Dr. Zhou
Dr. Hanbing (Steve) Zhou is a fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon who takes a conservative approach to caring for patients who are in pain due to a spine-related disorder.
“Patients come to me and are often surprised that I don’t immediately recommend surgery,” Dr. Zhou said. “But surgery isn’t always necessary – often, their pain can be managed through conservative measures such as physical therapy, injections, or some other type of pain management therapy.”
According to Dr. Zhou, his main goal is to get his patients back to living pain-free lives as quickly as possible. Sometimes that means a nonsurgical approach and sometimes it doesn’t.
“At the end of the day, my patients are confident that their treatment plan is the best option for them because I have given them all the options and information they need to make the right decision,” Dr. Zhou explained.
If, after all other options have been explored, surgery is deemed necessary, Dr. Zhou will use the least invasive approach that will give the patient the most optimal outcome. He is an expert in advanced minimally invasive spine surgery, as well as cutting-edge techniques like robotic surgery, navigational surgery, and endoscopic spine surgery.
EXPERT, PATIENT-FOCUSED CARE
Under Dr. Zhou’s expert care, every patient benefits from his world-class expertise and technology. Just as importantly, however, is the human care that he gives each patient. In fact, one of the first things patients notice about Dr. Zhou is that he has deep-seated compassion for their pain.
“I see the pain in their eyes when they walk into my office,” said Dr. Zhou. “My job is to take their pain away.
Dr. Zhou believes the more engaged patients are, the less fearful they will be. As part of his treatment philosophy, he makes sure they understand all their options, are involved in the decision-making, and are invested in the process.
“I want my patients to see me as being approachable,” he said. “We’re spending time together, so I want to get to know them and I want them to get to know me. I want them to feel comfortable asking me questions.”
CLINICAL INTERESTS & EDUCATION
Dr. Zhou’s clinical interests and expertise include a number of different spine issues, including degenerative disc disease, adult spine deformity/scoliosis, spine oncology, and spine trauma. In addition, Dr. Zhou has a special interest in complex spine reconstruction including revision fusion surgery for non-union, and proximal junctional kyphosis/failure.
Dr. Zhou completed his fellowship in spine from the prestigious Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver, Canada. He finished his undergraduate education at the University of California, San Diego in La Jolla, CA with a degree in biomechanical engineering. He earned his medical degree from Boston University in Boston, MA and went on to complete a six-year academic Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, MA.
In addition to a five-year clinical residency, Dr. Zhou also completed an additional year of orthopedic surgery research in the area of spine disorders. His efforts led to numerous publications and national presentations during his training. Dr. Zhou was also selected for the AOA Resident Leadership Forum during his residency training.
TRUST IS KEY
Trust is another big part of Dr. Zhou’s treatment philosophy.
“My patients place an enormous amount of trust in me,” explained Dr. Zhou. “Nobody wants to have spine surgery and I appreciate and understand people’s apprehensions and fear.”
“I want my patients to truly understand that I have their best interests at heart and that any recommendation for treatment that I make is centered around their individual circumstances and getting them back to active.”
