Like so many orthopedic surgeons, one of Bradley A. Heiges, MD’s first introduction to the field came through first-hand knowledge. In his case, first-hand is somewhat literal is it was during treatment for a hand injury in a college rugby math that he was able to see the difference orthopedics can make.

Since then, he has pursued orthopedic medicine as a student at Temple University School of Medicine, and intern and eventual resident at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center before spending years developing notoriety as a gifted spinal surgeon. Although he would be the first to point out that the future is more about spinal care than spinal surgery.

“Spinal care, more than orthopedics in general, has evolved so much over last 20 years. I don’t see that curve changing,” he said. “We’ve gotten to a point where a lot of surgery can be accomplished safer and through less-invasive means for quicker recovery… Over the next 5-10 years we’re going to go through a different phase, where it’s more a biologic answer to problems instead of always being surgical.”

In the meantime, Heiges works on the cutting edge to offer the best care to his patients. “To me, it’s a lot more of quality care vs. quantity of patients. Which is nice, because it allows for that face-to-face interaction.”

When he’s not in the operating theater, you’ll find him and his wife golfing, hunting, fishing and volunteering with faith-based women’s healthcare organization THRIVE.