Dr. Michael Gerling tells First Responders when NOT to have a surgery

By The Blue Magazine Editorial Team

A few months ago, Dr. Michael Gerling walked into a Paterson firehouse carrying breakfast. More than 30 firefighters were there. He could have dropped off the food, shaken a few hands and left.

He stayed.

Dr. gerling visiting paterson fire department

For roughly 20 minutes, Dr. Gerling spoke with the firefighters about back and neck injuries, pain and treatment. They asked questions, he answered them. For Dr. Gerling, those conversations are the reason he enjoys the visits. He has said it is an honor simply to sit with first responders, answer their questions and give them a little knowledge that might help.

It was a simple visit.

But for BLUE, it represented something larger. We’ve known Dr. Gerling for years. We’ve seen his support for law enforcement and first responders throughout New York and New Jersey.

That’s why he’s on this cover, it’s about trust.

Dr. Gerling is a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon whose career has included academic medicine, surgical education and research. But the credentials only tell part of the story. Over the years, law-enforcement officers and first responders have trusted Gerling with their care and, in some cases, with their spines.

Some underwent surgery and returned to work. Some continued their careers for years before eventually retiring. Today, they are doing well but Gerling’s reputation among officers isn’t built simply on the surgeries he performs.

It is also built on the ones he doesn’t. Dr. Gerling does not believe every back or neck problem belongs in an operating room. He has evaluated officers and told them they didn’t need surgery. When another course of treatment made more sense, that is what he recommended.

For Dr. Gerling, surgery is a last resort that matters when someone is deciding whom to trust with his or her spine. And when Dr. Gerling does recommend surgery, officers know he believes there is a reason for it. His work also extends beyond spine surgery into regenerative medicine. Dr. Gerling says his practice can help patients with a wide range of injuries and irritation involving joints, tendons and ligaments, using treatments that include stem cells and platelet-rich plasma, or PRP.

He is a surgeon but surgery is not always the answer that may be one of the reasons people trust him.

Years ago, BLUE saw another side of Dr. Gerling firsthand. He opened his office to a group of law-enforcement officers and firefighters for a project built around the first-responder community. There were cameras, conversations and a photo shoot, but what stood out was Dr. Gerling himself.

He understood the vision, he participated.

He was hands-on. He wanted to create something that spoke directly to the men and women wearing the uniform. That was years before this cover.

behind the scenes of dr. gerling’s photoshoot

And sometimes the call isn’t even about the person wearing the uniform.

An officer once reached out because her daughter was having back problems. She was concerned and didn’t know where to take her, Dr. Gerling was contacted.

His answer was immediate:

“Bring her tomorrow.”

“Bring her tomorrow”

— Dr. Gerling

He saw her, evaluated her, arranged the appropriate imaging and helped the family navigate what came next. That tells you more than another paragraph of credentials ever could.

Dr. Gerling has also supported law-enforcement and first-responder organizations and charitable causes, including Moment of Silence and its work with first responders and children.

For Gerling, the reason is simple.

“It’s an honor to give a little back to the first responders in our communities,” Dr. Gerling said. “They risk so much for all of us.”

More importantly, he acts on it.

Dr. Gerling and Deputy cheif george guzman, Haledon Police department

Dr. Gerling has been working in an area and called to ask whether there was a police department or firehouse nearby. Sometimes he brings breakfast. The breakfast isn’t important.

The fact that he goes himself is.

Dr. Gerling with paterson public safety director jerry speziale

BLUE has covered law enforcement for 17 years. We’ve met plenty of people who say they support this community. Over time, you learn the difference between association and commitment. Michael Gerling has operated on officers, he has told other officers they didn’t need an operation.

He has helped their families. He has supported their organizations and sometimes he has simply walked into their firehouse or police department carrying breakfast. None of those things, by itself, explains why he is on this cover.

Together, they do.

His credentials tell you what he does. His judgment tells you what kind of doctor he is. His actions tell you what kind of man he is.

The men and women of law enforcement and the first-responder community spend their careers showing up for everyone else. Michael Gerling has spent years showing them that when they need someone in their corner, he’ll be there.

HE HAS THEIR BACK.