UPMC Matt El-Kadi Spine Center: Restoring Mobility with a Comprehensive Approach

The UPMC Matt El-Kadi Spine Center — located at UPMC Specialty Care in Wexford — offers an innovative spine program that brings together experts from multiple specialties to provide comprehensive diagnostic and outpatient care at one convenient location.

“UPMC continues to expand world-class spine care and services in the northern communities of Pittsburgh,” says Matt El-Kadi, MD, chief of neurosurgery at UPMC Passavant and director of the UPMC Matt El-Kadi Spine Center. This includes expanding access to experts who collaborate – neurosurgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, pain management specialists, physician therapists, and imaging – to diagnose and treat back, neck, arm, and hip pain, numbness and/or tingling, spine disorders, deformities, and injuries. 

“It really is a one-stop shop for patients with spine issues, whether they need surgery or not,” adds Bryan Rynearson, MD, fellowship-trained orthopaedic spine surgeon. “It’s a bonus for us as doctors, too. Our colleagues are literally down the hall so we can discuss cases in real time. That’s the value of a place like the Spine Center: Everyone is invested in finding the best possible solutions for patients.”

All spine surgeries are performed at UPMC Passavant–McCandless, which has a dedicated spine care unit. Three state-of-the-art operating rooms are used exclusively for spinal surgery. Each is equipped with the latest technology. This includes specialized software used during surgery to create a 3D model of the spine in seconds for a real-time view of the patient’s anatomy. The pavilion also features spacious private rooms for patients who need an overnight stay. 

A new navigation system with robotic technology has been used at UPMC Passavant since 2023. It helps surgeons to place surgical instruments into the spine by using CT scans that are taken during surgery. The scans create a map of the patient’s spine, allowing the system to guide the surgeon with real time precision and for procedures to be done in a less invasive way.

WHEN BACK PAIN CAN’T WAIT

Back pain can often interfere with daily activities, from maintaining an active lifestyle to simply getting a restful night’s sleep. Recognizing its impact, Dr. El-Kadi and his colleagues at the Spine Center now offer same-day appointments, ensuring patients can quickly connect with a specialist in spine care. 

Appointments and consultations with different specialists and different imaging modalities can be scheduled in advance for the same day, at the same facility in Wexford so patients don’t have to make multiple trips for the same issue. To schedule a same-day in-person or virtual appointment at the UPMC Matt El-Kadi Spine Center, call 724-720-4599.

Marsha’s Back Pain Story

Surgery with Dr. Matt El-Kadi helped Marsha go from debilitating pain to no pain

Before 2025, Marsha Songer had never experienced pain as severe as the back pain that radiated down her entire left side.

The pain grew so debilitating that it forced her to stop working and left her struggling even to walk.

"I'm an active person," says Marsha, 63, of Clarion County, in northwest Pennsylvania. "I'm not used to being confined to my house, which is pretty much what I was. I just couldn't do anything."

Marsha was referred to Matt El-Kadi, MD, who performed fusion surgery on Marsha's lumbar spine in April of 2025.

After surgery, Marsha is no longer experiencing pain and is returning to her normal activities.

"At my age, I didn't know if I was ever going to be able to go back to work again," she says. "I was so paranoid of not being able to walk. That was my biggest fear. (But) I have no pain."

Sudden, Severe Pain

Marsha woke up one morning in January 2025 with severe back pain that radiated down her left leg.

She didn't think much of the pain at first, going to her job as a cleaning professional for a local business. But as the day continued, the pain worsened, and she visited her local emergency department and had x-rays taken. She was told the pain was coming from irritation of her sciatic nerve and given medication to curb the pain.

While the medication helped somewhat, it didn't eliminate the pain. Marsha followed up with her primary care provider, Paul Hamm, DO, at UPMC Primary Care in Shippenville, Pa. Dr. Hamm prescribed steroids for the pain. Over the next month, despite her pain becoming worse, Marsha continued to work. 

“The pain was horrible, but I just kept on working," she says. "I was slow at my job. I did what I was supposed to do, and I just kept pushing myself. But it was definitely very painful."