Scott Blumenthal is an orthopedic spine surgeon and co-medical director of the Center for Disc Replacement at Texas Back Institute in Plano, Texas.
A pioneer of motion-preserving spine surgery, he is widely credited with performing the first artificial disc replacement in the United States and served as principal investigator for the U.S. clinical trial of the SB Charité disc, the first lumbar artificial disc approved by the FDA. Dr. Blumenthal was the first and only surgeon in the country to devote his practice solely to the research and application of artificial disc replacement, helping bring the technology to the United States from Europe and establishing Texas Back Institute as a national referral center for spinal arthroplasty.
A recognized leader in spinal arthroplasty, he has worked with many of the artificial discs currently on the market and in clinical trials, and he remains an ongoing contributor to the first non-profit foundation created for arthroplasty patients.
He earned his medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School, where he graduated with distinction and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society, and completed a general surgery internship and orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Dallas. Dr. Blumenthal also completed fellowship training in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and in spinal trauma surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Board-certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, he serves as a clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and as a deputy editor of the European Spine Journal.
He has published widely in peer-reviewed spine journals, lectures nationally and internationally on disc replacement, and has been repeatedly recognized as a D Magazine Best Doctor and a Texas Monthly Super Doctor. Dr. Blumenthal is regarded as one of the field’s leading authorities on spinal arthroplasty and a longtime advocate for advancing motion-preservation options for patients with degenerative disc disease.