Physician, Associate Professor
Neurological Surgery
Department: Neurological Surgery
I am a neurosurgeon specializing in the treatment of spine disorders, injuries, and illnesses. I obtained my medical degree at Northwestern University and finished neurosurgery residency at the Barrow Neurological Institute, where I also completed a fellowship in complex and minimally invasive spine surgery.
My areas of focus and expertise include:
• Complex spine surgery, with particular focus on revision spine surgery
• Minimally invasive surgery, including spinal endoscopy and robotic surgery
• Spine deformities and scoliosis
• Spine tumors and oncologic surgery
Overall, my philosophy is to use the most minimally invasive treatment strategies to address my patient’s conditions, including maximizing all non-surgical measures first. For complex or challenging problems that cannot be addressed adequately with a minimally invasive option, I can also offer the entire spectrum of traditional surgical techniques.
I treat my patients as partners, and strive to communicate clearly, patiently, and above all else, honestly about all matters relevant to their health and care. I will always take a stand for my patients’ best interests, especially if it doesn’t include surgery!
Please note: Not all physicians schedule patients at each listed location.
The overall patient satisfaction rating is an average of all patient responses to the six doctor communication related questions shown below from the Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. For additional information about the patient satisfaction survey, please visit our Patient Satisfaction Survey page.
The comments are submitted by patients and reflect their view and opinions. The comments are not endorsed by and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.
At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, we support a faculty member’s research and consulting in collaboration with medical device, research and/or drug companies because a faculty member’s expertise can guide important advancements in the practice of medicine and improve patient care. In order to provide effective management of these relationships, the University requires annual disclosures from all faculty members with external interests related to their University responsibilities.
As of 11/3/2025, David Xu has reported no relationships with companies or entities.
He's positive
Outstanding
Best. Excellent communication
Professional, kind, explained everything, thoughtful
He is wonderful! Always knows my past history and problems. Very nice to talk with.
Everyone that I interfaced with was kind, professional, and knowledgable.
Dr. Xu was very kind, very intelligent & helpful. He seemed confident & willing to help me.I felt I little rushed though. .
Seen my problum right away
Dr Xu is a wonderful, caring doctor who always answers all of my questions and explains my options.
Dr Xu was extremely thorough and took the time to explain everything to me.
Good
He talks so a normal human can understand him, answers all questions thoroughly, kind as well as knowledgeable, and a sense of humor.
Def knows his specialty. I did feel rushed after I waited quite a while
He explained my progress clearly and listened to my concerns about my difficulty walking as a result of unequal leg length.
Dr. Zu is fabulous. I felt like I knew him all my life when he walked in the room. He explained the problem throughly and showed me what exactly what the problems were with X-rays, which was very helpful. Dr Zu was very caring, kind, listened to me and compassionate. I was very impressed and grateful that he took his time with me.
Very helpful. Explained very well.
My first appointment went well.
Dr Xu is extremely smart. We discussed several issues and he told me things I never heard before. Unfortunately he recommended that I may need ifuse for my si joint. I have done multiple studies on this procedure it's around 55% success rate. I would like to know how many surgeries he has done with ifuse and the success rate for all patients good or bad.
Listened to my questions and answered completely
Very friendly and outgoing, Knowledgeable