Meet the Expert: Doctor Bio Video Series
Introducing Jose Santos, M.D., interventional spine specialist at Summit Orthopedics in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. His area of expertise is physical medicine & rehabilitation. This includes, spine pain, regenerative medicine, as well as interventional pain management procedures including spinal injections.
Meet Dr. Jose Santos
Dr. Santos’ approach: I believe in the body’s innate ability to heal itself and use the most conservative treatment methods possible to help people reduce pain and achieve their highest level of function. I use a comprehensive approach to diagnosis and treatment and am committed to caring for my patients and improving the quality of their lives.
Dr. Santos’ education: After completing his undergraduate studies at the University of the Philippines, he graduated with her medical degree from University of the East, Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical center in the Philippines. He completed his first residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital, in Miami, FL. He then went on to complete a second residency at the University of Missouri, in Kansas City. Santos also participated in a interventional pain fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Summit Orthopedics offers comprehensive spine expertise
Our back specialists diagnose spine problems and design custom treatment plans built on a conservative, nonsurgical approach. Most patients find relief through treatments including guided injections, specialized physical therapy, biofeedback, exercise, activity modification, and medication. When conservative care does not relieve symptoms, our highly skilled surgeons offer proven, evidence-based surgical options. Together with you, we will determine the right course of action.
Start your journey to a healthy spine. Find your spine expert, request an appointment online, or call us at (651) 968–5201 to schedule a spine consultation.
Summit has convenient locations across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin. We have state-of-the-art centers for comprehensive orthopedic care in Eagan, MN, Plymouth, MN, Vadnais Heights, MN, and Woodbury, MN, as well as additional community clinics throughout the metro and southern Minnesota.
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Video Transcription
My name is Jose Santos, I’m one of the interventional spine doctors here in Summit Orthopedics, and my subspecialty is spine pain. I take care of all things spine, but I also do everything that involves the musculoskeletal system of the whole body, meaning the muscles, joints, hips, shoulders, neck, back. So, I went to school in the Philippines. And from there, I went here to the States to do my training in physical medicine and rehab, and I did that in the University of Miami in Florida. And from then on, I went to subspecialty training in the University of Washington-Seattle for my Pain Fellowship. I knew I’ve always wanted to be in medicine since I was about five years old. I was a very sickly child; I had severe asthma at that time. And during that time, there wasn’t that much good medicine for asthma. So, every time I had an attack, I had to be admitted to the hospital. And so, I got to know my doctors very much, and they were my role models when I was growing up. I kind of remember I was their model, too, when I would be getting shots in front of the other kids. So, I would just stoically get my shots and get the free lollipop for it. And I think that’s where it all started. So, what gets me up in the morning is … is I just like my job. I mean, there’s nothing more fulfilling than treating patients and making a difference in their lives. I have many, many hobbies. I play racquet sports; I play tennis. I actually – in the Philippines, I’m very much into bonsai. I have about 300 trees here. So, I started with my grandmother with taking care of orchids. It then became flowers and then, for some reason, I enjoyed making small trees from bonsais. If I didn’t become a doctor, I would have been a chef, actually. So, I love cooking, I love eating out with my family, and traveling. Well, the way I approach medicine is, I try to look at the person as a whole. A patient is not just their back or their hip or their shoulder. A lot of things go or contribute to a lot of their pain symptoms, such as your mental state, your stresses at work, your finances. And so, when I treat patients, I try to take a look at the whole person and just see how things interact with one another. In my practice, I want patients to feel that they’re heard. And all I can promise you is I’ll listen and I’ll try to treat you in the best way I can.