Premier Orthopaedic Associates - Linwood - Atlantic County, NJ
Board-certified, fellowship-trained spine surgeons now serving Atlantic County from Linwood, NJ. Specialist-level evaluation and surgical care, with operative access through the AtlantiCare health system.
Expert Spine Care - Southern New Jersey
Most spine specialists practice in isolation — a standalone office, a referral slip, and a gap between what happens in the exam room and what happens everywhere else in a patient's care. The POA spine program in Linwood is structured differently. Serving Atlantic County and shore communities, our board-certified, fellowship-trained surgeons eliminate the need to travel outside the region for elite care, offering specialist-level evaluations in Linwood paired with seamless surgical access through AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center and Shore Medical Center.
Board-Certified Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon | Fellowship-Trained, UCSF | Chief Resident, Yale
Dr. Shah's training at Yale and UCSF, combined with his active research and national conference presentations, represents a standard of spine surgery expertise that has historically required Atlantic County patients to travel outside the region to access. At POA Linwood, that standard is available locally. Dr. Shah evaluates every patient with the same framework he developed training at two of the most respected academic medical centers in the country: understand the functional problem, identify the structural source, and recommend only what the anatomy and clinical picture together support.
Board-Certified Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon | NASS Member | 35+ Years Southern New Jersey
Dr. Zerbo's 35-year South Jersey practice has always included Atlantic County patients. His surgical privileges at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center and Shore Medical Center in Somers Point are not new arrangements: they reflect a long-established surgical presence within the Atlantic County medical community. As a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Zerbo evaluates the spine as part of the whole patient, with particular attention to how occupation, physical demands, and overall health contribute to both the presentation of symptoms and the realistic trajectory of recovery.
Our Linwood spine team offers the complete range of modern spine treatments. Surgical procedures are performed at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center and Shore Medical Center in Somers Point, both accessible to Atlantic County patients. Outpatient procedures are available at Jersey Shore Ambulatory Center for appropriate cases.
Atlantic County patients who need spine surgery often put it off because traditional open surgery means a long recovery and extended time away from work and activity. MISS addresses the structural problem through a smaller approach, with faster return to function. POA Linwood surgeons determine whether MISS is appropriate for each patient's anatomy before any recommendation is made.
Arm pain, numbness, or hand weakness tracing back to a compressed cervical nerve root is one of the more disruptive spine conditions Atlantic County workers and active adults experience. POA Linwood evaluates cervical radiculopathy with a conservative-first philosophy and surgical options through the AtlantiCare network when indicated.
Lumbar stenosis limiting walking tolerance is among the most common reasons Atlantic County patients present to POA Linwood. When conservative management has been given a fair trial, laminectomy reliably restores walking function for well-selected patients. Surgery is performed at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center for patients requiring inpatient surgical care.
Microdiscectomy is the most evidence-supported surgical option for lumbar disc herniation with clear nerve root compression. Its recovery profile, measured in weeks rather than months, makes it well-suited to the active Atlantic County and shore community patient who needs a fast return to work or activity.
TLIF addresses lumbar instability, spondylolisthesis, and recurrent disc problems that have not responded to conservative management or less extensive surgical approaches. Complex fusion procedures are coordinated through AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, keeping Atlantic County patients close to home throughout their surgical care.
ALIF is the anterior approach to lumbar fusion, providing direct access to the disc space for cases where posterior technique alone cannot achieve adequate correction. It requires a vascular-capable hospital environment. AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center provides that infrastructure for POA Linwood patients.
Foraminotomy decompresses a specific nerve root at its exit point without requiring fusion, and is often an outpatient procedure. Atlantic County patients with isolated foraminal stenosis and radicular arm or leg symptoms are often well-served by this targeted approach when conservative care has not produced adequate relief.
Vertebral compression fractures in Atlantic County's older adult population are a consistent presentation at POA Linwood. Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty stabilize the fractured vertebra, relieve acute pain rapidly, and restore enough vertebral height to prevent progressive kyphotic deformity. Most patients are discharged within 24 hours.
Gradual foraminal narrowing in the cervical spine produces arm and hand symptoms that Atlantic County patients often attribute to shoulder problems, peripheral nerve issues, or aging. POA Linwood's cervical evaluation process identifies the structural source accurately and provides treatment options from conservative management through posterior cervical foraminotomy when appropriate.
Does POA Linwood see patients for both surgical and non-surgical spine conditions?
Where are surgeries performed for POA Linwood patients?
Can my Atlantic County primary care doctor refer me to POA Linwood?
Is the same level of spine expertise available at Linwood as at the Cherry Hill location?
Yes. The majority of patients who come to POA Linwood for a spine evaluation are not surgical candidates, and many never become surgical candidates. Our evaluation process is designed to identify the structural source of pain, determine what conservative treatment is most likely to help, and give patients a realistic timeline for improvement. Surgery is discussed only when the anatomy and symptom picture together indicate it is the most appropriate next step.
Dr. Zerbo holds surgical privileges at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center and Shore Medical Center in Somers Point. Outpatient procedures may be performed at Jersey Shore Ambulatory Center for appropriate cases. Dr. Shah's operative cases are coordinated based on the procedure and patient factors. Specific facility planning is discussed at your surgical consultation.
Yes. POA Linwood accepts referrals from primary care physicians, physiatrists, neurologists, and other specialists throughout Atlantic County and the surrounding region. You can also schedule a consultation directly without a referral. Our team will coordinate any additional imaging or diagnostic studies through the AtlantiCare system for patients who prefer to keep their care within that network.
Yes. Both Dr. Shah and Dr. Zerbo see patients at the Linwood location, and the clinical standard does not vary by location. Patients seen in Linwood receive the same fellowship-trained evaluation, the same surgical technique, and the same post-operative follow-up as patients seen at Cherry Hill or any other POA location. The difference is geography, not quality.
MON — FRI: 8:30AM - 5PM
