Dr. Thomas Lawhorne III, MD

Optim Orthopedics

Dr. Lawhorne

When Dr. Thomas Lawhorne says he fell into orthopedic surgery, he’s being quite literal.

While attending Emory University Medical school with a notion of going into cardiac surgery, he tore his ACL. “I had a complicated recovery and surgery, so I got to know a lot of the orthopedic residents and learned about the medicine behind it,” he said. “That triggered my interest in orthopedics.”

That initial interest blossomed into a dedication to spinal surgery, nurtured by Dr. Lawhorne’s passion for doing the most good. “With the spine, it satisfied the urge to do things that made a very big impact on someone’s life. When you give someone back the use of their neck or their back, you make a huge impact,” he said. “There’s a significant impact that a spine surgery can make on someone life. I was drawn to that.”

The intervening years have seen him focus his expertise more narrowly on minimally invasive spinal procedures, making him uniquely suited to help patients achieve the best results with the smallest impact. And, helping patients help themselves. Building a partnership between patient and physician is paramount to the work Dr. Lawhorne does.

“You may not do the same procedure for someone who’s 75 years old and retired vs. someone who is 35 and works a manual job. Those patients have different objectives, and you really have to talk to them. and get the patient involved in the decision making process,” he said. “I want to help my patients be as knowledgeable as anyone on their problem. I try to give my patients the whole picture and then let them guide the treatment pathway. They’re the boss.”

College: Princeton University

Medical School: Emory University

Residency: Hospital for Special Surgery

Fellowship: Rush University

American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons Certified