Lloyd Youngblood
Encyclopedia
Lloyd Youngblood, M.D., is a leading board-certified neurosurgeon. He was the chief of the Department of Neurosurgery
at Methodist Hospital
in San Antonio, Texas
until December of 2002. He is currently the VP of the South Texas Organ Bank.
Working extensively with professional wrestlers, Youngblood has performed neck surgery on several renowned professional wrestlers, including Kurt Angle
, Chris Benoit
, Edge
, Lita
, Gregory Helms
, Bob Holly
, Scotty 2 Hotty, Test and Rhyno
. He has also worked extensively with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
and Matt and Jeff Hardy
.
Born in Beaumont, Texas
in 1946, Youngblood received his Bachelor of Arts
degree from Rice University
in 1969. He graduated with honors from Baylor College of Medicine
in 1973 and carried out his internship and residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
in Washington, D.C.
. He stayed in the Army for the next 20 years, becoming Assistant Chief of the Neurosurgical Surgery Service at Landstuhl
Army Regional Medical Center in Germany
from 1979 to 1982 and becoming Chief of the Neurological Surgery Service at Brooke Army Medical Center
, Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas from 1983 to 1989. He retired from the Army in 1989.
Youngblood later joined Methodist Hospital
in San Antonio. In 2000, he performed an anterior cervical discectomy on professional wrestler "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, allowing him to regain his WWE Championship and extend his career by another 3 years. At the time, Austin's injury was the worst of its type that Youngblood had ever seen in his professional career. He later performed a similar operation on Chris Benoit, his 4 hour surgery being recorded and televised on several World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE) shows. After his fame in performing neck operations increased, he performed neck fusions on Bob Holly, Amy Dumas (Lita), Terry Gerin (Rhyno), and several others. He has also operated on Gary DeLaune, a reporter for KENS television station.
Youngblood was one of an estimated 2,500 neurological surgeons and other medical experts both in the United States and internationally who were in attendance at the 50th annual Congress of Neurological Surgeons during which actor Michael J. Fox
spoke about his ongoing battle with Parkinson's disease
and the need for continued medical research on the degenerative neurological condition on September 27, 2000.
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
at Methodist Hospital
Methodist Hospital
Methodist Hospital is the name of numerous medical institutions.* The Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas* Methodist Medical Center of Illinois, Peoria, Illinois* Methodist Hospital of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana...
in San Antonio, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
until December of 2002. He is currently the VP of the South Texas Organ Bank.
Working extensively with professional wrestlers, Youngblood has performed neck surgery on several renowned professional wrestlers, including Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
, Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
, Edge
Adam Copeland
Adam Joseph Copeland is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Edge. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract....
, Lita
Amy Dumas
Amy Christine Dumas , known by her primary stage name Lita, is the lead singer for the band The Luchagors as well as a retired professional wrestler and WWE Diva active from 1999 to 2006....
, Gregory Helms
Gregory Helms
Gregory Shane Helms is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment where he wrestled as The Hurricane and Gregory Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms...
, Bob Holly
Bob Holly
Robert "Bob" Howard better known by his ring name Bob "Hardcore" Holly, is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for his 15-year stint with World Wrestling Entertainment ....
, Scotty 2 Hotty, Test and Rhyno
Terry Gerin
Terrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. He has also worked extensively with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
and Matt and Jeff Hardy
Hardy Boyz
The Hardy Boyz are a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy...
.
Born in Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
in 1946, Youngblood received his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
in 1969. He graduated with honors from Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine, located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, USA, is a highly regarded medical school and leading center for biomedical research and clinical care...
in 1973 and carried out his internship and residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center was the United States Army's flagship medical center until 2011. Located on 113 acres in Washington, D.C., it served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. He stayed in the Army for the next 20 years, becoming Assistant Chief of the Neurosurgical Surgery Service at Landstuhl
Landstuhl
Landstuhl , literally translating as "country-throne", is a municipality of over 9,000 people in southwestern Germany. It is part of the district of Kaiserslautern, in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and is home to the Sickinger Schloss, a small castle. It is situated on the north-western edge...
Army Regional Medical Center in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
from 1979 to 1982 and becoming Chief of the Neurological Surgery Service at Brooke Army Medical Center
Brooke Army Medical Center
Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio is part of the United States Army Medical Command. It is a University of Texas Health Science Center and USUHS teaching hospital and contains the Army Burn Center....
, Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas from 1983 to 1989. He retired from the Army in 1989.
Youngblood later joined Methodist Hospital
Methodist Hospital
Methodist Hospital is the name of numerous medical institutions.* The Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas* Methodist Medical Center of Illinois, Peoria, Illinois* Methodist Hospital of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana...
in San Antonio. In 2000, he performed an anterior cervical discectomy on professional wrestler "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, allowing him to regain his WWE Championship and extend his career by another 3 years. At the time, Austin's injury was the worst of its type that Youngblood had ever seen in his professional career. He later performed a similar operation on Chris Benoit, his 4 hour surgery being recorded and televised on several World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE) shows. After his fame in performing neck operations increased, he performed neck fusions on Bob Holly, Amy Dumas (Lita), Terry Gerin (Rhyno), and several others. He has also operated on Gary DeLaune, a reporter for KENS television station.
Youngblood was one of an estimated 2,500 neurological surgeons and other medical experts both in the United States and internationally who were in attendance at the 50th annual Congress of Neurological Surgeons during which actor Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
spoke about his ongoing battle with Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
and the need for continued medical research on the degenerative neurological condition on September 27, 2000.