Stephen Robbins, MD
Stephen E. Robbins, MD, is a board-certified orthopaedic spine surgeon at Wisconsin Bone & Joint in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. With more than 36 years of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal disorders, Dr. Robbins has dedicated his career to advancing spine care – from minimally invasive surgery and spinal decompression to disc arthroplasty and motion preservation. He is a clinical investigator for the TOPS™ (Total Posterior Spine) System, and in June 2023 his team completed the first-ever implantation of the TOPS™ System in Wisconsin at the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin.
About Dr. Robbins
Stephen E. Robbins, MD – orthopaedic spine surgeon and TOPS™ System investigator. Dr. Robbins is board-certified and has specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal disorders for over 36 years. He emphasizes conservative measures whenever possible, but when surgery is required, he performs state-of-the-art procedures, including minimally invasive approaches, spinal decompressions, fusions, instrumentations, disc arthroplasty, and motion preservation. He is currently an investigator for the TOPS™ (Total Posterior Spine) System and has served as a consultant for many spine companies over the course of his career.
Patients consistently give Dr. Robbins top marks: he holds a 5/5 patient experience rating based on 175 patient reviews.
His clinical specialties include back pain and injuries, neck pain and injuries, herniated disc, bulging disc, sciatica, spinal arthritis, spinal stenosis, bone spurs, degenerative disc disease, disc replacement, facet arthroplasty, orthopedic fractures, and workplace injuries.
Education
Dr. Robbins graduated from / trained at:
- Orthopaedic Spine Fellowship, Internship & Residency – Sunnybrook Medical Center (University of Toronto), 1987–1988
- Orthopaedic Spine Surgery Residency – Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
- Orthopaedic Surgery Internship – Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
- Doctor of Medicine – Abraham Lincoln School of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, 1978–1982 – Honors Program, Alpha Omega Alpha
- Bachelor of Science – Lawrence University, Appleton, WI, 1974–1978 – Honors: Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Sigma
Licensure
- State of Wisconsin Medicine and Surgery License – #25408
Professional Affiliations
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- Wisconsin State Medical Society
- Milwaukee County Medical Society
- Milwaukee Orthopaedic Society
- Wisconsin Orthopaedic Society
Hospital Affiliations
- Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin – Glendale, WI
- Aurora St. Luke’s Hospital – Milwaukee, WI
- Aurora Sinai Medical Center – Milwaukee, WI
- ProHealth Care Waukesha Memorial Hospital – West Allis, WI
- Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital – Mequon, WI / Milwaukee, WI
- Wheaton Franciscan St. Francis Hospital – St. Francis, WI
- Aurora West Allis Memorial Hospital – West Allis, WI
- Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin – Consulting Staff, Milwaukee, WI
Dr. Robbins and the TOPS™ System
Dr. Robbins began his surgical training in the Orthopedic Department of the Medical College of Wisconsin, where his interest in spine-related conditions first took root. He deepened that focus with a one-year fellowship at the University of Toronto’s Sunnybrook Medical Center, where he worked with a variety of instrumentation systems for a wide range of spinal conditions. “At that time, there were a lot of new devices being created, but clinical studies were necessary to document their efficacy,” Dr. Robbins recalls.
Following his fellowship in 1988, he established his practice in Milwaukee, bringing some of the newest instrumentation systems available to his patients and continuing his involvement with spinal instrumentation companies as both a clinical investigator and product developer.
Around 2000, Dr. Robbins’ passion for motion preservation of the spine took hold. At the time, most surgical options for the spine consisted of laminectomy, discectomy, or spinal fusion – the latter often producing significant patient apprehension because of the loss of mobility and the development of adjacent-level changes that could require additional surgery. “There was a lot of work being done in orthopedics for innovating on joint replacements,” Dr. Robbins explains. “So, why not the spine?”
He became involved with total disc replacement for the lumbar and cervical spine, and around 2010 he became an investigator for the TOPS™ (Total Posterior Spine) System – an innovative, motion-preserving alternative to traditional spinal fusion.
