Dr. Steven Hughes has had greater than 20 years of experience doing strictly spine surgery. Fellowship trained in minimally invasive, robotic and micro surgery of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, he has special expertise in disorders/injuries of the cervical spine. A former Commander in the US Navy, Dr. Hughes has won numerous awards for scholarly achievements and has served in academia at many prestigious Universities. He has also served as a consultant to biotech companies, working to create innovative products for all patients. Helping patients achieve their full potential is his life’s work. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his family, including his dogs Odin and Lucy Bella.
Raised on a farm in the Catskill region of upstate New York, Dr. Steven Hughes’ parents instilled in him a love for learning and a disciplined work ethic. He used those skills to graduate summa cum laude and achieve junior admission to Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Rochester. In addition, he was selected for early admission to Alpha Omega Alpha while completing his medical degree with honors from the University of Rochester School of Medicine. Dr. Hughes worked as a surgical intern at Bethesda Naval Hospital and was later honorably discharged after serving as a Commander in the United States Navy. Following his internship, he completed an orthopedic surgery residency at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester where he was honored with the Zimmer achievement award for excellent scientific research. Dr. Hughes completed his formal medical training with a fellowship in spinal surgery at Case Western Reserve Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked under the renowned spinal surgeon, Dr. Henry Bohlman.
With a passion for developing personalized treatment plans based on two-way communication and individualized rehabilitation, Dr. Hughes delights in seeing his patients reach their full recovery potential. As a spine specialist, Dr. Hughes primarily focuses on operative and non-operative spinal care. He is trained in microsurgery of the whole spine with a special emphasis on cervical spine care.
An active member of numerous professional medical organizations, Dr. Hughes is one of only two members of the Cervical Spine Research Society in Northern Virginia. He is also involved in academia having served as an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Bowman-Gray School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, and as a Clinical Instructor at Howard University in Washington, DC.
Dr. Hughes is married and has four children. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling with his wife and spending time with his family and two golden retrievers. An FAA certified pilot, Dr. Hughes’ extra-curricular interests also include bird watching, scuba diving, and medico-legal research.
Education & Training
Case Western Reserve Hospital, Spine Surgery Fellowship
Strong Memorial Hospital, Orthopedic Surgery Residency
Bethesda Naval Hospital, General Surgery Internship
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Medical Degree
University of Rochester, Bachelor of Arts
Certifications
Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery
Hospital & Team Affiliations
Inova Fairfax Hospital
Inova Fair Oaks Hospital
OrthoVirginia Operatory
Surgery Center of Chevy Chase
Surgical Center of Potomac
Virginia Hospital Center
Organizations & Awards
Voted Top Doctor by Washingtonian Magazine 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Voted Top Doctor by Northern Virginia Magazine 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Voted Top Doctor by Virginia Living Magazine 2020
Voted Top Doctor by Arlington Magazine 2023
Voted Castle Connolly Top Doctor 2025
Selected to the Best Doctors database for Virginia Living Magazine 2014
Selected as one of the Best Doctors in America by Harvard University School of Medicine, 2008
Named to the America’s Best Doctors” list sponsored by Northern Virginia Magazine 2008, 2009
Moderator at the 25th Annual Instructional Course of the Cervical Spine Research Society
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Cervical Spine Research Society
North American Spine Society
Eastern Orthopaedic Association
Southern Orthopaedic Association
Orthopaedic Research Society
Alpha Omega Alpha
Patient Testimonials & Videos
“Life altering. I am incredibly grateful and feel exceptionally fortunate to have had Dr. Hughes as my spine surgeon. Before the surgery, I was struggling with deteriorating mobility that severely impacted my quality of life. Dr. Hughes, with remarkable expertise and promptness, accurately diagnosed my condition and recommended lumbar spine surgery.
The surgery itself was a tremendous success. Dr. Hughes skillfully performed the procedure, cleaning up my lumbar spine from L1-L5, and the fusion of L4/L5 brought immediate relief. Astonishingly, I was able to walk just hours after the surgery and have since faced no difficulties.
I am eternally thankful to Dr. Hughes for resolving a long-standing and debilitating condition. Prior to the surgery, I feared a future crippled by spine mobility issues, but now, thanks to Dr. Hughes, I have a renewed and positive outlook on life. This intervention was nothing short of life-altering for the better. Dr. Hughes’ skill and care have profoundly improved my quality of life, and I cannot express enough gratitude for this incredible change.” — Lloyd S.
“I injured my back in the early 1980’s. I was on a constant supply of oxycontin and flexural for five years. Dr. Hughes performed a lower lumbar disc fusion on me in 2014. Three days after surgery, I was in Richmond, Virginia walking around at a dog show. I have had no problems with my back what-so-ever. I am so happy Dr. Hughes performed the surgery. Most people are afraid of back surgery due to the horror stories. I would highly recommend Dr. Hughes to anyone. Thank you, Dr. Hughes! You made my life livable again.” – Larry R.
“In December 2019 I slipped on my deck and from that incident I started having a lot of back pain which gradually got worse. I was prescribed medicine and physical therapy which did not touch the pain. I had gotten to the point to where I could barely walk or stand up straight or do much of anything. My regular doctor gave me a referral to have a MRI and a referral for OrthoVirginia, Dr. Hughes. While Dr. Hughes was reviewing my MRI he discovered a large mass on my spinal cord that was causing me to have paralysis in my legs and sent me right away to Fairfax ER. I was admitted in the hospital on 5/12/2020, surgery was done the evening of 5/13/2020 to remove the mass of arthritis. I was up that night around 9:00pm standing straight and walking without any pain just some soreness from the surgery. I was so happy and excited that I called and woke up my sister just to talk the next morning at 4:30. Dr. Hughes and his team did such an awesome job at giving me my legs and essential my life back.” – Thomas F.
