Douglas Won, M.D.

Fellowship Spine Surgeon

Dr. Douglas Won, MD, FAAOS, co-founder of the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute, is a board-certified and fellowship-trained spine surgeon who specializes in endoscopic laser and minimally invasive spine surgery. Chosen as one of "America's Top Orthopedist/Spine Surgeons" in 2009 by Research Consumers' Council of America, Dr. Won uses cutting-edge surgical techniques to avoid traditional open back and neck fusion surgeries whenever possible. Dr. Won is uniquely trained in that he had both orthopedic-spine and neurosurgery-spine fellowship training at Washington University in St. Louis, as well as the William Beaumont Spine Center in Michigan. His dual-fellowship training is considered the highest level in spine surgery training.

A member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), Dr. Won was the first surgeon in Texas to perform endoscopic laser spine surgery with a 3mm incision. With this endoscopic laser surgery, the procedure is performed without general anesthesia, and the patient walks out of the surgery center only one to two hours after surgery. The incision does not need any stitches and simply requires a BAND-AID®. With minimal blood loss and faster recovery, the patient can return to work in a few days.

Dr. Won recognizes surgery is not always the best option and uses the latest non-surgical methods to treat neck and back pain prior to exploring surgical options. In fact, more than 95 percent of his patients improve through non-surgical care.

Dr. Won is active in research and development of innovative spine care. He has been published in scientific journals and textbooks, and has lectured on all aspects of spinal disorders. Dr. Won appears regularly as a medical expert for ABC/WFAA-TV, CBS Radio, The Marty Griffin Show on 1080 KRLD, Sunday Morning Magazine with Mark Willis on FM. 103.7 KVIL and FM 106.7 KDL.

Michael Rimlawi, M.D.

Fellowship Spine Surgeon

Dr. Michael Rimlawi is a board-certified and fellowship-trained spine surgeon. His acceptance into the spine fellowship at the University of California uniquely trained Dr. Rimlawi in both ortho-spine and neuro-spine surgery, an opportunity offered to a select few surgeons in the nation and considered the highest level in medical specialty training.

This invaluable experience allowed Dr. Rimlawi to focus on all aspects of spine surgery, including major spine trauma, tumor and complex spine deformities like scoliosis, as well as artificial disc, kyphoplasty, X-stop and the newest innovations in micro-endoscopic spine surgery. After completing a distinguished fellowship, Dr. Rimlawi returned to Dallas, Texas, and became one of DFW's top trauma spine surgeons.

Throughout his career Dr. Rimlawi has been at the forefront in leading innovations related to minimally invasive surgery. While many spine surgeons continue to perform traditional open back surgeries, or perform minimally invasive surgeries with expandable retractors, Dr. Rimlawi is pioneering the field of true minimally invasive spine surgery. He was the first surgeon in Texas to perform the newest micro-endoscopic (camera assisted) spine surgery. This new technique involves an incision less than a quarter the size of even standard minimally invasive spine surgeries. No general anesthetic, no stitches needed; patients go home one hour after the procedure with a simple Band-Aid. Dr. Rimlawi was also the first surgeon in the country to perform the Globus Minimally Invasive XLIF procedure. He regularly performs minimally invasive fusion procedures and even treats complex scoliosis surgeries with minimally invasive techniques.

Dr. Rimlawi is active in numerous spine organizations including The North American Spine Society. He is also a member of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeons and lectures at medical conferences training other spine surgeons around the country on the newest minimally invasive techniques. He appears as a consulting spine expert for NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX and 105.3 The Fan FM. He also serves as scientific advisor to numerous international spine technology companies.

Dr. Rimlawi co-founded the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute, MISI-Dallas, which strives to treat all pathologies of the spine (cervical, thoracic and lumbar) with the most advanced techniques. MISI-Dallas patients have smaller incisions, less pain and quicker recovery than with traditional neck and back surgeries. Dr. Rimlawi remains profoundly dedicated to treatments that offer less trauma and optimal benefit. He is most honored to have been selected for the 2008 and 2009 patients' choice award.