Innovative Spine Care

Stephen D. Watson, MD, PhD, is a minimally invasive spine specialist at Innovative Spine Care in Tampa, Florida.

Dr. Watson was born in Covington, Kentucky. His father was a pharmacist, and the family spent several years in the late 1950s in the Belgian Congo as missionaries for the Methodist Church. His father’s second cousin was a single missionary in Northern Rhodesia and died there in the late 1930s. The family later spent four years in Southern Rhodesia as missionaries during the early 1960s. After returning to the United States, Dr. Watson finished his high school education and attended the University of Cincinnati.

He’s spent 28 years practicing interventional pain management and over 15 years utilizing lasers to treat axial spine pain, headaches, and extremity problems. Dr. Watson asks patients about their family history, examines them to see if herniations are present in the area of pain, and recommends techniques to treat the problem. He also strives to educate patients by explaining all their alternatives for conditions such as back pain and neck pain, including pills, physical therapy, injections, and surgery. 

Dr. Watson’s work bridges the gap between failed injections and standard treatments to more invasive procedures. The procedures he performs aren’t widely used, and Dr. Watson was the first student of the doctor who invented the procedure. There’s no formal reference or organization that promotes his work. In addition, he’s the only physician who uses laser treatment for disc herniation within the disc.

Patients say Dr. Watson is very kind and knowledgeable in his field and knows how to make patients comfortable. To schedule an appointment at ​​Innovative Spine Care, call the office or book online today.