or radiofrequency ablation.
Some conditions may require a more timely surgical evaluation, so persistent, worsening, or concerning symptoms should be evaluated by a qualified medical provider.
When should I see a spine specialist?
Consider scheduling a spine evaluation when neck or back symptoms persist, interfere with daily activities, or have not improved with initial treatment.
Reasons to seek an evaluation may include:
Neck or back pain lasting several weeks
Pain that travels into an arm or leg
Numbness or tingling
Muscle weakness
Difficulty walking or completing normal activities
Symptoms that have not improved with conservative care
Neck or back pain following an injury
A spine evaluation can help identify possible causes of your symptoms and determine appropriate next steps. Seek immediate medical attention for urgent or rapidly worsening symptoms.
Does Aptiva Health Northern Kentucky provide spine surgery second opinions?
Yes. Patients may schedule a second-opinion consultation with Dr. Jaideep Chunduri after receiving a surgical recommendation elsewhere.
When available, bring your MRI or CT images, X-rays, reports, previous treatment records, and relevant physician notes. Dr. Chunduri can review the information, perform an independent evaluation, and discuss both surgical and non-surgical treatment options.
How quickly can I be seen for a spine evaluation in Northern Kentucky?
Appointment availability varies, but Aptiva Health Northern Kentucky works to provide timely evaluations for patients experiencing neck and back concerns.
If you already have imaging or previous medical records, let the scheduling team know when you call. To ask about current availability, call 859-592-1008.
What insurance does Aptiva Health Northern Kentucky accept for spine care?
Insurance participation and coverage vary by plan and service. Contact Aptiva Health at 859-592-1008 to verify your benefits and ask about referral requirements, prior authorization, workers’ compensation, auto-related claims, or self-pay options.
Does Aptiva Health Northern Kentucky treat work-related and auto accident spine injuries?
Yes. Aptiva Health Northern Kentucky evaluates neck and back conditions related to workplace injuries, motor vehicle accidents, and other traumatic events.
The team can help coordinate evaluations, treatment recommendations, documentation, and follow-up care for patients using workers’ compensation or auto-injury coverage.
How do I schedule an appointment with a spine surgeon in Northern Kentucky?
Call 859-592-1008 to schedule an evaluation with Jaideep Chunduri, MD and the Aptiva Health Northern Kentucky spine team.
Aptiva Health Northern Kentucky
2093 Medical Arts Drive
Hebron, KY 41048