Bringing the TOPS™ System to Wisconsin
The initial investigation of the TOPS™ device randomized patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis between single-level fusion and the TOPS™ device. The device proved highly effective, achieving results similar to fusion while preserving motion at the operated segment. When the original study was closed due to the expense of bringing a new device to market, Dr. Robbins continued to follow his patients. Their long-term outcomes – along with those of other investigators – were later presented to the FDA, and a new multicenter clinical study began.
Over the five-year trial, patient outcomes with the TOPS™ device were superior to traditional fusion in all measures for appropriate patients – those with spondylolisthesis and spinal stenosis. “It’s very uncommon for a new spine surgery device to get superior ratings,” Dr. Robbins notes. “With a new device, what you’re first hoping for is that it’s not inferior… This device received a superior rating from the FDA and will be a game changer for the treatment of spondylolisthesis.”
In June 2023, following FDA approval of the TOPS™ System, Dr. Robbins and his team at the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin completed the very first implantation of the TOPS™ device in Wisconsin outside of a clinical trial – only the second such procedure in the United States. “OHOW, an outstanding institution, recognized that this device has a significant benefit not only to this individual but also to the community by offering a device with a superior outcome,” Dr. Robbins said.
For his first non-trial patient – a 72-year-old woman with degenerative spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, and neurogenic claudication at L4-L5 who had waited nearly a year to avoid a traditional fusion – the results were profound: she experienced immediate relief from her pain upon waking from surgery and was moved to tears by the outcome.
Dr. Robbins points to a faster recovery as another key advantage: “When you perform a fusion, it takes approximately 6 months for the bone to fuse, which limits one’s activities. With the TOPS device, there is immediate stability – consequently, you can start moving faster and return to normal activities within a few weeks to a month.” Over 15 years of working with the device, he has not needed to perform any revisions or encountered broken hardware in his TOPS™ cases, and he has observed superior leg pain relief compared with fusion, particularly for the leg pain often associated with spinal stenosis.
Research and Publications
Dr. Robbins is a co-author of the pivotal peer-reviewed publications on the TOPS™ System’s FDA IDE clinical trial:
- Coric D, Nassr A, Kim PK, Welch WC, Robbins S, et al. Prospective, randomized controlled multicenter study of posterior lumbar facet arthroplasty for the treatment of spondylolisthesis. Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. 2023;38(1):115–125. doi: 10.3171/2022.7.SPINE22536 (PDF also hosted on premiaspine.com: download)
- Pinter ZW, Freedman BA, Nassr A, Sebastian AS, Coric D, Welch WC, Steinmetz MP, Robbins SE, et al. A Prospective Study of Lumbar Facet Arthroplasty in the Treatment of Degenerative Spondylolisthesis and Stenosis: Results from the Total Posterior Spine System (TOPS) IDE Study. Clinical Spine Surgery. 2023;36(2):E59–E69. doi: 10.1097/BSD.0000000000001365
Office Locations & Appointments
Dr. Robbins sees patients at Wisconsin Bone & Joint’s three offices. Appointments can be requested via wiscboneandjoint.com.
- Mayfair Office: 2500 N. Mayfair Road, Suite 500, Wauwatosa, WI 53226 – Phone: (414) 249-2422
- Glendale Office (Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin Medical Office Building): 525 W. River Woods Parkway, Suite 130, Glendale (Milwaukee), WI 53212 – Phone: (414) 249-2422
- Cedarburg Office: W62N208 Washington Avenue, Cedarburg, WI 53012 – Phone: (414) 249-2422
Considering the TOPS™ System?
If you suffer from lumbar spinal stenosis or degenerative spondylolisthesis and would like to know whether the TOPS™ System is right for you, Dr. Robbins is among the experienced TOPS™ surgeons in the United States. Learn more about how TOPS™ works, read patient testimonials, or contact Premia Spine with any questions. You can also use the form below to get more information.