Boston Spinal Surgeon Earns Fifteenth Consecutive Castle Connolly Top Doctor Recognition

Dr. Frank X. Pedlow Jr., a leading spinal surgeon in Boston, has once again been named a Castle Connolly Top Doctor for 2024, marking his fifteenth consecutive year receiving this prestigious honor. This recognition is awarded to only about 7 percent of the nation's licensed physicians annually, highlighting Dr. Pedlow's exceptional expertise and commitment to outstanding care in orthopaedic surgery. As the founder of Boston Spine Surgery, his private practice since 2003, Dr. Pedlow specializes in diagnosing and treating degenerative conditions of the cervical and lumbar spine, with particular renown in minimally invasive spine surgery, motion preservation techniques like cervical artificial disc replacement, athletic spine injuries, and spine care for injured workers.

Certified in orthopaedic surgery by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Dr. Pedlow is one of the few spine surgeons in New England with advanced fellowship training in both neurosurgical and orthopedic principles of spine surgery. His dual training provides a comprehensive approach to spinal disorders, integrating different medical perspectives for optimal patient outcomes. He holds an academic appointment as an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School and serves on the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and New England Baptist Hospital, where he contributes to education and clinical standards.

Beyond clinical practice, Dr. Pedlow has served as a spine consultant for the Boston Bruins and cared for athletes from various major professional and collegiate sports teams in Boston, applying his expertise to high-performance cases. His extensive training, including residencies and fellowships in Boston, New York, Atlanta, Montreal, and London, has equipped him with a global perspective on cutting-edge treatment techniques. This matters because it demonstrates how specialized, internationally-informed training can enhance surgical precision and patient recovery, particularly for complex spinal issues that require nuanced intervention.

In addition to the Castle Connolly recognition, Dr. Pedlow has consistently been named by BestDoctors as one of the best orthopedic spine surgeons in Boston, receiving this honor more times than any other orthopedic spine surgeon in the city. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery and a member of several prestigious medical societies, including the North American Spine Society, the International College of Surgeons, and the Irish-American Orthopaedic Society. These affiliations underscore his active role in advancing spinal surgery through professional collaboration and continuous learning. The sustained recognition over fifteen years signals not just individual achievement but a benchmark for consistency in a field where patient outcomes depend heavily on surgeon skill and judgment. His conservative philosophy, combining experience and good judgment, is particularly important in spine care, where overtreatment can lead to complications, and his approach prioritizes patient well-being through tailored, evidence-based solutions. This ongoing acclaim reinforces the value of subspecialty expertise in orthopaedics, encouraging standards of excellence that benefit the broader medical community and patients seeking reliable care for spinal conditions.