About Steven Helper, MD

Prior to his training at the Penn Spine Center, Dr. Helper completed his residency program at the University of British Columbia. He is a certified specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada as well as the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

What Dr. Helper offers, as a specialist in both Interventional Spine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, is the ability to assess, treat, and/or guide patients down any road of care that is necessary. Whether they need open surgery, minimally invasive surgical procedures, injections, physical therapy, alternative treatments (chiropractic, acupuncture), or long-term oral analgesics, he will be able to direct them based on the latest medical literature and his clinical experience.

The potential patient to be directed to Dr. Helper is anyone with pain in the cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back), lumbar (low-back) or sacral (buttock) region with or without radiating symptoms into the extremities (arms or legs). It does not matter if they have seen other specialists or had other procedures, they may still benefit from his knowledge if not his interventional skills.

Education

• Spine Fellow, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
  PENN Spine Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007)
• Certified in electromyography (EMG)
  Canadian Society of Clinical Neurophysiologists (June 29, 2006)
• American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (June, 2007)
• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (May, 2006)
• Chief Resident, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
  University of British Columbia, Faculty of Medicine (2005 – 2006)
• Resident, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
  University of Manitoba, Faculty of Medicine (2001 – 2005)
• Doctor of Medicine
  University of Manitoba, Faculty of Medicine (1997 – 2001)

Memberships
American Association of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
North American Spine Society (NASS)
Canadian Association of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
International Spine Intervention Society (ISIS)

Recent Publications
Textbook Chapter: "Lumbar radicular pain: Medical Rehabilitation" (2007)
Textbook Chapter: "Degenerative Disc Disease: Intradiscal Therapies" (Forthcoming)

Affiliations
Vancouver Acute Health Services
University of British Columbia

Recent Engagements
Canadian Pain Society, Annual Meeting May 28, 2008:
Invited Speaker: Public vs. Private Health Care - Clinical Experience
Invited Speaker: Radiofrequency: Radiofrequency Procedures in Spine Pain Management