Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/883365
torrancememorial.org PULSE | 37 ur backs are in bad shape. And not getting better. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), each year 28.1% of the adult population— almost 70 million people—reports experiencing low back pain. at rate increases to 32.1% of Americans aged 45 to 64. And despite better education about core strength and how to li heavy objects, rates across age ranges have remained constant since 1997. "From my perspective, the back is just a weak link in our anatomy," says Tiffany Rogers, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with the Torrance Memorial Physician Network. "Nearly everyone has had a back or neck problem at some point in their lives. What's changed," she notes, "is that our ability to diagnose, treat and surgically repair these problems has advanced dramatically in the past 50 years." Dr. Rogers' mother had back surgery about 55 years ago, "and she was bedbound for six months," Dr. Rogers recalls. "She had to be turned with a sheet because she had a fusion procedure. Back casts and confinement were attempts to get the bones to grow and fuse. Now we can put supports inside. She actually healed and did well, but I could have done the procedure in less than an hour, and she would have gone home the next day. Our advanced technolog y is phenomenal." Together with the other orthopedic surgeons of the Torrance Memorial Physician Network, Dr. Rogers will be safeguarding Torrance Memorial's place at the forefront of orthopedic care in Los Angeles and the South Bay in particular. "I'm really excited to be offering something this special to our community," Dr. Rogers says. "With a state-of-the-art orthopedic and spine center right here in the South Bay, no one will need to travel to get the care they need. "I've enjoyed all the aspects of private practice, but working within this network I have an opportunity to be part of something bigger: that's Torrance Memorial, which has top-notch surgical, nursing and patient care services from those involved at all levels of care." THE EVOLUTION OF SPINE CARE Surgeon Randy O'Hara, MD, is a colleague of Dr. Rogers, specializing in the spine, and was born and raised in the South Bay. He has been practicing here for 23 years, and also has seen tremendous growth in what he says is less invasive spine surgery. "Our goal is to accomplish fusion, disc replacement and other procedures with less trauma to the tissues. And we focus on getting the patient out of bed and into rehab much sooner. ere's a real team effort between the doctor, the nurse, the physical therapist and pain control aer surgery. Occupational therapy is crucial, too, working on simple everyday living—you have to make sure the patient is ready for that. Artificial disc technolog y is another innovation Dr. O'Hara finds promising : "e discs are made of materials like titanium and polyethylene, and the idea is to stabilize the area but allow motion, as a way to prevent degeneration, which can happen with a fusion." One of the things "everyone is talking about" is stem cell therapy for spinal injuries, "but it's not yet evidence-based," Dr. O'Hara notes. "e joint program at Torrance Memorial has gone very well," he adds, "And we're working together to establish specific protocols for all orthopedic surgery, to make everything go more smoothly. at kind of coordination and organization is better for the patient." A SYSTEMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN CARE Orthopedic surgeon Keri Zickuhr, MD, welcomes what she views as the future of health care: system-wide efficiency and standardization of care using fact-based approaches. e joint replacement unit at Torrance Memorial is already the fourth busiest in Los Angeles County, and Dr. Zickuhr, who specializes in foot and ankles, sees this systematic uniformity as essential under the auspices of developing a center of excellence. "Better communication translates to better patient care," says Dr. Zickuhr. "When the patient can be treated as a whole person and doctors have access to direct communication within their network, the patients win. Torrance "DURING SPINAL SURGERY WE CAN ACTUALLY MONITOR THE CORD ITSELF, AND IF THERE ARE ANY CHANGES WE KNOW AND CAN RESPOND IMMEDIATELY." "WHEN THE PATIENT CAN BE TREATED AS A WHOLE PERSON AND DOCTORS HAVE ACCESS TO DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITHIN THEIR NETWORK, THE PATIENTS WIN." Keri Zickuhr, MD Randy O'Hara, MD