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Pictured from left to right are: Jose Andres Restrepo, M.D., Christine Villoch, M.D., Ronald Tolchin, D.O., Justin Thottam, D.O., Melissa Guanche, M.D., and Caitlin Cicone, D.O.
Answers for back pain Miami Neuroscience Institute’s Spine Center offers comprehensive care
Y
ou bend to grab a piece of paper off the floor and a bolt of pain shoots from your back down your leg. With back and neck pain affecting 80 percent of Americans at some point in their life, it’s an all too common occurrence. But how do you know if the cause of your pain is something serious? The experts at Miami Neuroscience Institute’s Spine Center, a part of Baptist Health, suggest a comprehensive evaluation to get to the root of your problem, alleviate your pain and prevent long-term issues. Physiatrists — physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists — at the Center’s multiple locations deal with issues affecting the spinal cord, including problems with bones, joints, nerves, muscles and tendons. “We almost always isolate the issue, and with a proper diagnosis comes the proper treatment,” said Ronald Tolchin, D.O., medical director. Causes of back and neck pain include degenerative disc disease, arthritis, skeletal abnormalities, spinal stenosis, herniated discs and more. Even screen time and texting can throw the neck out of alignment. And with the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors are seeing an increase in back problems due to too much sitting, not enough exercise, weight gain and working at makeshift home offices that lack chairs with lumbar support and arm rests. 16 Our City Plantation / May 2021 / OurCityMedia.com
The Center works with everyone from athletes to the elderly, and handles extremely complex cases. For some patients, an initial assessment is followed by imaging studies — an MRI or CT scan, for example — that reveal problems such as a narrowing of the spinal column, a bone spur pressing on a nerve, bulging discs or arthritis. Nerve conduction studies are performed on-site. The good news is that medical advances have made it possible for most patients to avoid surgery. “We have a whole armamentarium of noninvasive and holistic treatments available today,” Dr. Tolchin said. The Spine Center team may recommend stretching and physical therapy, anti-inflammatory and injectable medications, weight loss with an anti-inflammatory diet and safe exercise.
Some 90 percent of back and neck problems are improved with these noninvasive approaches. For the 10 percent who require surgery, the Center’s team works closely with the neurosurgeons at Miami Neuroscience Institute. “As a comprehensive spine center, not only do we look at you holistically and provide many services in one location,” Dr. Tolchin said, “but I can literally walk down the hall to any of my neurosurgical colleagues, pull up images and discuss a patient.” Follow-up with back and neck pain patients is also important, according to Dr. Tolchin. “We don’t just treat you and say, ‘See you in five years.’ For some patients, the condition can be chronic. We’re a place where they can find salvation, and we will help them get through it.”
In addition to injections that are administered in the office, minimally invasive radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is performed at an outpatient location. RFA uses heat to disrupt the nerve tissue’s transmission of pain signals to the brain. Epidural and facet joint injections are also handled on an outpatient basis. With locations throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties, Spine Center appointments can be made by calling 786-596-3876 or visiting BaptistHealth.net/Spine.
