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Minimally invasive spine surgery
Modern approaches designed to reduce tissue disruption while achieving the decompression, stability, and alignment each patient needs.
ALIF · XLIF · MIS fusion · Microscopic decompressionBoard-Certified · Fellowship-Trained · Scottsdale, Arizona
Advanced spine care.Designed around your life.
Individualized treatment with a focus on minimally invasive techniques, motion preservation, endoscopic spine surgery, and complex solutions for spondylolisthesis.
2025PHOENIX Magazine Top DoctorOrthopedic Surgery of the Spine · View recognition ↗
Keven S. Burns, MDSpine Institute of Arizona
ABOS
Board CertifiedOrthopaedic Surgery
MIS
Advanced TechniquesMinimally Invasive & Endoscopic
PHX
Top DoctorPHOENIX Magazine · 2025
AZ
Valley-Wide CareScottsdale · Peoria · Anthem
Focused expertise
Preserve motion. Reduce disruption. Restore function.
The right operation is not the largest or newest one. It is the treatment that addresses the actual pain generator while preserving as much healthy anatomy and function as possible.
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Motion preservation
When anatomy and diagnosis allow, treatment strategies prioritize healthy motion segments and avoid fusion that is not truly necessary.
Cervical disc replacement · Lumbar disc replacement · Laminoplasty03
Endoscopic spine surgery
Ultra-minimally invasive decompression through a small working channel for carefully selected disc herniations and areas of nerve compression.
Endoscopic discectomy · Foraminal decompression · Stenosis treatment04
Spondylolisthesis
A special clinical interest in identifying the source of instability, nerve compression, and pain—and matching treatment to the individual pattern.
Degenerative · Isthmic · Recurrent · Complex presentationsExplore spondylolisthesis careSurgeries offered
The right procedure for the right problem.
When surgery offers a clear path toward your goals, the approach is selected to address the diagnosis while limiting unnecessary disruption to healthy anatomy.
Endoscopic spine surgery
Ultra-minimally invasive decompression through a small working channel for selected disc herniations and nerve compression.
Motion preservation
Disc replacement and laminoplasty options designed to protect healthy spinal motion whenever anatomy allows.
Cervical spine surgery
Anterior and posterior procedures for spinal cord compression, nerve compression, instability, and reconstruction.
Lumbar fusion & reconstruction
Anterior, lateral, and posterior techniques selected around instability, alignment, neural compression, and anatomy.
Spinal deformity & scoliosis
Minimally invasive reconstruction for adult scoliosis, complex deformity, and restoration of spinal alignment.
SI joint surgery
Targeted minimally invasive stabilization for carefully diagnosed sacroiliac joint dysfunction.
Treatment philosophy
Successful outcomes are determined before a patient enters the operating room.
Every visit starts with understanding your concerns, limitations, and ultimately what brought you to the point you are seeing a surgeon. You will leave with a care plan to help investigate and solve those concerns. For those who do not see improvement with non-surgical methods, surgery will be considered and discussed when it offers a clear, evidence-based path toward your goals.
Read full physician profileDiagnose precisely
Symptoms, examination, imaging, and treatment response are considered together—not in isolation.
Preserve what is healthy
Motion, muscle, bone, and normal anatomy are protected whenever the diagnosis and biomechanics allow.
Operate deliberately
When surgery is appropriate, the plan is built around reproducibility, precision, and a defined functional objective.
Conditions evaluated
When spine symptoms change how you live,it’s time for a specialist evaluation.
Keven S. Burns, MDOrthopaedic Spine Surgeon
About Dr. Burns
Clinical judgment, technical precision, and an uncommon attention to detail.
Keven S. Burns, MD is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopaedic spine surgeon providing comprehensive care for cervical, thoracic, and lumbar disorders. His practice combines proven orthopedic principles with advanced minimally invasive and motion-preserving techniques.
Dr. Burns trained in both orthopaedic and neurosurgical approaches to the spine. His background includes spinal biomechanics research at Barrow Neurological Institute, education of spine fellows, and collaboration with biomedical engineers as a design surgeon for next-generation spinal implants.
UndergraduateBrigham Young University
Medical SchoolUniversity of Arizona College of Medicine
ResidencyUniversity of Oklahoma · Orthopaedic Surgery
FellowshipCombined Orthopedic and Neurosurgical Spine Training at The Spine Institute of Arizona
Surgeon-led innovation
Designing technology around what actually happens in the operating room.
As a design surgeon for the FDA-cleared Ventana-A 3D-printed titanium ALIF system, Dr. Burns worked directly with biomedical engineers to refine the implant and its surgical instrumentation—bringing real operative feedback into the development process.
Read the Becker’s featureDesign surgeonPhysician-guided product development
3D-printed titaniumArchitecture created for graft containment and load sharing
Patient-centeredTechnology measured by its ability to improve recovery and function
Patient perspectives
Hear what Dr. Burns' patients have to say.
Shared on Google
Independent feedback from patients about their experience with Dr. Burns and his team.
Read all Google reviews“The care and attention I received from Dr. Burns and his staff was remarkable, efficient, and thorough. Everyone is professional and listens carefully.”
“Great experience, he performed the right surgery for the person.”
“I am 6 months post surgery and walking without pain for first time in over 20 years.”
Individual experiences vary. Outcomes depend on each patient's diagnosis, anatomy, treatment, and recovery.
View reviews on GoogleIn the media
Selected press, perspectives, and recognition.
Conversations on spine care, medical innovation, and recognizing treatable conditions before function is lost.
Featured conversation
How spine surgery is being rebuilt around the surgeon
A conversation about surgeon-led implant design, 3D printing, outpatient care, and the future of patient-specific treatment.
Why spine surgeons are losing patients to years of injections and ablations
Recognizing spinal stenosis, loss of walking tolerance, and when specialist evaluation can change the course of care.
How local surgeons are influencing the future of spine surgery
Dr. Burns writes about how Arizona surgeons help translate engineering concepts into better surgical tools and patient care.
The collaboration between Arizona physicians and national medtech companies
A closer look at the practical physician feedback that moves medical technology from concept to reliable clinical use.
Top Doctor — Orthopedic Surgery of the Spine
Recognized by physician peers in the Valley as a 2025 Top Doctor in orthopedic spine surgery.
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Move with confidence again.
If a neck or back condition is limiting your work, recreation, mobility, or independence, a focused spine evaluation can clarify the next step.