Health Sense Magazine

Healing Fusing, Decompressing, Replacing… The spine is essential to provide physical support, balance, flexibility, and protection from spinal cord damage. The Spine Services at Kishwaukee Community Hospital are in place to help restore each of these important functions when aging, injury, or disease negatively impacts your backbone. The natural complexity of the spine demands extreme caution and expert medical analysis when patient symptoms are reported. Unlike many other medical conditions when a simple blood test can lead to a nearcertain diagnosis, spinal conditions require physicians to interpret a wide array of tests in order to determine the underlying cause of one's symptoms. "Spine surgery has evolved over the past two decades with the use of minimally invasive technology and the advent of imaging technology in the operating room that allows the surgeon to have a real-time view of the spine. Many procedures are now done on an outpatient basis and recuperation periods are now days or weeks, instead of months," says Dr. Gryfinski. "Kishwaukee Community Hospital is fortunate to have two spine surgeons as resources for our patients who are struggling with serious neck- and back-related symptoms," says Michael Kulisz, DO, KishHealth System chief medical officer. Patients with spine-related symptoms can benefit from cutting- edge treatments at Kish. Martin Gryfinski, MD, a board-certified neurosurgeon, has been performing brain, neck, and back surgery for 20 years. Raymond Hwang, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon, has recently joined the medical staff after completing medical school at Harvard, residency at the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program, and a spine surgery fellowship at New England Baptist Hospital. Back problems are one of the leading causes of missed work and represent significant dollars spent on disability. Conservative methods of treating spine-related problems, such as medication, physical therapy, or rest are often helpful in resolving spinal problems. However, when symptoms do not subside or conservative measures do not resolve the problem, surgical procedures can help improve symptoms, allowing patients to get back to work and avoid long-term disability and illness. "With spine surgery, we can decompress pinched nerves by removing bone spurs, disc herniations, cysts, or other structures causing compression, leading to shooting leg pain, numbness, or weakness. We also offer numerous approaches to spinal fusion, a surgery that stabilizes the vertebral bones and improves outcomes," says Dr. Hwang. Dr. Gryfinski practices at DeKalb Clinic, 1850 Gateway Drive, DeKalb, and appointments can be made by calling 815.758.8671. Dr. Hwang practices at Midwest Orthopaedic Institute, 2111 Midlands Ct., Sycamore. Appointments can be made by calling 815.748.0000. View video profiles of both doctors at www.kishfindadoctor.org. FOLLOW @KishHospital ON TWITTER FOR UPDATES ON ALL OUR SERVICES. Many of the spine procedures available at Kishwaukee Community Hospital can be performed minimally invasively. With smaller incisions, reduced pain, and quicker recovery times, minimally invasive techniques represent the best procedures available at large academic hospitals, but Kish provides them with the personalized care patients expect. 10 www.kishhealth.org

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