Dr. Choll Kim, Spine Surgeon

04/23/2026

Muscle pain is the most common cause of back pain, and gravity is a big reason why. Living on planet Earth with one G of gravity puts constant stress on your low back, and over time, those muscles fatigue just like any muscle that’s been working too long. That’s why I’m always talking about the importance of exercise and fitness. When you do physical therapy or back exercises, keep this goal in mind: you want the muscles of your back not only strong, but coordinated so they act like the world’s greatest back brace. Share this if someone you know is dealing with back pain.



Medical Disclaimer and Industry Disclosure:
The information in this video is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Surgical procedures shown may not be appropriate for all individuals. Viewing this content does not establish a physician patient relationship. Treatment decisions should be made by qualified healthcare professionals based on individual patient circumstances.

04/23/2026

We just wrapped our third Gen 2 “Make First Case Go Well - Bust The Learning Curve Lab” at our beautiful LA facility. One of the most important things we worked on is something I call the San Diego Delicate Asian Finger Twirl. When you’re working in the endoscope, you can’t bend things, sometimes you just have to turn them. There’s a little curve at the tip, so to reach the surgical target site in all the different quadrants, you not only squeeze it so that it curves out to the periphery, but you also have to pinch and rotate all at the same time. Follow for more on endoscopic spine surgery training and techniques.



Medical Disclaimer and Industry Disclosure:
The information in this video is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Surgical procedures shown may not be appropriate for all individuals. Viewing this content does not establish a physician patient relationship. Treatment decisions should be made by qualified healthcare professionals based on individual patient circumstances.

04/22/2026

04/21/2026

Minimally invasive and endoscopic spine surgery are not the same thing. Mini open is minimally invasive, and endoscopic is ultra minimally invasive. With endoscopic, you look through an endoscope on a TV monitor. With mini open, you look down a little corridor and look at it directly with your eyeballs. It depends on the problem you need to fix. Sometimes it can be done endoscopically and sometimes not. The endoscopic surgical corridor is about 7 millimeters, the size of a pen. For a simple one level procedure like a microdiscectomy, mini open is probably about an inch. Save this if you or someone you know is exploring spine surgery options.



Medical Disclaimer and Industry Disclosure:
The information in this video is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Surgical procedures shown may not be appropriate for all individuals. Viewing this content does not establish a physician patient relationship. Treatment decisions should be made by qualified healthcare professionals based on individual patient circumstances.

04/20/2026

The best and most important thing you can do to make sure spine surgery goes well is to have an accurate anatomic diagnosis. The spine is complex — there are multiple levels from the cervical to the thoracic and lumbar spine, the disc, the two facet joints, and all the ligaments and tendons around it, and it can get confusing. Having a very accurate diagnosis means piecing together a detailed history, physical exam, imaging studies, and oftentimes targeted diagnostic injections so you know exactly where to operate. At least in my hands, the best outcomes occur when I have the most accurate diagnosis, combined with state of the art minimally invasive techniques and being really OCD about doing a perfect job. I don’t take my OCD medicines on those days. Save this if you or someone you know is considering spine surgery.



Medical Disclaimer and Industry Disclosure:
The information in this video is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Surgical procedures shown may not be appropriate for all individuals. Viewing this content does not establish a physician patient relationship. Treatment decisions should be made by qualified healthcare professionals based on individual patient circumstances.

04/19/2026

Epidural steroid injections for back pain can be really helpful, and I use them for two reasons: to get diagnostic information and to get therapeutic benefit. Your body has an incredible ability to heal and accommodate and sometimes it just needs a little push. If your problem is a chronic inflammatory condition, which is usually the case with chronic pain, there are cases where the injection helps your body get to where it needs to get faster. Times when it doesn’t work are when the inflammation will not turn off and you only get a temporary benefit. So even though they’re not a slam dunk for getting people better, they’re really helpful for diagnostic purposes, and every once in a while, we hit a home run. I love epidural steroid injections. Share this with someone who you know who has chronic back pain.



Medical Disclaimer and Industry Disclosure:
The information in this video is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Surgical procedures shown may not be appropriate for all individuals. Viewing this content does not establish a physician patient relationship. Treatment decisions should be made by qualified healthcare professionals based on individual patient circumstances.

04/18/2026

A transitional vertebra is not something to worry about. Most people have five lumbar vertebrae, but every once in a while I see a patient that has either four or six. It’s not pathologic, it doesn’t change any outcomes of surgery, and it doesn’t predispose you to having spine problems. Follow for more on spine health.



Medical Disclaimer and Industry Disclosure:
The information in this video is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Surgical procedures shown may not be appropriate for all individuals. Viewing this content does not establish a physician patient relationship. Treatment decisions should be made by qualified healthcare professionals based on individual patient circumstances.

04/18/2026

The night before surgery, I always review my cases and start mentally preparing for what I’m going to do the next day. Something about sleeping on it lets my subconscious brain churn through the plan, maybe even run through the surgeries, so I wake up in the morning primed to do a really good job. I suspect a lot of professional athletes do the same thing.



Medical Disclaimer and Industry Disclosure:
The information in this video is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Surgical procedures shown may not be appropriate for all individuals. Viewing this content does not establish a physician–patient relationship. Treatment decisions should be made by qualified healthcare professionals based on individual patient circumstances.

04/17/2026

Why is a spondylolisthesis generally a worse case than most issues? Two reasons:
More instability - sliding
Stenosis associated
Often treated via fusion.

Medical Disclaimer and Industry Disclosure:
The information in this video is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Surgical procedures shown may not be appropriate for all individuals. Viewing this content does not establish a physician–patient relationship. Treatment decisions should be made by qualified healthcare professionals based on individual patient circumstances.

04/17/2026

A common misconception about Tarlov cysts is that size matters, and it doesn’t. Even small Tarlov cysts can be very symptomatic. We’ve been waiting until a cyst is so big and so symptomatic before we know to operate on it, and the results have been terrible. If you catch them early and not worry about the size, but try to figure out if it’s symptomatic or not symptomatic, results can be much better.



Medical Disclaimer and Industry Disclosure:
The information in this video is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Surgical procedures shown may not be appropriate for all individuals. Viewing this content does not establish a physician–patient relationship. Treatment decisions should be made by qualified healthcare professionals based on individual patient circumstances.

Dr. Choll W. Kim serves as a paid consultant to medical device companies that may be referenced in this video. He may receive compensation for his professional services. The views and opinions expressed are his own and do not represent those of any company.

04/16/2026

Degenerative disc disease does not necessarily mean you need surgery. A lot of people have degenerative disc disease and very few people need surgery. It’s usually reserved for people that have a lot of pain that affects their function and quality of life, and that has not gotten better with reasonable non operative treatment. Things like physical therapy and exercise, chiropractic care, acupuncture, and even injections. If all those don’t work and you still have pain, then surgery is reasonable, if you have a very specific problem to go after, especially if it can be done minimally invasively.



Medical Disclaimer and Industry Disclosure:
The information in this video is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Surgical procedures shown may not be appropriate for all individuals. Viewing this content does not establish a physician–patient relationship. Treatment decisions should be made by qualified healthcare professionals based on individual patient circumstances.