JOHN R. EDWARDS, MD
Neurosurgeon
Did you know that neurosurgeons operate on both the brain and the spine? If your back hurts and you can’t get relief, often your primary care doctor will refer you to a neurosurgeon like Dr. John Edwards.
Dr. John R. Edwards is Utah’s leading spine surgeon. Top practitioners throughout the state send their own family members to see Dr. Edwards when they need care. If you need care for scoliosis, spinal deformities, brain or spinal tumors, or spinal motion preservation, including lumbar and cervical artificial disc replacement, or other similar challenges, there is nowhere better to go than Dr. John Edwards.
His mission is to help you get your life back. To help you get back to doing what you love–whether it’s hiking, hang-gliding, or holding your grandchildren.
His kind and personal approach to patient care is second to none... demonstrated by his kind bedside manner, his personal calls after your procedure to follow-up, and his desire to get you healthy, even if that means you don’t need surgery.
Dr. Edwards treats scoliosis, spinal deformities, brain or spinal tumors, or spinal motion preservation, including lumbar and cervical artificial disc replacement or other similar challenges.
So, if your back hurts, come see Dr. Edwards at Summit Brain, Spine, and Orthopedics. We’ll make these promises to you:
His team of advanced practitioners will get you in quickly.
Together they’ll find the root cause of your problem and either treat you themselves or refer you to the best provider to help you.
He won’t recommend surgery if you don’t need it.
If you do need surgery, he’ll perform the most minimally-invasive surgery possible, which means you’ll recover faster.
If desired, he’ll use his ERAS protocol which doesn’t require post-operative opioids or other addictive substances.
An Entire Integrated Community Around You
“I’m so lucky to have Dr. Edwards. I owe my life to him.”
Dr. Edwards’s goal is not to treat your symptoms. His goal is to get you healthy. That’s why he collaborates closely with other practitioners – physical therapists, pain doctors, ortho and sports medicine, chiropractors, dieticians, and many more. With his community of integrated practitioners, you will receive well-rounded care that’s hard to find anywhere else.
Additionally, Dr. Edwards leads the patient outreach and wellness programs himself, so you feel taken care of by your surgeon.
Minimally Invasive Surgery for Faster Healing
Having surgery on your spine or brain can be very scary, both for you and your loved ones. But with Dr. Edwards, you are in very good hands. Dr. Edwards’s approach to healing does not always require surgery. In fact, if other non-surgical treatments will work better for long-term health, he will recommend them as a preferred course of action.
Yet, if you do need surgery, you can enter the operating room with confidence that you’re being cared for by Utah's top neurosurgeon. You'll receive the most state-of-the-art, cutting-edge procedures and experience minimally invasive techniques that ensure a faster healing process.
Additionally, Dr. Edwards has developed many new ways for patients to manage post-operative pain and healing. In many cases, you won’t even have to use opioids or other potentially addictive medicines in the healing process. This adds to faster recovery speeds which his patients experience regularly.
Surgeon, Skier, Family Man
Dr. Edwards loves to ski, play basketball, golf, and hike with his family. He and his wife, Marie, have four loving, energetic boys. He also loves to read, especially science fiction novels.
He was born and raised in Utah Valley and received a BS degree in microbiology at Brigham Young University. He graduated from the University of Iowa Medical School at the top of his class and completed his 7-year neurosurgery residency at Indiana University, with one of the most well-respected practices in the country. He has been practicing in Utah Valley since 2015.
Revolutionizing Interdisciplinary Medicine
In addition to serving his patients at the highest level, Dr. Edwards is building an interdisciplinary community of doctors and practitioners. He hosts an annual Spine Management and Orthopedics Summit at Sundance. He brings many minds together for better patient outcomes.
He also holds miniature conferences of a similar nature each Tuesday morning. Doctors and practitioners from many disciples unite to discuss integrated patient care. Together, they engage in collaborative learning through a series of patient case studies. As a result, the quality of brain, spine, and orthopedic care is rapidly increasing throughout Utah Valley.
This one-of-a-kind conference and the ongoing weekly Rounds meetings bring together many disciplines. These include neurosurgery, physical therapy, sports medicine, chiropractic, pain management, dietary, psychology, and other specialties. These continuing education endeavors are supported by the Summit Medical Institute smartphone app. Inside the app are hundreds of trainings, talks, and procedures. Now practitioners and patients alike have a hub for ongoing learning. If you’d like to download this free app, search for “Summit Medical Institute” in your smartphone app store.
To make an appointment with Summit Brain, Spine, and Orthopedics, call 385.345.3560.
To read the stories of Dr. Edwards’s patients, click below.