Spine Universe Author Biography

Ronald Donelson, MD, MS is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon who specialized in non-operative spine care for 20 years, first in private practice and then in academia at The Institute for Spine Care at the State University of New York in Syracuse.

He was granted the Diploma in Mechanical Diagnosis & Therapy in 1991 and completed a Master of Science program in 1998 at the Dartmouth Medical School for Evaluative Clinical Sciences in New Hampshire. He is currently President of SelfCare First, a consulting, publishing, and low back pain disease management company.

His numerous research publications have focused on the assessment, classification, and non-operative treatment of neck and low back pain. He has also written many chapters, review articles, scientific abstracts, and posters, and he has presented more than 100 research papers, conference workshops, courses, and symposia in more than 15 countries. He authored the book Rapidly Reversible Back Pain, published in 2007.

Dr. Donelson is an Advisory Editor with the journal Spine, an active member of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine, the North American Spine Society, has been active with the International Forum for Primary Care Research in Low Back Pain, and is currently Vice President of the American Back Society.

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SpineUniverse articles from Ronald Donelson, MD, MS

• Benefits of the McKenzie Method
  The McKenzie Method has one major benefit: patients can learn self-care techniques that can reverse their back pain and prevent further painful episodes. Learn the other benefits in this article by a McKenzie clinician.
• Rapidly Reversible Low Back Pain and the McKenzie Method
  Dr. Donelson believes some forms of back pain are rapidly reversible-- you can relieve your pain with the McKenzie Method. He explains how and who benefits most from McKenzie.
• The Importance of Performing Test Movements Repeatedly in the McKenzie Evaulation
  In a McKenzie examination, you'll do multiple end-range movements: e.g., arching your back as far as you can. This is to try to find your directional preference-- the movement direction that relieves pain. It's the first step in the McKenzie Method.
• The Origin of the McKenzie Method
  The McKenzie Method was created by Robin McKenzie. Get the full story of how he developed this back pain treatment option, which he discovered by accident.