Dr Riaan Jacobs is an Orthopaedic and Spinal Surgeon in the Garden Route, Western Cape.

He studied as an undergraduate student at the University of Pretoria and obtained a MBChB degree in 1995. In 2000 he completed his Master’s Degree in Sports Medicine (MSc. Sports Medicine) at the university of Pretoria. He graduated from Stellenbosch (Tygerberg Hospital) in 2004 and obtained a M.Med. Orthopedic Degree.

Dr Jacobs attended the spinal program in 2008 at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane Australia, where he gained experience during a short-term spinal fellowship. For the last 10 years, Dr Jacobs has been practicing general orthopaedic surgery in private practice with a main focus on spinal surgery. 

Special interests include degenerative cervical and lumbar conditions with various treatment modalities.

Over the last couple of years the field of spinal surgery has been inundated with a multitude of new technological advances. Some are less successful than others but the main aim of the technology is to improve the clinical outcome of patients.

 A good example of emerging technology is Endoscopic lumbar discectomies. This procedure is performed under a local anesthetic as a day case with several advantages to the patient. Radiofrequency stimulation of facet joints and dorsal root nerve stimulation, as well as disc replacements are additional methods of treating spinal problems without conventional fusion procedures.

The most important aspects of spinal surgery is firstly to make the correct diagnosis, and secondly, to choose the most appropriate procedure for the patient’s medical profile.

The spectrum of treatment modalities ranges from conservative treatments including physiotherapy, biokinetics and occupational therapy to minimal intervention procedures like Facet blocks, Radiofrequency and Endoscopic discectomies. Total disc replacements and spinal fusions are often necessary to control and treat spinal pain. The big challenge in spinal surgery then is to link the correct treatment modality to the correct patient.