Advanced Orthopedics New England is looking to expand their practice in the West Hartford area and throughout Central Connecticut, and has announced the addition of Dr. Alex Ha to the Bloomfield office.

By Ronni Newton

Back problems are pervasive among people of all ages – and while the pain is generally real, many are reluctant to go beyond complaining to seek the right type of treatment.

“Early treatment is most important,” said Dr. Alex Ha, who joined Advanced Orthopedics New England in July, relocating to Connecticut from Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

Dr. Alex Ha. Courtesy photo

“The majority of patients with back pain or sciatica are initially seen at primary care, or PT,” Ha said. And while they may often get the relief they need, sometimes the root of the pain is more complicated and requires more specialized treatment.

“Back pain, neck pain is a very common problem. The majority [of patients] don’t need surgery,” said Ha, but, he added, waiting for the pain to go away on its own may not be the best solution.

Although Ha’s expertise is spinal surgery, that’s not always what he recommends. There can be a variety of types of non-surgical treatment for the pain, and Ha said he plans to foster relationships with local physical therapists to collaborate for solutions for patients.

If a patient does need surgery, Ha brings to the Central Connecticut area a unique skillset that includes expertise in traditional and newer, cutting-edge surgical techniques.

“I do a lot of different kinds of spine surgery,” said Ha, ranging from endoscopic (minimally invasive), to cervical (neck), to treatment of spinal deformities including scoliosis and kyphosis (hunchback). His patients include adolescents as well as adults of all ages.

“Endoscopic spine surgery is a pretty new technique,” said Ha. It’s not common in Connecticut, but has become increasingly popular in Korea over the past decade, with great success. Ha traveled to Korea earlier this year, and worked with a surgeon there who had treated thousands of patients.

With endoscopic surgery, the size of the incision is “literally half the size of a penny,” he said, and that helps with the recovery process.

Ha identifies his areas of focus as: adult spinal deformity, scoliosis, congenital abnormalities, degenerative spine disease, and revision spine surgery, and treats patients with conditions that include herniated discs, myelopathy, spinal instability, and acute or chronic back pain.

Many area spine specialists don’t do surgery for scoliosis, Ha said, but that is one of the conditions he specializes in.

Dr. Ha earned a bachelor’s of science from New York University in 2010, and obtained a Doctor of Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in 2015. His general surgery internship and residency in orthopedic surgery was completed at Columbia University Medical Center, and he continued to refine his specialty with a clinical fellowship in adult and pediatric comprehensive spine surgery at Columbia, where he trained under renowned spine surgeons.

He continues to conduct research into conditions that include proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK), a common complication after adult spinal deformity correction, and seeks to optimize global spinal alignment for better long-term outcomes. Ha’s research findings have been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and also presented worldwide at orthopedic conferences.

For many medical plans, a referral is not needed in order to receive treatment from Ha or his colleagues at Advanced Orthopedics, which in addition to the location at 35 Jolley Drive in Bloomfield also has offices in Enfield and Vernon. Ha currently performs surgery at St. Francis Hospital and the Lighthouse Surgery Center in Hartford. You can also find Dr. Ha on Instagram @drhaspine.

For more information, visit the website ctortho.com.

Dr. Alex Ha stands outside his office building at 35 Jolley Drive, Bloomfield. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

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