Dr. David Paulson is a Neurosurgeon with Fellowship Training in Complex Spinal Deformity and Minimally Invasive Spine surgery.  He is Board Certified in Neurological Surgery with ABNS. He is prepared to address both complicated and straightforward spine disease in Alaska.  He welcomes those seeking a second opinion for management of spine disease.

 

Dr. Paulson has a passion for acute and chronic adult degenerative spine disease and has expertise in revision spine surgery in order to treat difficult to manage spine disease such as failed back surgery syndrome, acquired surgical deformities such as flat-back syndrome, and adjacent segment disease.

Dr. Paulson understands that in most cases it is important to postpone surgery and he emphasizes the employment of non-surgical management for symptoms arising from spine disease.  In keeping with Dr. Paulson’s values, decisions for surgery are reserved until reasonable conservative management attempts have failed and the effects of spinal disease have risen to the point where a patient becomes completely intolerant of their symptoms.

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 As with Dr. Paulson’s conservative management approach, once a decision has been made to treat spine disease with a surgical procedure, he, again, works with his patients to tailor a treatment plan for their unique condition.  His training emphasized a holistic approach to spine disease and identifying cause and effect relationships of the patient’s spine disease with the patient’s spinal balance. 

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When surgery is being considered, Dr. Paulson’s general approach is to first consider non-fusion types of surgery that relieve pressure on nerves and preserve anatomy.  He feels that the importance of preserving structure and motion cannot be overstated.  Sometimes there are considerations such as anatomic deformities that lead to spinal instability and fusion is then recommended.  If fusion is indicated he carefully considers the options with the various types of spine fusion surgeries to treat the symptoms of spine disease, preserve or improve spinal balance and minimize the risks of surgery to the patient. 

Dr. Paulson earned his Medical Degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas in 2005.  He has completed his general surgery internship at the University of Colorado and an NIH funded post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. 

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Dr. Paulson’s neurosurgical training took him to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.  One of his years of training was completed as an in-folded fellowship at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.  There Dr. Paulson developed experience and skills that are useful to serve Alaskans suffering from cancer involving the spine.  Dr. Paulson also completed a fellowship in Complex and Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute in Seattle, Washington.  His Chief Residency was at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock.  Dr. Paulson is board-eligible through the American Board of Neurologic Surgeons and is a contributor to the field of neurosurgery.  

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Dr. Paulson is originally from San Antonio, Texas and is married to his high school sweetheart.  Together they have raised three sons.  As time allows, Dr. Paulson enjoys as much hunting, fishing and barbecuing as possible.