Treatments
Anterior Cervical Microdiscectomy With Fusion
Cervical Disc Replacement
Cervical Spine Surgery
Computer Assisted Robotic Spine Surgery
Laminectomy
Lumbar Spine Surgery
Microdiscectomy
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
Thoracic Spine Surgery
Video: Get to Know Dr. Hughes
Video: Do I Need Spine Surgery?
Video: What to Do When You Have Been Offered Elective Surgery
Video: When to Worry About Back Pain
Raised on a farm in the Catskill region of upstate New York, Dr. Steven Hughes’ parents instilled in him a love for learning and a disciplined work ethic. He used those skills to graduate summa cum laude and achieve junior admission to Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Rochester. In addition, he was selected for early admission to Alpha Omega Alpha while completing his medical degree with honors from the University of Rochester School of Medicine. Dr. Hughes worked as a surgical intern at Bethesda Naval Hospital and was later honorably discharged after serving as a Commander in the United States Navy. Following his internship, he completed an orthopedic surgery residency at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester where he was honored with the Zimmer achievement award for excellent scientific research. Dr. Hughes completed his formal medical training with a fellowship in spinal surgery at Case Western Reserve Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked under the renowned spinal surgeon, Dr. Henry Bohlman.
With a passion for developing personalized treatment plans based on two-way communication and individualized rehabilitation, Dr. Hughes delights in seeing his patients reach their full recovery potential. As a spine specialist, Dr. Hughes primarily focuses on operative and non-operative spinal care. He is trained in microsurgery of the whole spine with a special emphasis on cervical spine care.
An active member of numerous professional medical organizations, Dr. Hughes is one of only two members of the Cervical Spine Research Society in Northern Virginia. He is also involved in academia having served as an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Bowman-Gray School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, and as a Clinical Instructor at Howard University in Washington, DC.
Dr. Hughes is married and has four children. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling with his wife and spending time with his family and two golden retrievers. An FAA certified pilot, Dr. Hughes’ extra-curricular interests also include bird watching, scuba diving, and medico-legal research.
Case Western Reserve Hospital, Spine Surgery Fellowship
Strong Memorial Hospital, Orthopedic Surgery Residency
Bethesda Naval Hospital, General Surgery Internship
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Medical Degree
University of Rochester, Bachelor of Arts
Certifications
Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery
Inova Fairfax Hospital
Inova Fair Oaks Hospital
OrthoVirginia Operatory
Surgery Center of Chevy Chase
Surgical Center of Potomac
Virginia Hospital Center
Voted Top Doctor by Washingtonian Magazine 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Voted Top Doctor by Northern Virginia Magazine 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Voted Top Doctor by Virginia Living Magazine 2020
Voted Top Doctor by Arlington Magazine 2023
Voted Castle Connolly Top Doctor 2025
Selected to the Best Doctors database for Virginia Living Magazine 2014
Selected as one of the Best Doctors in America by Harvard University School of Medicine, 2008
Named to the America’s Best Doctors” list sponsored by Northern Virginia Magazine 2008, 2009
Moderator at the 25th Annual Instructional Course of the Cervical Spine Research Society
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Cervical Spine Research Society
North American Spine Society
Eastern Orthopaedic Association
Southern Orthopaedic Association
Orthopaedic Research Society
Alpha Omega Alpha
“Life altering. I am incredibly grateful and feel exceptionally fortunate to have had Dr. Hughes as my spine surgeon. Before the surgery, I was struggling with deteriorating mobility that severely impacted my quality of life. Dr. Hughes, with remarkable expertise and promptness, accurately diagnosed my condition and recommended lumbar spine surgery.
The surgery itself was a tremendous success. Dr. Hughes skillfully performed the procedure, cleaning up my lumbar spine from L1-L5, and the fusion of L4/L5 brought immediate relief. Astonishingly, I was able to walk just hours after the surgery and have since faced no difficulties.
I am eternally thankful to Dr. Hughes for resolving a long-standing and debilitating condition. Prior to the surgery, I feared a future crippled by spine mobility issues, but now, thanks to Dr. Hughes, I have a renewed and positive outlook on life. This intervention was nothing short of life-altering for the better. Dr. Hughes’ skill and care have profoundly improved my quality of life, and I cannot express enough gratitude for this incredible change.” — Lloyd S.
“I injured my back in the early 1980’s. I was on a constant supply of oxycontin and flexural for five years. Dr. Hughes performed a lower lumbar disc fusion on me in 2014. Three days after surgery, I was in Richmond, Virginia walking around at a dog show. I have had no problems with my back what-so-ever. I am so happy Dr. Hughes performed the surgery. Most people are afraid of back surgery due to the horror stories. I would highly recommend Dr. Hughes to anyone. Thank you, Dr. Hughes! You made my life livable again.” – Larry R.
“In December 2019 I slipped on my deck and from that incident I started having a lot of back pain which gradually got worse. I was prescribed medicine and physical therapy which did not touch the pain. I had gotten to the point to where I could barely walk or stand up straight or do much of anything. My regular doctor gave me a referral to have a MRI and a referral for OrthoVirginia, Dr. Hughes. While Dr. Hughes was reviewing my MRI he discovered a large mass on my spinal cord that was causing me to have paralysis in my legs and sent me right away to Fairfax ER. I was admitted in the hospital on 5/12/2020, surgery was done the evening of 5/13/2020 to remove the mass of arthritis. I was up that night around 9:00pm standing straight and walking without any pain just some soreness from the surgery. I was so happy and excited that I called and woke up my sister just to talk the next morning at 4:30. Dr. Hughes and his team did such an awesome job at giving me my legs and essential my life back.” – Thomas F.
