Spine Surgeon Recruited to Local Orthopedic Team

5/28/2020

Palmer, AK – Samuel Adams, M.D., orthopedic spine surgeon, has joined the staff of Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.

Adams finished his residency in June of 2018 at The University of Massachusetts Medical School and completed his orthopedic spine fellowship training at West Virginia University this past summer.

Adams will be performing surgeries at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.

Some of the procedures Adams will perform include cervical and lumbar spinal fusions, cervical disc replacement, micro discectomies, scoliosis surgeries for adults, decompression surgeries and some minimally invasive surgeries.

From a young age Adams knew that he was going to end up in the medical profession. An emergency room physician who also helped out on his high school wrestling team was influential in steering Adams towards pursuing a career in orthopedic care. Early on, Adams thought he would be a hand surgeon – after he broke his in a match and was enamored by the reconstructive process. While in his residency program, Adams changed his mind.

“When I was an intern, I was doing spine cases because no one wants to do spine,” he said. “It’s hard.”

By contrast, Adams found he enjoyed the challenge of working with the numerous small bones of the spine and the complexity and connectivity of the spinal structure – the joints, nerves, muscles and tendons.

It began to become a passion of his while working on a research project about hardware failure in the neck, but he credits the appeal of surgery to his love of working with his hands. A love that developed while growing up and helping his father, who was a brick layer.

Having grown up in the small town of Maumee, Ohio, Adams was excited to make the move to the Valley. He looks forward to the feeling of being a provider in a tightknit community.

“It’s fun to be able to see your patients in different places and see them doing well,” he said. “You get to these bigger [medical] centers and it’s just a mill. They just put another patient on the table, you cut them and you get them off.”

Adams said one of his strengths is the ability to communicate with patients and share with them what the surgical process will be like. He regularly uses visual aids, including models, x-rays and other scans to help educate patients.

“The patient needs to understand their pathology to understand why you’re doing what you’re doing,” Adams said.

Adams fell in love with Alaska the minute he saw the scenery from the airplane on his first visit. He looks forward to the promise of fishing, hiking and being close to the mountains. “I grew up in Ohio. All I had were corn fields,” he said.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Adams, call (907) 707-1671.

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