Dr. Christopher Kager, MD

"Dr. Kager performed a lumbar laminectomy in 2019; pain returned 5 months later. Dr. Kager performed a posterior lumbar interbody fusion in 2020. Pain did not go away. Dr. Kager told me there had been some shifting and suggested I see his colleague Dr. Hernandez. Dr. Hernandez informed me that half of my screws were loose & sent me for scoliosis x-rays. I never heard from Dr. Hernandez again. When I called the office to complain about no follow-up I then rec'd a call from a Penn Medicine concierge that Dr. Kager has now referred me to another doctor in Phila., who, after meeting with him, suggested I have the screws and rods removed, which I did in 2021. I agree with other reviewers about the 3 minute appointments with Dr. Kager. Never once did he say "Do you have any questions?" I found him to be curt and abrupt. After the 3 minute appointments, he would stand up and the appt. was over. After my 2 original unsuccessful surgeries I still have lower back pain, but I have decided to live… with it. No more back surgeries for me!"

While he was quite enthusiastic when he entered the room that was about all that was good. Dr. Kager is the Chief of Nuerosurgery at Lancaster General Health Penn Medicine in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I read his reviews before going to see him and was hoping my experience would be different then what the reviews said. But alas the reviews were correct. Dr. Kager was in the room with me for all of three minuets. He walked in and stated, "He knew a lot about me and that he would not take on my case as it was not urgent." He briefly showed me my MRI results which did show abnormalities. He did not ask what any of my symptoms were, if they had gotten better or worse, how I injured myself at work, what I had done in order to help the healing process, if the pain had gotten worse since the accident due to the fact I was not put in a brace, or anything else for that matter. He then said he was referring me to pain management and physical therapy and that my primary care physician needs to… oversee my workers comp case. He had me do three different things during the physical exam and saw I was clearly in pain. Said I would get better in time and then he led me out of the room to his assistant to set up my appointments for pain management and physical therapy. While I am not a doctor I have worked in the medical field for over five years with some of the top orthopedic surgeons in Virginia and I have adequate knowledge of what my diagnosis entails and possible treatment options. I am a 29 year old male in pretty decent health with a bulging disc with an annular tear, facat joint disease, sprain and strain, shooting pains down both legs, a pretty decent amount of pain depending on the day and sometimes severe at random times, parathesia of the bilateral feet and hands, weakness in the legs, increased urinary frequency, urgency to urinate, stool issues, and other symptoms. These symptoms happened after the work injury occurred. Pain management is typically the end all be all and place you go to mask the pain until you cant tolerate it anymore. Between my opinion, my families opinion, my primary care doctors opinion, and several colleagues opinion we believe it would be best to look into other methods of treatment. However workers comp would rather have me see pain management and physical therapy at this time because it was Dr. Kagers recommendation. It is my opinion and belief that Dr. Kager needs to work on his bedside manner, evaluation techniques, and his personality towards his patients. You can only use the excuse that,' Im extremely busy." so many times before it becomes an issue that should be addressed by Dr. Kagers superiors whether it be to cut down on some of his roles and responsibilities or attend patient care centered training something needs to be done. Thank you for reading my review.

Dr. Kager was wonderful. I was not happy about having to have spinal surgery - however, the surgery and the post-op went so much better than I could have ever experienced. I have been pain-free since I woke up in post -op. Thank you so much!!!!

I have two herniated disks in my neck. After slipping on ice in my driveway and falling, I was experiencing numbness and weakness in my right arm. I lost over 50% of my strength in my arm and physical therapy was not making much of a difference. I saw Dr. Kager and after about 2 minutes of talking to me, he suggested surgery to remove the disk and fuse the vertebra. The surgery was scheduled, but I decided to get a second opinion days before the surgery at Hershey Med. I was fortunate to see their head of neurosurgery. After examining me and taking a lot of time to understand what what going on and reviewing MRI imaging in detail, he suggested giving it some more time and getting back into exercising to see if the nerve would recover. Sure enough, after another month of regular exercise the pain subsided and my strength slowly returned. It took a good 3 months for my strength to get back to 100%, but if it wasn't for the second opinion, I would have been rushed into… surgery and who knows if that would have gone well. Not to mention the expense and the rehab that I would have gone through for probably 9 months. I've seen similar reviews about Dr. Kager not really listening to the patient or taking time to understand the situation or look at different options. If you're seeing Dr. Kager, do yourself a favor and get a second opinion. It may be well worth your time, money and health.

Dr. Kager is abrupt, bordering on rude. Sure hope his skills compensate for his lack of empathy. His bedside manner is one of a self importance.

After experiencing numbness in both of my hands, I was referred to Dr. Christopher Kager by my family physician. From my first appointment with Dr. Kager through my diagnosis, surgery and final appointment, I found Dr. Kager and his staff to be top shelf. The incision in my neck has healed nicely, and the numbness in my hands has subsided significantly. I am expecting a complete recovery, and I would recommend Dr. Kager and Lancaster Neuroscience & Spine Associates to anyone in need of a Neurosurgeon!

I was having serious upper leg pain for several years and I was sent for an MRI and then to see Dr. Christopher Kager. He explained about my condition where the nerves were being pinched and causing the pain and that surgery was needed. I had my surgery on a Tuesday afternoon and by Tuesday night I was heading home. Sure the recovery to date was somewhat difficult but if you follow the doctors directions you will do well. It is now about five weeks after my surgery and I am have no pain when walking and only an occasional pinch when I try to push my limits. I feel pretty good and am ready to do a little more but like all good things I must take my time and gradually build up my strength before I can get back to my previous activities. Dr. Kager and staff did a great job and I would recommend him to anyone needing this type of surgery.

Aunque no hablo mucho inglés, siempre se preocupo de que pudiera entender todo; hablándome en español y/o buscando intérprete para mí. Siempre honesto y buscando lo mejor para sus pacientes. Para el doctor KAGER lo más importante es evitar los dolores de sus pacientes, colocando a nuestra disposición toda su experiencia, todo el tiempo que sea necesario y todo su equipo de expertos.

Amazing Results! Thanks Dr. Kager! My burning leg pain was gone immediately! It took 2 months for most of my leg numbness to subside, and I am pain free!!!

I had excruciating pain from sciatica for 2.5 months. Dr Kager discovered that I had a cyst & bone spur pinching a nerve. He suggested surgery to remove those. I woke up after surgery pain free and have been so ever since. Dr Kager and his staff at the surgery center did a fantastic job!