Dr. Pledger was born and raised in Evansville, Indiana.

He attended high school in Evansville. He attended college at St. Louis University majoring in biology. From St. Louis, he went to Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana.

His internship was done back in  his hometown of Evansville at St. Mary's Hospital. From there he came to Ohio where he spent one year in General Surgery residency and three (3) years of  Orthopedic residency.

After his residency he spent two (2) years in the United States Navy as part of the teaching staff at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Portsmouth, VA.

From the Navy, he came to Middletown, Ohio, where he joined Drs. Kiefhaber and Langworthy in a general orthopedic practice. He spent 23.5 years in that practice.

In January 2001, he branched off to form Pledger Orthopedic and Spine Center. His practice centers on diseases of the spine--neck, upper and lower back. His interest in the spine started in Cincinnati during his orthopedic training. It continued during the Navy and really materialized years ago in 1986 with special training in spinal fixation. One of his main interests is in osteoporosis.

Dr. Pledger was the first surgeon in the Southwest Ohio trained to  perform the Kyphoplasty procedure for the treatment of osteoporotic compression fractures of the spine. He has been trained in all of the latest techniques and procedures for dealing with complex degenerative disorders and fractures of the spine.