Full range of spine care services now offered at Wooster Community Hospital
“When you look at numbers of injuries, backs by far are number one as far as strains and sprains,” said Brian Coote, director of Rehabilitation and Health/Wellness Services at Wooster Community Hospital (WCH). These types of injuries may result from arthritis, asymmetrical loading or overexertion, such as doing four hours of yardwork on a nice day, or repetitive factory work. The body responds to consistent stresses upon it. As people get older, repeated stresses will cause problems, he said.
Most people bend forward 300-600 times for every time they bend backward, Coote added. They also tend to lean forward at a 20 degree angle for eating, computer work, etc., which puts more compressive pressure on the back than standing. Both of these habits can lead to back pain.
“The spine is a major stabilizer, so the way you take care of yourself will determine how long the spine lasts,” said Dr. Cyril Raben, of Wooster Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center. Raben moved to Wooster last October after practicing for 20 years in northwest Arkansas. He was looking for a smaller community and more rural environment, and Wooster fit the bill.
Raben specializes in spine surgery and believes in a minimally invasive approach, using arthroscopic equipment to gain access through small portals. WCH has added new equipment to their operating room so that he can perform surgeries there.
Raben’s arrival in Wooster was the final link in the chain for WCH, allowing them to offer a full range of spine care services, from diagnosis to surgery to rehab. “I’m very excited that we finally have complete spine care in this area,” said Coote. “Back strain, chronic pain, disc bulge, fracture—we can now take care of everything here.”
Dave Rhoad, marketing and public relations manager at WCH, agreed. “It’s great to have a spine surgeon in the community. Dr. Raben is a natural fit—many of his surgeries will be done in the hospital and the new Joint Center provides space for inpatient rehab. What I love is that patients can then continue their outpatient rehab at HealthPoint with many of the same therapists.”
During the past five to 10 years, the hospital has tried to add services that aren’t offered elsewhere in the community, such as the Joint Center, the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit, and now spine surgery, Rhoad said. “Offering these services locally benefits not only the patient, but also their spouse and family members who can be more involved in the process.”
Effective back pain treatment begins with an accurate diagnosis, and WCH offers advanced radiology options including MRI, CT myelogram (the most advanced CT scanning available), and nuclear bone scans.
Once a problem is diagnosed, treatment options can range from exercise to epidurals. If those options are unsuccessful, however, surgery may be necessary. “One of the good things about the physicians we have here is that they’re quite capable of doing any surgery you need, but are conservative—they won’t rush you off to surgery without exhausting your other options first,” Coote noted.
Patients who undergo spine surgery at WCH will benefit from the hospital’s new Joint Center, a state of the art facility where they can recover in spacious private rooms and begin group rehab therapy down the hall as soon as possible. Patients on this floor are treated with a wellness approach that allows them to wear street clothes and eat together in a dining room.
Outpatient rehab therapy is an important piece of the recovery process, and HealthPoint provides both equipment and staff to meet that need. The fast-growing facility is in the process of building on an additional 8,000-square-feet. “When I first came, our whole rehab area was only 3,000-square-feet,” said Coote.
The addition will contain classroom space, new Kinesis machines and a supervised child watch area. HealthPoint offers a wide variety of exercise equipment, along with a 15-by-25 foot heated pool that serves a health and wellness class and patients who can’t tolerate weight-bearing exercises.
Four HealthPoint staff members have advanced sports medicine degrees and two therapists are McKenzie-certified; that is, trained with a unique approach to dealing with back and neck patients. HealthPoint has a staff of 60, including health and wellness, occupational, speech and physical therapists, and massotherapists.
Whether you already suffer back pain or just want to take preventative measures, Wooster Community Hospital and HealthPoint offer the tools you need to take care of your spine so it will last a lifetime.
For more information about spine surgery and rehab at Wooster Community Hospital, call 330-263-8100, or contact Dr. Raben at Wooster Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center by calling 330-804-9712. For information on HealthPoint, call 330-202-3300.
This article is underwritten by Wooster Community Hospital.
Most people bend forward 300-600 times for every time they bend backward, Coote added. They also tend to lean forward at a 20 degree angle for eating, computer work, etc., which puts more compressive pressure on the back than standing. Both of these habits can lead to back pain.
“The spine is a major stabilizer, so the way you take care of yourself will determine how long the spine lasts,” said Dr. Cyril Raben, of Wooster Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center. Raben moved to Wooster last October after practicing for 20 years in northwest Arkansas. He was looking for a smaller community and more rural environment, and Wooster fit the bill.
Raben specializes in spine surgery and believes in a minimally invasive approach, using arthroscopic equipment to gain access through small portals. WCH has added new equipment to their operating room so that he can perform surgeries there.
Raben’s arrival in Wooster was the final link in the chain for WCH, allowing them to offer a full range of spine care services, from diagnosis to surgery to rehab. “I’m very excited that we finally have complete spine care in this area,” said Coote. “Back strain, chronic pain, disc bulge, fracture—we can now take care of everything here.”
Dave Rhoad, marketing and public relations manager at WCH, agreed. “It’s great to have a spine surgeon in the community. Dr. Raben is a natural fit—many of his surgeries will be done in the hospital and the new Joint Center provides space for inpatient rehab. What I love is that patients can then continue their outpatient rehab at HealthPoint with many of the same therapists.”
During the past five to 10 years, the hospital has tried to add services that aren’t offered elsewhere in the community, such as the Joint Center, the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit, and now spine surgery, Rhoad said. “Offering these services locally benefits not only the patient, but also their spouse and family members who can be more involved in the process.”
Effective back pain treatment begins with an accurate diagnosis, and WCH offers advanced radiology options including MRI, CT myelogram (the most advanced CT scanning available), and nuclear bone scans.
Once a problem is diagnosed, treatment options can range from exercise to epidurals. If those options are unsuccessful, however, surgery may be necessary. “One of the good things about the physicians we have here is that they’re quite capable of doing any surgery you need, but are conservative—they won’t rush you off to surgery without exhausting your other options first,” Coote noted.
Patients who undergo spine surgery at WCH will benefit from the hospital’s new Joint Center, a state of the art facility where they can recover in spacious private rooms and begin group rehab therapy down the hall as soon as possible. Patients on this floor are treated with a wellness approach that allows them to wear street clothes and eat together in a dining room.
Outpatient rehab therapy is an important piece of the recovery process, and HealthPoint provides both equipment and staff to meet that need. The fast-growing facility is in the process of building on an additional 8,000-square-feet. “When I first came, our whole rehab area was only 3,000-square-feet,” said Coote.
The addition will contain classroom space, new Kinesis machines and a supervised child watch area. HealthPoint offers a wide variety of exercise equipment, along with a 15-by-25 foot heated pool that serves a health and wellness class and patients who can’t tolerate weight-bearing exercises.
Four HealthPoint staff members have advanced sports medicine degrees and two therapists are McKenzie-certified; that is, trained with a unique approach to dealing with back and neck patients. HealthPoint has a staff of 60, including health and wellness, occupational, speech and physical therapists, and massotherapists.
Whether you already suffer back pain or just want to take preventative measures, Wooster Community Hospital and HealthPoint offer the tools you need to take care of your spine so it will last a lifetime.
For more information about spine surgery and rehab at Wooster Community Hospital, call 330-263-8100, or contact Dr. Raben at Wooster Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center by calling 330-804-9712. For information on HealthPoint, call 330-202-3300.
This article is underwritten by Wooster Community Hospital.
Published: March 11, 2011
