About
Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon
Dr. Laurence McEntee is a highly regarded orthopaedic spine surgeon located in Southport, Queensland.
Conservative Approach
Before recommending surgery, Dr. McEntee will first recommend a non-surgical approach, if at all possible.
Motion Preservation
Specialising in motion preservation surgery, Dr. McEntee strives to help patients become pain-free and active.
Disc Replacement
Dr. McEntee also has tremendous expertise in the motion preservation procedure - artificial disc replacement.
Dr. Laurence McEntee is a highly regarded orthopaedic spine surgeon who specialises in motion preservation spine surgery. Although Dr. McEntee is a spine surgeon, he really views himself as more of a spine healer.
“Most of my patients find it interesting that I don’t immediately recommend surgery,” said Dr. McEntee. “In reality, I only do surgery on about 20 percent of the patients who come to see me.”
The vast majority of his patients benefit from the more conservative approaches he recommends like physical therapy, guided steroid injections, lifestyle changes, pain management techniques, or a combination of these approaches.
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“My job is to help my patients get better, not to do surgery,” he explained. “I get many patients who have fairly complex problems who have been told they will just have to learn to live with the pain, and that’s not right. There is almost always something that can be done – we don’t give up on our patients.”
Those patients who do end up having surgery benefit from Dr. McEntee’s expertise – especially in the area of motion preservation.
“Motion preservation surgery has many benefits, especially when compared to spine fusion, and I use it whenever possible,” he explained. “With motion preservation surgery, you can maintain normal or near-normal motion in the spine – and that’s always better.”
Dr. McEntee was born and raised in New Zealand, graduating in 1999 from The University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Human Biology, and then again in 2002 with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery. After completing orthopaedic training, Dr. McEntee became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2011. Having developed a special interest in spine surgery, he relocated to the Gold Coast with his family in 2012 and completed the Allamanda Private Hospital Spinal Fellowship, under the supervision of Associate Professor Mathew Scott-Young. Dr. McEntee then joined Gold Coast Spine, before starting his own practice in 2020.
Dr. McEntee joined Gold Coast Spine in 2012 before starting his own practice in 2020. In addition to being a spine surgeon, Dr. McEntee is also an Assistant Professor with Bond University’s faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine and is actively involved in ongoing research aimed at improving the outcomes of spine surgery.
Dr. McEntee is a member of the Spine Society of Australia, the North American Spine Society, and the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. Additionally, he is also a Certified Independent Medical Examiner.
My job
...is to help patients get better, not just do surgery.
We see a lot of patients
...who have been told they have to learn to live with the pain. We don't give up on our patients.
My patients receive
...excellent care, whether that's surgical or nonsurgical.
Of all the patients
...who come to see me, I only perform surgery on about 20 percent.
I’m an approachable guy
...and I want my patients to feel comfortable talking to me.
I work hard
...to help get my patients out of pain and back to living their lives again.