| |
Home >> Treatment
Treatment Options
You determine the quality of healthcare you receive with your choice of physician. Dr. John Regan is a spine surgeon in the Los Angeles area and offers the following educational information on spine treatment.
Some patients learn the hard way that convenient care sometimes is not always the best care. These patients may start out having — what was told to them as — “simple spine surgery” but it turns out to be anything but simple. Some patients end up having unnecessary spine surgery, or aggressive spine surgery procedures with screws and plates, that then creates additional problems, including “failed back surgery syndrome.” This can cause chronic back pain or neck pain that is actually worse than the original pain symptoms.
Patients with ongoing pain after spine surgery can represent extremely complex patients to treat. Many patients with failed back surgery find themselves having to travel hundreds of miles to find a spine specialist who is proficient in surgical restoration.
Spine patients travel to our practice in Los Angeles from across the United States after they research the treatment options available to them in their own locale. Patients travel nationally to us for the following reasons:
-
A patient may have a complex spine problem that local spine surgeons are not proficient with, and the spine specialist then refers the patient to us.
-
A patient may have a herniated disc in the upper back area (thoracic spine) which represents a highly complex spine problem. To get access to the front of the spine can require risky surgery around the heart, lungs and spinal cord. Dr. Regan pioneered a procedure called Video-Assisted Thoracotomy which enables him to access thoracic discs through tiny incisions and probes with cameras and cutting devices in the tips. Instead of risky surgery through the chest, Dr. Regan is able to repair thoracic discs through minimally invasive spine surgery technique. Few spine surgeons in the nation are proficient or experienced in this very specialized procedure.
-
A patient may have scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and may desire the most advanced minimally invasive scoliosis correction. Instead of the typical 10-inch long scar to access and correct the spinal curve, Dr. Regan is able to correct the spinal curve through three short incisions which makes recovery less painful for the patient and much quicker.
Dr. John Regan during his medical career was one of the key physicians within Texas Back Institute, the first spine specialty clinic in the United States. Over the following years, Dr. Regan was a partner in this physician-owned spine Center of Excellence as it grew quickly from 1986 to 1995 to become the largest and most respected spine center in the world.
In 2001, Cedars Sinai Institute in Southern California recruited Dr. Regan to relocate to Southern California and help the hospital create a similarly respected spine program for the Los Angeles region. For the next four years, Dr. Regan helped Cedars Sinai improve their spine program accordingly.
In 2005, because of the demand for his expertise as a spine surgeon by patients traveling cross country, Dr. Regan left Cedars Sinai and set up a busy spine specialty practice in the affluent city of Beverly Hills. For the past seven years he has cared for patients visiting from across the United States. Dr. Regan also has upon request of dignitaries in the Middle East, has traveled to those countries to train other spine surgeons in spine surgery.
As of 2012, Dr. Regan’s spine specialty practice has grown to include Los Angeles spine offices at DISC Sport & Spine Center in Beverly Hills and Newport Beach, California. Through his affiliation with DISC Sport and Spine Center, Dr. Regan is able to provide patients with a multi-disciplinary approach that includes the expertise of spine physicians in the specialties of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and spine-specialized therapists. This expertise in non-surgical spine care augments Dr. Regan’s expertise in spine surgery.
For more information on various treatment options for back pain and neck pain, click the appropriate links below.
Looking for a "Quick Fix"
In our fast-paced society, we often look for "quick fix" solution — a pill or injection or surgery — to quickly remove the pain.
Back and neck pain is similar to heart problems. A person who has a “heart attack” will often have years of heart disease and high risk behavior that heightens their risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Those with back or neck pain can similarly become sedentary, or become out of shape, gaining extra weight that places more strain on the low back. Just as a cardiologist will recommend a change in diet away from high cholesterol foods and more exercise, a spine physician and spine therapist may want you to make your back stronger, more flexible and more resistant to future injury.
Spine Care Requires a Lifestyle Commitment
While a spinal injection, procedure or surgery can help relieve symptoms, not maintaining spinal muscle strength and flexibility, or use of good body mechanics can increase your likelihood of future problems. Many times, you have to remember that as you get older, past age 40, the back is more prone to strain and sprain, and you need to avoid lifting heavy objects, or participating in contact sports that can damage your back or neck.
[Top]
Quick Links: Home | About Dr. John Regan, Los Angeles Spine Surgeon | Contact Information for Los Angeles locations | Appointment Scheduling | Get a Second Opinion | Spine Conditions | Spine Treatment Options: Nonsurgical Spine Care, Spine Surgery including surgery for Cervical, Lumbar and Thoracic Disc Herniation, Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Lateral Access Surgery, Anatomic Facet Replacement System | Clinical Trials | Patient Center | Educational Resources | For Physicians | Appointment Scheduling for Dr. John Regan, Spine Surgeon in Los Angeles, CA
Educational illustrations and content Copyright © 2011 Prizm Development, Inc.
Web Site Design by Prizm Development, Inc.,
the most experienced developer of spine centers of excellence.
www.prizmdevelopment.com
|
|
Welcome to John J. Regan, MD
Click here to listen to a message from Dr.
John Regan about finding freedom from back pain.
Recognize emergency symptoms
for back and neck pain
Do you have weakness or numbness in a hand or foot?
Are you unable to raise your toe as you walk?
Do you have any loss of bowel or bladder control?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, click here. |
