Every so often, someone publishes a story that captures the intersection of where you come from and the work you’ve spent a lifetime doing. Cedars-Sinai recently ran a feature that does just that, and if you’ve ever wondered why so many riders, ropers, trainers, and working ranchers show up in my clinic, it’s a good place to start.
I’m J. Patrick Johnson, a neurosurgeon who has spent the better part of three decades operating on spines—many of them belonging to riders and ranchers who remind me of the world I grew up in.
I grew up on a cattle ranch in Montana. Before medical school, before neurosurgery, before I ever set foot in an operating room, I was the kid getting tossed around by bulls and broncs. You learn quickly that these aren’t graceful sports. They’re violent, unpredictable, and capable of doing real damage to a spine. You also learn the mindset of the people who make their living out there: quitting isn’t an option, and “just take it easy” isn’t advice—they hear it as a sentence.
That background shapes how I treat patients today. A fused spine can stop pain, but it can also end a career. Artificial discs, motion-preserving surgery, targeted decompression, robotics—these are tools that let us solve the problem without taking away the rider they’ve spent decades becoming. The goal is not simply recovery. It’s recovery that still fits the life they intend to return to.
Cedars-Sinai’s article follows several of those stories—Lance, Janel, and others whose lives revolve around horses and competition. Their injuries were severe. Their determination was stronger. What I appreciate most about the article is that it shows what I see every week: these athletes aren’t reckless. They’re disciplined, capable, and enormously tough. They just need a surgical plan that respects the demands of their world.
If you’d like to read the full feature, you can find it here:
“The Cowboy Spine Surgeon”
https://www.cedars-sinai.org/blog/the-cowboy-spine-surgeon.html
And if you’re facing an injury that’s keeping you out of the arena—or your life—my team and I are here to help you find a way forward.
J. Patrick Johnson, MD is a renowned neurosurgeon specializing in spinal disorders and has served as the Director of the Institute for Spinal Disorders at Cedars Sinai Medical Center since 2001 and previously as the Director of the UCLA Comprehensive Spine Center from 1993-2001.
This article is offered as informational only and not to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.