Team SpineCare


The Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin SpineCare Program includes a full team of physicians and therapists who work together to provide patients with comprehensive, coordinated care that is individualized to each patient’s needs.


Chiropractor— Chiropractor adjusts joints to relieve pain and restore movement so patients can participate in active rehabilitation


Neurologist— Expert in nervous system disorders evaluates patients with complex neuro-muscular symptoms, such as significant headache


Neurosurgeon and orthopaedic surgeon— treats back and neck pain accompanied by pinched nerves that cannot be resolved through non-invasive therapies


Occupational therapist— Provider shows patients how to perform common activities safely and without pain


Pain psychologist— Psychologist helps patients with depression or anxiety that may impede physical recovery


Physiatrist— Physician treats musculoskeletal disorders and guides patients through recovery and rehabilitation


Physical therapist— Provider helps patients strengthen and stabilize the spine, adopt good body mechanics and learn pain management strategies


Patients WatChed Closely Team-based care helps make sure patients don’t fall through


the cracks. As Joe was going through therapy, his care team monitored his progress closely. They quickly realized that although he had been prescribed a pain medication, he needed extra help. One option for a disc herniation is injection of a steroid medication around the disc and irritated nerve, under X-ray guidance, to reduce inflammation and pain.


“Joe was having problems


participating in therapy because of pain, and we were able to bring down the pain significantly with one injection,” said David K. deDianous, MD, a Medical College of Wisconsin physiatrist. “Joe later received a second injection when his progress slowed.”


n david K. dedianous, Md


“Patients complete a disability and


pain scale questionnaire at their initial visit,” Dr. Braza said. “This tool helps


us monitor patients and make real-time decisions about what they need.”The questionnaires also help the team track their success. Data shows that patients in the program experience significant improvement in pain and function. (See the most recent SpineCare statistics online at froedtert.com.)


Dr. Braza believes one reason for SpineCare’s excellent


outcomes is the team’s “lifelong” approach to back and neck pain. “If you treat a spine disorder as something that is not coming back, you are missing the boat,” she said. “We look at back and neck pain as a recurring event in our lives, so we emphasize developing a wellness approach for the future that includes a personal exercise program.”


“the Best i’ve Felt in years” Joe completed his SpineCare treatment plan last October.


“The day I left Dr. Nelson’s office, I signed up at an athletic club and hired a trainer,” Joe said. He now works out three times a week, focusing on his core strength. He is off pain medications and even dropped a little weight. Best of all, he is back to work and golfing four rounds a week.


n Occupational therapist Carol Fitzgerald (center, orange sweater)


“I am doing more than I have since I was a kid,” Joe


said. “We do a lot of catering in my business, which involves a lot of lifting. People at work are kind of amazed, because now I’m lifting things that I couldn’t lift in 20 years.”


Joe feels good about the future. “I’m now totally confident


I can do these things and not get injured,” he said. “I can’t say enough about Dr. Nelson and his staff,” Joe


said. “Everybody at SpineCare is very thorough, friendly and helpful.” He’s also impressed by their efficiency. “I run a restaurant, and I wish we could take care of people in as timely a manner as they do at SpineCare. The only way they could have made it quicker was to have a drive-through.”


When his treatment was complete, Joe brought in a special


catered lunch to show his appreciation for the SpineCare staff. “They took one of the most painful experiences of my life and they did a 180 for me,” he said. “Being in the restaurant business all my life, that was my way of saying thank you.”


The Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin


SpineCare Program is an outpatient program specializing in the treatment of neck and back pain caused by injury or illness. For more information or to make an appointment, call 414-955-7199. n


froedtert.com Froedtert Today September 2011 9


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