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 | | Michigan Spine Care provides state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary spinal rehabilitative services which reflect evidence-based medicine, as published in the medical literature. Michigan Spine Care is a collaborative effort between the disciplines of medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and health psychology. Effective spinal rehabilitation requires the identification and treatment of all relevant physical, psychological, and social factors involved in any given patient. Spinal pain, impairment, and disability are interrelated, but are distinct clinical entities. Research has suggested that psychosocial distress may be the primary risk factor in the transition from acute to chronic spinal pain. At Michigan Spine Care, we have found the integration of physical therapy, occupational therapy, and health psychology services to be essential in maximally resolving spinal impairment and disability. Interdisciplinary collaboration has allowed the development of highly integrated treatment protocols. Treatment programs are highly flexible in terms of disciplines involved, frequency of treatment, and the duration of individual treatment sessions. At Michigan Spine Care, we endeavor to create for each individual patient a treatment regimen that maximizes the opportunities for a successful outcome. Except in unusual cases, treatment is typically conducted over a three to six week period. |
 Michigan Spine Care offers a number of discrete treatment programs, including programs that address symptomatic disc herniation, mechanical back pain, and postoperative rehabilitative needs. Specific programs are available for chronic pain patients, as well as the geriatric and perinatal populations. The interdisciplinary expertise of our treatment staff is utilized in providing work hardening programs, and the Occupational Therapy Department performs Functional Capacity Evaluations. Michigan Spine Care presently consists of three full-service facilities, located in Flint, Saginaw, and Auburn Hills. Each facility has an on-site medical director, clinical site supervisor, and a full compliment of physical therapy, occupational therapy, and health psychology personnel. A satellite facility exists in Lapeer. Additional full-service and satellite facilities are planned.
Michigan Spine Care has taken an active role in the promotion of evidence-based medicine and intends to vigorously assist the medical community in the paradigm shift from traditional passive, modality-based physical therapy to active evidence-based treatment protocols. We shun modality physical therapy (hot packs, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, massage), as these modalities have not been proven to be of any long-term utility. Michigan Spine Care, through its medical staff, has been active in promoting evidence-based practices for the treatment of spinal disorders. The medical staff of Michigan Spine Care has provided leadership in conducting critical review of current treatment practices and in formulating community-based practice guidelines regarding evaluation protocols, surgical selection, and non-surgical treatment methodologies. Michigan Spine Care has been at the forefront in integrating traditional rehabilitation services with health psychology services, as medical research has indicated the need for such collaboration.
 Michigan Spine Care is strongly committed to preventing the evolution of spinal disability whenever possible. Physical impairments are aggressively treated, and every effort is made to teach patients how to minimize the impact of residual impairment on their everyday life. For those patients who have developed prominent spinal disability prior to initiating treatment at Michigan Spine Care, the treatment staff attempts, as a basic goal, to eliminate or minimize the disability that has come to compromise that individual’s daily life. The evolution and persistence of this disability has been a very complex phenomenon. It has, in all likelihood, involved an initial injury, or a series of recurrent injuries, that has left the patient with very clear-cut and quantifiable physical deficits. In addition, a number of secondary issues, including workers’ compensation disputes, psychological turmoil, and changes in personal lifestyle have occurred secondary to this disability. Many patients have experienced previous rehabilitative efforts, which have included so-called modality therapy, and some patients have even undergone surgery. Any skepticism exhibited initially is well understood. However, the functional restoration approach, as it has been described, has been utilized with great success over a number of years in centers around the country. We fully anticipate that the overwhelming majority of the patients will attain an excellent outcome from this program, and will regain the capacity to engage in a normal lifestyle. However, the success of this program is dependent upon active patient participation. Such participation will be actively encouraged and carefully assessed and monitored. With maximal effort on the part of both the staff and patients, we are confident that the time spent at Michigan Spine Care will be extremely productive and worthwhile. |
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