The goal of this academic publication is to inform and educate physicians and their staff about spine care and neurosurgery.
A Word From The Editor
Steven C. Zielinski, MD, CM, FRCSC
Diplomate of the American Board of Neurological Surgery
Welcome. This is our second year in publication. Our goal is to aid and inform family doctors and community providers as well as their staff. We want to help practitioners treat their patients with spine and neurosurgery issues.
We are continuing to expand! If you would like to contribute, if you know of someone who might benefit from a subscription, or if you have a question or topic for review, please contact us at [email protected]. The territory for the Journal continues to grow, but presently extends from Mount Pleasant to the Gulf coast and from Stephenville to Nacogdoches.
Update from Dr. Z Things are looking good for neurosurgery in Texas. Texas Spine and Neurosurgery continues to expand. This summer we will be starting new clinics and treating patients in Yoakum and Mount Pleasant. Ms Sullivan MSPAS PA-C has started working in our office and our capacity to see new patient’s has increased significantly. This also gives us an opportunity for significant expansion of clinics in the future.
Our New building is presently being renovated. Texas Spine and Neurosurgery will be moving to our new head office. We will be expanding from 2400sq feet to 9850sq feet with 8 exam rooms and significant office space for expansion. Our new location will be 4515 Lakeshore drive. The new building is undergoing major renovations including an elevator upgrade. This move is very exciting for all of our team. It will allow us to provide exceptional care to all our patients in a much more comfortable environment. There will be more than ample parking and we will have room for growth of our team and the addition of further healthcare providers for years to come. Presently, construction has begun on new ADA compliant bathrooms and the elevator. We are hopeful that by the 1st of August we will be able to move into our new location.
Expert Opinion:
Physician Assistant Insights
The Newest Addition to Our Team
Ms. Ashley Sullivan, MSPAS, PA-C
I have finally made it to Texas! I am very excited to be living in Waco and working at Texas Spine and Neurosurgery with Dr. Zielinski and his very dedicated team. It is Dr. Zielinski’s unique approach and expertise that drew me to Waco. I have journeyed to Texas from Massachusetts, where I grew up and spent the first years of my Physician Assistant career.
I was trained in Boston, Massachusetts and have worked as a Physician Assistant in General Surgery and Neurosurgery. I have experience working in the Operating Room as a neurosurgical first-assist, as well as taking care of patients in the hospital and in the clinic. I love working in neurosurgery. I have witnessed patients’ lives being drastically changed by their improved mobility. It is very rewarding being a part of a practice that can help patients feel better.
As I start this new adventure with Dr. Zielinski and his team, I am excited to meet new patients and providers in all parts of Texas. I will be traveling with TSN to all satellite clinics. I will be first assisting Dr. Zielinski in the OR, rounding on his patients postoperatively in the hospital, seeing patients in clinic, and tending to any patients’ needs. I am happy to be here and very much look forward to practicing medicine in this beautiful state.
Lumbar Support Bracing
Cady Maier, Clinical Liaison
A multitude of diseases, injuries and malformations contribute to Lumbar spine pain, which is one of the most common complaints among our Texas Spine and Neurosurgery patient’s. Lumbar support bracing is an important conservative therapy measure as well as post-surgical plan for patients with lumbar spine pain. The Lumbar support brace, or LSO brace, is a rigid external support brace that according the brace manufactures website, “provide circumferential pressure to stabilize the spine” (Restorative Care of American, 2018).
The LSO brace can be used as a conservative therapy measure. The patient is fit by a medical professional and takes possession of the LSO brace. The patient would wear the brace daily for therapeutic benefit or when performing activities that are otherwise painful. When the brace is worn consistently, it can provide relief from pain as well as protection to the region when performing strenuous activities. Furthermore, there is a smaller a risk of further injury to the patient than that of other conservative measures, making it the ideal choice for patients who need pain relief without invasive procedures or therapy.
Post-operatively, the patient will wear the same LSO brace to ensure the stabilization of the spine and allowing the bone to heal, for 8 weeks post-operative. The brace is able to be removed once bone growth is adequate in the fusion and bone growth is measured and supported by radiographic imaging.
Lumbar support bracing is extremely important in lumbar spine care both conservatively and post-operatively. Ideally, patients will be introduced and obtain their LSO brace early in the treatment process to ensure enable them to utilize the full scope of the LSO brace benefits.
