Thomas E. Niemeier, MD, has joined the team of renowned surgeons at Optim Orthopedics and is seeing patients at Optim’s Bluffton, Savannah and Claxton locations.

Dr. Niemeier is an orthopedic spine surgeon who provides consultation and treatment for patients with all spinal disorders, including cervical spine and complex spinal deformities.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Niemeier and have a surgeon of his caliber join our team,” said Mike Butler, CEO of Optim Orthopedics. “He brings a wealth of specialized experience to our already highly regarded team of orthopedic surgeons. With his expertise, as well as his strong passion for quality-based care, we are able to better serve the specialty spine care needs of our community.”

Some conditions treated by Dr. Niemeier include herniated discs, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, spondylosis, radiculopathy, scoliosis and spondylolisthesis. His procedures include disc replacement, micro decompression, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, lateral lumbar interbody fusion, transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion, anterior lumbar interbody fusion, lumber disc microsurgery, and cervical posterior foraminotomy,

In addition to the latest techniques in spinal reconstruction, Dr. Niemeier is trained in minimally-invasive surgery and motion-preserving techniques.

Dr. Niemeier earned a bachelor’s degree at Clemson University before attending medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed a residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center where he was selected as the Kurt Niemann Most Outstanding Resident.

Following residency training, Dr. Niemeier went on to complete specialized fellowship training in Spine Surgery at the Stanford University Hospital in Palo Alto, California. He has published over a dozen peer reviewed journal articles on a wide spectrum of orthopedic topics and continues to have an active role in clinical research. His professional affiliations include the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, North American Spine Society, and AO Spine.