Below are also some trusted resources to help you when you are researching health information or finding out more about orthopedic treatments. Please contact our staff with any questions or concerns you may have.

• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
• American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery
• International Spine Intervention Society
• Minimally-invasive Spine Surgery
• North American Spine Society 
• Orthopaedic Research Society
• Spine Universe
• The Bone and Joint Decade

At North Texas Neck and Back, we understand you want to have your office visit run as smoothly as possible. To help facilitate this process, we have provided our new patient forms here for you to download and complete before your first visit.

Simply click on the links below to download. Print, complete, and bring the forms to your appointment. In order to protect your privacy, please do not e-mail forms.

• New Patient Registration Form: English | Espanol
• Consent to Treat: English | Espanol
• New Patient Intake Form: English
• Medical Release of Information: English | Espanol
• Preparing for Cervical Surgery
• Preparing for Lumbar Surgery
• Preparing for Spine Surgery

Note: The forms are saved in Adobe® Acrobat. If you would like to read, use the form features or print the Adobe files, you will need the Adobe® Reader (version 5.0 or later). Download Adobe Reader for free.

We believe in making it easy for our patients to focus on their treatment and regaining good health. North Texas Neck and Back accepts a wide range of insurance plans and various forms of payment, and will verify benefits prior to your appointment. Please call us at 940-323-3480 if you have any questions.

In order to use the payment portal to pay your bill, please have your statement and billing information readily accessible. For question or payments by phone, call us at 1-800-890-6034.

Patient Testimonial: Debra Hardy

Back Surgery Gets James Back to Playing Golf

Advanced Spine Surgery Helps Patient Regain Active Lifestyle

James Downer isn’t one to let a few minor aches and pains get him down. The active 72 year old likes to play golf and take walks through his neighborhood. After undergoing a laparoscopic surgical procedure for some stomach issues in the summer of 2016, he was recovering well and back on the move. Then he started noticing tingling and numbness in his hands during his regular strolls.

"It was rather unsettling to have numbness all of a sudden, and especially when I was ready to feel good after my surgery,” James said. “I went to visit my primary care doctor, and he ordered an X-ray."

Unfortunately, James didn’t receive a clear-cut diagnosis after the testing. He went on with his daily activities until the symptoms got to be too bothersome. He ended up driving himself to the ER at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton in hopes of finally resolving the issue.

A CT scan showed compression of James’ spinal cord from C3 to C7 (vertebrae). He was referred to orthopedic spine surgeon Michael Catino, M.D., of North Texas Neck and Back.

"James had never experienced spine problems but years of wear and tear had finally taken their toll," according to Dr. Catino. "Without decompression surgery to relieve pressure on his spinal cord, James' condition would only have deteriorated. An anterior decompression technique was performed by entering the spine from the front of the neck rather than using a typical back approach. This allowed for a shorter recovery period for James and less pain."

The 5-hour procedure still came with some downtime and rehab. James was left in a hard plastic collar for two months followed by a soft collar for three weeks, but he was pleasantly surprised at the lack of pain he experienced.

"I can’t say enough good things about Dr. Catino and his work," James said. "He was very understanding and very knowledgeable. He told me everything that was going on and how he would address the problem. The way he performed the surgery through the front of my neck rather than the back — there's the knowledge I was talking about. I'm starting to play a few rounds of golf again. I'm just so happy with the outcome."

Providers employed by Texas Health Physicians Group practice independently and are not employees of Texas Health Resources or its hospitals.