Appointments:    800 670-0302

Welcome to my practice...

Conditions I frequently treat:

• Back and Neck Pain
• Disc Degeneration in Neck and Back
• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Total Disk Replacement  - Cervical Spine
• Total Disc Replacement - Lumbar Spine 
• Disc Herniation in Neck or Back
• Spinal Instability
• Scoliosis
• Spondylolisthesis
• Failed Back Surgery
• Spinal Stenosis
• Cervical Stenosis and Spinal Cord Compression
• Spinal Fractures
• Sacroiliac Pain and Dysfunction
• Degenerative Disc Disease

A little about Dr. McLain

Dr. McLain is a Fellowship trained Back and Neck surgeon, and has served as an educator and investigator in spine surgery, studying important areas of spine care such as artificial disc replacements for the neck and back, sacroiliac fusions for SI joint pain, minimally invasive surgery for the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spinal segments, and state-of-the-art techniques of fusion and reconstruction.
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• Recognized as a leader in spine surgery and education throughout the United States and the International Spine Surgery Community.
• Faculty member and Fellowship Director of the Cleveland Clinic Spine Surgery Center for more than 16 years, holding appointments in both Neurosurgery and Orthopaedics
• Member of the Surgical Staff of the Spine and Orthopaedic Institute for the St Vincent Medical Center for five years before moving to the Beachwood Medical Center and Northern Ohio Surgery Center.
• Noted researcher and Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Cleveland State University
• The principle investigator for both basic science and clinical research programs.
• An author of over 190 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on spinal disease and surgical treatment,
• Recipient of numerous awards for research and innovation.​

Dr. McLain combines the most well-established fundamental principles of spine care with cutting-edge technology and instrumentation to provide each individual patient with the best treatment for their spinal problem.

Learn More

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Recent Publications

Perry TG1, Mageswaran P, Colbrunn RW, Bonner TF, Francis T, McLain RF.: Biomechanical Evaluation of a Simulated T-9 Burst Fracture of the Thoracic Spine with an Intact Rib Cage.  J Neurosurg Spine. 2014 Sep;21(3):481-8.

Lavelle W, McLain RF, Rufo-Smith C, Gurd DP: Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial of the Stabilis Stand Alone Cage (SAC) versus Bagby and Kuslich (BAK) Implants for Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion.   Int J Spine Surg. 2014 Dec 1;8. Doi: 10.14444/1008.

McLain RF, Agrawal BM, Silverstein MP:  Acute Cauda Equina Syndrome Caused by a Disk Herniation: Surgical decompression remains the standard of care. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). May 2015.

McLain, RF, Techy, F: Trephine Technique for Iliac Crest Bone Graft Harvest. Long Term Results. Spine 46(1):41-47, 2021. 

McLain, R.F.: Novel Graft Technique for Lumbopelvic Reconstruction after Sacral Tumor Resection.  J Bone Joint Surg: Case Connector 2021.

Honors and Awards

Elected President of the MidAmerica Orthopaedic Association in 2018, the largest regional association for Orthopaedic Surgeons in the US, Dr. McLain is recognized as a national leader in Orthopaedic Surgery, Research and Education.
​He has received a number of awards for clinical and academic achievement over the years, including the American Orthopaedic Association's most prestigious awards:

• American/British/Canadian (ABC) Fellowship, and the 
• North American Traveling Fellowship Award. 
• The Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation Research Award, for basic scientific research

and several awards for individual research programs, and many annual awards for superior clinical and patient care: 

• Fourteen annual America's Top Doctors awards since 2007. 

• Honored as a "Healthcare Hero" for outstanding patient care in 2012 by Crain's Business Journal , and
• Recognized by Castle and Connolly as one of the Nation's Top Doctors in Orthopaedics and Spine Surgery.

Dr. McLain continues to serve as an instructor at national and international forums, and as an editor for top medical journals in Spine and Orthopaedic Surgery. He continues to serve in leadership for the American Orthopaedic Association, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, The North American Spine Society, the Scoliosis Research Society, and the Mid-America Orthopaedic Association.
​He is an Eagle Scout, and has remained an active supporter of Scouting and the Scouting program in the Cleveland area.