People Do Get Better after Spine Surgery
Ms. Helen Hammond, Patient Interview and Editorial
Ms. Ashley Sullivan, MSPAS, PA-C
Steven C. Zielinski MD CM FRCSC
Spine surgery is often misunderstood and stigmatized. In particular, we sometimes encounter the belief that, “No one gets better after spine surgery”. At Texas Spine and Neurosurgery, we know this to be untrue. In fact, we interact daily with patients that have experienced phenomenal results following surgery on their spine.
Ms. Helen Hammond is a patient of Dr. Zielinski’s that has undergone multiple procedures on both her cervical and lumbar spine. She initially sought Dr. Zielinski’s expertise following a failed lumbar fusion, and with new onset cervical spine defects. In a recent interview, Ms. Hammond expressed her personal views on spine surgery, and how her attitude and perception of spine surgery have evolved since meeting Dr. Zielinski.
We asked Ms. Hammond, “before seeing Dr. Zielinski, did you ever hear that no one gets better after spine surgery? “ She reported to us, “Yes. I believed this because after my first surgery (which was done elsewhere) I was still in pain.” We also asked her to describe how she is feeling now, after having surgery with Dr. Zielinski. She was excited to report that she feels, “like a new woman!”
We asked Ms. Hammond how her life has changed after having spine surgery with Dr. Zielinski. She said that prior to surgery with Dr. Zielinski, she “could not even take three steps without sitting down and crying because she was in so much pain. The pain was just so intense, and this was while wearing a TENs unit and taking pain medication.” Following her revision lumbar fusion and cervical surgical procedure, with Dr. Zielinski, she states that “I am able to walk two miles. I can cook. I can bend over. I can hold my grandbabies. Dr. Zielinski has literally given me my life back… he is a godsend.”
Ms. Hammond was a good surgical candidate with a spinal deformity that could be fixed with appropriate surgical intervention. She is just one example of the many patients we see at Texas Spine & Neurosurgery that improve and thrive postoperatively. Other examples of patients who report similar results can be found at http://dev.txspineonline.com/about/patient-testimonials/
It is noteworthy that Dr. Zielinski’s results are consistently positive because he carefully reviews every patient’s history and imaging to determine the best course of action, in cooperation and conjunction with the patient. And, whenever possible, conservative, non-operative therapy is attempted before considering surgical intervention.
On a recent review of our internal data, fewer than one quarter of Dr. Zielinski’s patients require surgery on their spine. The data show that only 23% of patients seen at Texas Spine & Neurosurgery require surgical treatment to effectively treat their symptoms. Those who do have surgery are well selected to be successful candidates following exhaustion of conservative therapy options. Texas Spine and Neurosurgery has cultivated relationships with the best physical therapists, pain management specialists, and other non-surgical providers throughout the state of Texas. Dr. Zielinski knows that every patient is different, and for that reason, every care plan is specifically tailored to the needs of each patient’s particular situation.
The common misconception that “no one gets better after spine surgery” is changing, due in part to the efforts of Dr. Zielinski. Our sincere hope is to alleviate the pain and discomfort associated with issues relating to the spine, and to give more patients a positive, life changing experience.
Our History
The “Texas Spine & Neurosurgery Journal” was founded by Dr. Steven Zielinski, a Stanford trained neurosurgeon who believes in giving patients the freedom to control their own healthcare, in partnership with their chosen physician. Texas Spine and Neurosurgery is a patient centered practice that brings first class spine care to local communities and to patients. Texas Spine and Neurosurgery started as a small collaboration with local hospitals and local providers and has grown over several years. Today, we have relationships with a vast array of outstanding hospitals and surgical centers. We coordinate care with the best specialists in different aspects of conservative care throughout Texas. In order to continue these efforts Texas Spine and Neurosurgery is a proud sponsor of the Texas Spine and Neurosurgery Journal. It’s focus is to educate and inform community physicians and family doctors in Texas and beyond about relevant topics in spine and neurosurgery.
If you have questions or comments or wish to contact or refer a patient to Texas Spine and Neurosurgery or one of our Physician contributors please contact us.
1 (844)Meet DrZ
1 (844)633-8379 [email protected]
www.txspineonline.com
For back issues of the journal please see our web page.
http://dev.txspineonline.com/texas-spine-and-neurosurgery-journal/
Texas Spine and Neurosurgery and Texas Spine and Neurosurgery Journal
are the property of Steven Zielinski MD PA, DBA Texas Spine and Neurosurgery.
All articles reflect the opinions of the individual authors and are not independently verified for accuracy. The Journal provides no recommendation for therapy of any individual patient but tries to promote the academic discussion of the topics covered.
