Orthopaedic spine surgeon
Arash J. Sayari, MD
Fellowship-trained, board-certified orthopaedic spine surgeon. Cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, with a focus on minimally invasive and motion-preserving techniques.
Biography
Training, and what it was for.
Dr. Arash Sayari is a fellowship-trained, board-certified orthopaedic spine surgeon. He treats cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine conditions, and his clinical focus is minimally invasive and motion-preserving surgery: the smallest approach that fully solves the problem, and keeping as much of a patient's own spine working as the anatomy allows.
He trained in orthopaedic surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, where he was named Teacher of the Year in 2021, then completed a spine surgery fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles with training in robotics, motion preservation and minimally invasive technique. Before medical school at the University of Miami, he earned his degree at UCLA.
He previously cared for athletes and dancers from the Chicago Bulls, Chicago White Sox and Joffrey Ballet as part of Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush.
Alongside his clinical practice he maintains an active research record in spine surgery, with peer-reviewed publications, textbook chapters and presentations at national and international meetings. He sits on the editorial board of Clinical Spine Surgery and reviews for two other journals. That work is the reason the practice can be specific about what the evidence supports and where it is genuinely unsettled.
A substantial part of his practice is second opinions, including for patients who have already been told they need a fusion. Those consultations are welcome for their own sake.
Areas of focus
What he treats.
- Minimally invasive spine surgery
- Endoscopic spine surgery
- Cervical disc replacement and motion preservation
- Minimally invasive lumbar decompression
- Microdiscectomy
- SI joint disorders
- Robotic and navigation-assisted spine surgery
- Second opinions and imaging review
- Work-related and injury-related spine conditions
Treatment philosophy
How he decides.
Listen first
Most of what matters shows up in the first fifteen minutes of conversation, before anyone opens an MRI. That part does not get rushed.
Operate only when it is warranted
The best operation is often the one not performed. When surgery is not the right answer, patients are told so directly and pointed at a better path.
Preserve what still works
Minimally invasive and motion-preserving techniques where the anatomy allows: smaller approach, faster recovery, and more of your own spine left doing its job.
Keep learning
Writing, presenting, teaching and peer review. Spine surgery moves quickly, and patients are entitled to a surgeon who moves with it.
Credentials
Verified record.
Licensure, board certification, society membership and editorial work. The full curriculum vitae is available on request.
Certification and licensure
- American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
- California Medical License No. 171801
- BLS & ACLS Certified
- NPI 1760837249
Societies
- North American Spine Society
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- Global Spine Congress
- Lumbar Spine Research Society
- AO Spine
Editorial and peer review
- Editorial Board, Clinical Spine Surgery
- Reviewer, North American Spine Surgery Journal
- Reviewer, World Neurosurgery
Honors
- Teacher of the Year, Rush University Medical Center (2021)
- Runner-Up Best Paper, Annual Rush University Surgical Symposium (2019)
- Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society (2016)
- Second Place, Outstanding Clinical Oral Presentation, Eastern-Atlantic Student Research Forum (2015)
- Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Student Service Leadership Award, $9,000 grant (2014)
- Magna Cum Laude and University Honors, UCLA (2011)
Research
Published work, and why it matters here.
An active research record is not decoration on a practice page. It is the reason treatment recommendations can be tied to specific evidence, and the reason the practice can say plainly when the evidence does not settle a question.
- 71Peer-reviewed publications
- 9Textbook and book chapters
- 72National and international presentations
- 2021Rush Teacher of the Year
Selected publications
- 2026Lateral Lumbar FusionThe Spine, Chapter 10 (Elsevier)
- 2022Segmental Range of Motion Following Cervical Total Disc Arthroplasty at Long-Term Follow-Up: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisJournal of Neurosurgery: Spine
- 2022Endplate abnormalities, Modic changes and their relationship to alignment parameters and surgical outcomes in the cervical spineJournal of Orthopaedic Research
- 2022Stand-Alone Cage versus Anterior Plating for One- and Two-Level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: A Randomized Controlled TrialClinical Spine Surgery
- 2021Artificial intelligence predicts disk re-herniation following lumbar microdiscectomy: development of the “RAD” risk profileEuropean Spine Journal
- 2021Novel Inflammation-Preserving Treatment for Symptomatic Lumbar Disc Herniation: a Prospective Imaging and Clinical Outcomes StudyEuropean Spine Journal
- 2021Spontaneous Resorption of Lumbar Disc Herniation: epidemiology, risk factors, mechanisms, and future directionsJBJS Reviews
- 2021Artificial Intelligence in Spine Care: Current Applications and Future UtilityEuropean Spine Journal
- 2019Review of Robotic-Assisted Surgery: What the Future Looks Like Through a Spine Oncology LensAnnals of Translational Medicine
Where to be seen
Consultations with Dr. Sayari are available at all eight Academy offices.
Not sure which is closest? See the areas we serve, or call (312) 313-1086.
Dr. Sayari writes about spine care, current research and his own reasoning in more depth at sayarimd.com, his personal site. It is a deeper read on the thinking. Everything needed to be seen and scheduled is here.