Christopher Rolf Johnson, MD

Christopher Rolf Johnson MD is a fellowship-trained spine surgeon specializing in adult scoliosis, deformity, complex failed back surgery, artificial disc replacement and minimally invasive spine surgery. He completed his spine surgery training at the prestigious Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, one of the largest spine surgery programs in the State of California. At Cedars Sinai Spine Center he was involved with clinical outcomes tracking. While at Cedars Sinai he received the Leo G. Rigler Award for academic achievement. The award is named after a pioneering radiologist who retired in 1963 as the executive director of Cedars Sinai.

After Cedars Sinai, Dr. Johnson completed a fellowship in spine surgery at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. As a graduate of University of Colorado School of Medicine for his medical degree, and the University of Colorado in Boulder for his Bachelor of Science degree, he always planned to return to his home state of Colorado after completing his specialized training in spine surgery and scoliosis surgery.

Dr. Johnson treats all back and neck problems, including stenosis; degenerative disc disease and herniated discs; and scoliosis and spinal deformity. Dr. Johnson is proficient in minimally invasive spine surgery that uses a half-inch incision rather than the standard 3-inch long incision. Consequently, many of Dr. Johnson’s patients are able to go home the same day of surgery to recover in the comfort of their own home.

For motion preservation Dr. Johnson is proficient in artificial disc replacement surgery. For artificial disc replacement, Dr. Johnson is trained in several of the FDA approved artificial discs for the neck, including Prodisc Vivo and Prodisc SK.

For scoliosis and deformity, Dr. Johnson treats adult scoliosis including surgical correction of flatback syndrome. For low back surgeries, Dr. Johnson is able to use a lateral approach for a smaller incision and less disruption to muscles and ligaments, providing a less painful rehab post surgery.

Dr. Christopher Johnson is part of Colorado Spine Partners, located in South Denver in Englewood, Colorado. Many of his surgical patients have their surgery in the Advent/Health Porter Hospital in South Denver.

At Colorado Spine Partners, Dr. Christopher Johnson also provides second opinions for spine surgery and diagnostic evaluations for those people with back pain and neck pain symptoms. Dr. Johnson tries to emphasize non-surgical options for back pain and neck pain in advance of spine surgery. This can include pain-relieving spinal injections that relieve inflammation around the nerve root, which can relieve symptoms like radiating pain and numbness into an arm or leg. Some patients may be referred to a spine-specialized therapist. Spine therapy can include back and neck stretches that can relieve some simple cases of back pain or neck pain.

If spine surgery is necessary because of a herniated disc, spinal fracture, or spinal stenosis, Dr. Christopher Johnson operates through tubular retractors that reduce the size of the incision, lessen blood loss, reduce time in the hospital, speed return to activity with a less painful recovery. This spine surgery expertise enables many patients to have spine surgery in an ambulatory surgery center and be home later the same day.

Dr. Johnson is referred patients from across Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins and other suburban Denver cities. Complex patients travel from across the State of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming. The staff at Colorado Spine Partners can provide recommendations to out-of-town patients on nearby hotels and things to do in Denver.

Dr. Chris Johnson is part of Colorado Spine Partners, a group practice composed of four fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeons — Dr. Gary Ghiselli, Dr. Sanjay Jatana, Dr. Chris Johnson, and Dr. David Wong.

Dr. Ghiselli, Dr. Jatana and Dr. Wong have practiced together in the Denver area for more than 25 years.

The four spine surgeons have over 60 combined years of experience in performing spine surgery. Unlike some other surgeons who do brain surgery along with spine surgery, the four fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons specialize 100% in spine surgery.

The four spine surgeons are referred back pain and neck pain patients from across the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains; Colorado Springs; Summit County, Colorado; as well as from adjacent states of New Mexico, Nebraska, Wyoming and Kansas.

All four spine surgeons emphasize non-surgical treatment options in advance of spine surgery through a network of outside pain management specialists and spine therapists. Back and neck pain patients can often recover nonsurgically by working with physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR) physicians and spine-specialized therapists, who use customized movements and exercises to help make the back stronger, more flexible and resistant to injury. When surgery is necessary, the spine surgeons perform minimally invasive spine surgery so the patient can be home later the same day to recover in the comfort of their own home.

Click here to visit the Colorado Spine Partners web site.