What specifically is your business and how/why did you start your business?  As a double-board certified interventional physical medicine and rehabilitation physician (PM&R), I’ve devoted my career to helping people limited by musculoskeletal injuries return to the life they love without surgery. In 1999, I established Southwest Spine & Sports to provide high quality, individualized care to restore health and function to patients with conditions such as low back pain, sciatica, degenerative discs, neck pain, tendinitis and osteoarthritis. My practice encompasses non-surgical, traditional treatments, regenerative therapies and orthobiologics that relieve pain, provide lasting relief of symptoms and improve joint function. Our approach to functional wellness helps you optimize your ability to heal yourself for a better, healthier life.  

 

Where did you grow up?  How long have you lived in the Valley?  Tell us about your family.   I grew up in Maryland and met my wife, Polly, during my residency in Ohio. After I completed my fellowship, I moved to Scottsdale and opened Southwest Spine & Sports. Polly joined me shortly thereafter and we have now been married for more than 25 years. Our “full house” includes five children and two grandchildren, all of whom live in the Valley. I also enjoy hiking and photography, two hobbies perfect for our beautiful state.

 

Tell us about the events that led up to where you are now.   I trained in martial arts from age 9 through medical school. My instructor used to grab my hands and say “These are doctor hands.” During medical school, I loved the complexity of looking at patients holistically to diagnose and treat them, which led me to specialize in physical medicine and rehabilitation. I earned my doctor of medicine degree at Georgetown University, completed my internship and residency at The Ohio State University, and fulfilled my fellowship at Illinois Spine & Sportscare Center.

                                                                                                                                       

What is unique about your business (what sets you apart from the rest)?  As you can imagine, patients are frustrated when an injury slows them down or prevents them from fully participating in the lifestyle they enjoy. For chronic back pain, people tend to be quite familiar with surgical approaches such as spinal fusion. They aren’t as well-versed in regenerative treatments and orthobiologics that can be exceptionally effective at treating the root cause of the problem, giving them relief from chronic back, neck and joint pain. Orthobiologic therapies work on a cellular level to reduce inflammation, initiate repair and stimulate the production of new, healthy tissue. Regenerative medicine enables us to treat patients with an individualized plan and all-natural, non-surgical solutions for long-lasting results.

 

Any new updates on your industry?   The Discseel® Procedure has been significant – a non-surgical biologic treatment for back pain. Traditional, conservative approaches involve epidural steroid injections or surgery. While those have their place, steroid injections may last just a short time, and surgery is invasive and entails a lengthy recovery. The Discseel® Procedure is the only minimally invasive, patented procedure that repairs damaged discs by sealing them with natural fibrin, stimulates healthy tissue and restores the integrity to damaged discs. I lead the Southwest in this treatment as the first Master Instructor of the Discseel® Procedure.

 

Additionally, we recently added EMSCULPT neo® to our functional wellness practice. EMSCULPT neo® helps patients build and maintain a strong, healthy core to protect against muscle damage and age-related challenges. This revolutionary technology increases lean muscle and destroys fat cells in one-30 minute treatment to improve form and function.

 

Given your business expertise and the nature of what you do, what advice can you offer to the residents?  Pain is a signal, not a sentence. Diagnosing the root cause and developing a tailored treatment plan centered on natural, non-surgical therapies such as regenerative treatments and orthobiologics can be extremely effective at accelerating the body’s healing process, whether you’re a daily exerciser, weekend warrior or professional athlete. Such treatments are ideal for people with chronic back pain, soft tissue injuries such as tennis elbow and knee tendinitis, and other musculoskeletal conditions.  

Advice? Seek long-lasting, proven non-surgical approaches to pain FIRST. Your body will thank you for it.

 

Anything else we should know about your business? Innovative therapies yield profound results. At Southwest Spine & Sports we have a simple philosophy: Treat the whole person, not just their symptoms, and care for each patient as if they were your own family.

 

480.860.8998 | SWSPINEANDSPORTS.COM

9913 N. 95th St. | Scottsdale, AZ 85258