Dr. Craig Humphreys was founded in 2011 by Dr. Craig Humphreys, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who is fellowship-trained in spine, the highest level of medical training available in the United States. Dr. Humphreys has performed more than 5,000 successful spine surgeries over a 25 year career.

At age 48, Dr. Craig Humphreys, a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon, left a busy spine practice in Tennessee to return home to where he grew up — Alaska. Dr. Humphreys’ goal was to provide the most advanced spine care for Alaska residents, particularly those in the Kenai region of the Central Peninsula. Traditionally, those people living with back pain or neck pain in places like Soldotna, Kenai, Anchor Point and Homer, often faced a three hour drive to Anchorage. The goal of Dr. Craig Humphreys was to provide a more convenient option for treatment of back and neck problems.

Dr. Craig Humphreys grew up in Alaska with his family, entrenched in the local community in Anchorage. His dad, Richard Gene Humphreys, first arrived in Alaska in 1955 working on the early warning defense system for the United States under an air force contract with International Telephone & Telegraph. Craig’s mother, Carolyn Humphreys, started elementary school teaching in Anchorage in 1970 at Northern Lights, Tudor, Scenic Park and Denali elementary schools, and and continued teaching in Alaska for 25 years. Dr. Humphreys attended Sand Lake/Gladys Wood Elementary School in Anchorage, and then Dimond/Mears Middle School and High School, graduating in 1981.

During the summers, to save money for college, Craig got exposed to all of Alaska, doing heavy labor working long hours on the North Slope with oil companies. The long workdays in the summer enabled him to save enough money to attend The University of Notre Dame where he earned his undergraduate degree in biology.

After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, he attended Loyola Stritch School of Medicine where he received his medical degree. He then completed an Internship and Residency at Loyola University Medical Center while also volunteering time as an MD in other countries, including India, St. Lucia and Lithuania.

Dr. Humphreys then completed a Fellowship in Orthopedic Spine Surgery at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. In 1996, he joined the Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he practiced for more than 15 years — attracting complex spine patients from across Tennessee and northern Georgia.

Through a long career as a spine surgeon, Dr. Humphreys was involved in spinal research and has contributed to more than 70 publications. He has designed spinal implants that maintain motion in the spine and instrumentation related to minimally invasive spine surgery.

Dr. Humphreys is the co-inventor of a new artificial disc for the low back called “Balanced Back”. This new artificial disc for the lumbar spine is significant in that it enables spine surgeons to replace a herniated disc from the back of the spine rather than going through the abdomen, which can be a more complex surgery working around internal organs. The Balanced Back disc is designed like two halves of a donut which can be inserted around the spine and then reconnected. More information about the Balanced Back artificial disc is at www.3spine.com. The intent of an artificial disc is to preserve the natural motion of the spine, replicating the normal function of a healthy disc. The Balanced Back artificial disc design also provides a more correct and natural sagittal balance of the lumbar spine than many other artificial discs. (More information at 3spine.com.)

On a personal level, Dr. Humphreys is married with three children. The entire family enjoys the outdoors. He is an avid fisherman and outdoorsman. Over the years practicing medicine in Tennessee, Dr. Humphreys always wanted to return at some point to where he grew up in Alaska. Even during his medical career in Tennessee, he maintained the family cabin on the Kenai River, visiting there several times a year to enjoy the beautiful summers in Alaska. On their visits the family enjoyed hiking and salmon fishing.

Dr. Humphreys is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Spinal Injury Association.