Following a car accident, Pasha Koulechov suffered with chronic neck pain for roughly two years before he found his way to the Spine Institute Northwest. Pasha had tried nearly everything short of surgery to relieve his pain. He can rattle off the options he tested out: “Physiotherapy, acupuncture, massage therapy, intermuscular stimulation… nothing else was working.”

A major reason Pasha had avoided surgery was the perception that even if surgery fixed his pain, it would put him out of commission for months. “I’ve researched the spinal fusion and you know, we prepared for it,” he remembers. “I was going to move into [a friend's] house because you know, usually you can’t do anything for three months, that was the perception that I had in my mind.”

When he opted for a minimally invasive cervical MIS decompression surgery at the Spine Institute Northwest, Pasha found “this procedure was completely different.” Instead of being dependent on others for help, “the next day … I was home by myself, and I didn’t need any care and I didn’t need anybody to look after me.”

Pasha says he appreciated the doctors and staff at the Spine Institute’s focus on “getting me better” and answering questions with straight talk rather than a hard sell. After living with chronic neck pain for as long as he did, now Pasha is happy to be independent and free from pain.

Hear more from Pasha about his experience:

By the time Alfred Gatti came to the Spine Institute Northwest, he remembers, “I wasn’t able to go walking or anything like that.” By the end of each day, the burning pain he felt in his feet became so unbearable, “it got to the point where it felt like somebody was using a blowtorch on it.”

Following minimally invasive spine surgery at the Spine Institute Northwest, Al says, “there’s good days, there’s bad days,” but “the burning is virtually all gone.” In fact, within a few weeks of the surgery Al was not just more comfortable, “I went for a half a mile walk!” he says.

Al’s pain has substantially diminished since his procedure, and his quality of life has been able to return. “Some days,” he says, “I don’t even take the pain pill.”

He credits the doctors and staff of the Spine Institute Northwest, paying them the highest compliment. When asked if he would recommend Dr. Solomon Kamson and the Spine Institute Northwest to anybody else, Al laughs. “I have already! To about ten different people.”

Hear what Al has to say about his Spine Institute Northwest experience:

“Originally I thought I kind of pulled a hamstring, just you know, a little leg soreness,” remembers Jason Skidmore. But what he thought was a temporary leg injury turned out to be just the beginning of debilitating chronic pain that escalated until he found himself unable to continue working.

Jason tried a wide range of solutions to manage his pain. He first turned to chiropractic, physical therapy, and massage therapy, but none gave him results. Then Jason went for injections which worked “amazingly well,” Jason says, pausing, “for about four or five days.”

Nothing was giving Jason true relief from the chronic pain that was invading every moment of his life. Even sleep could not provide a respite. If Jason was able to fall asleep, shifting his body would lead to sharp pains, waking him up and further compromising Jason’s quality of life.

At last, Jason found the Spine Institute Northwest, and received a proper diagnosis for his leg pain. The roots of Jason’s leg pain were in his back, and he received endoscopically-guided lumbar decompression surgery at L4/5. Following this minimally invasive spine surgery, Jason was able to do many of the things that most people take for granted — like walking unassisted or riding in a car — without any leg pain. Jason is now pain free, and thanks Dr. Solomon Kamson and the physicians and staff of the Spine Institute Northwest for helping him reach what once seemed an unattainable goal.

Hear Jason’s story, in his own words:

Americans today are living longer than ever — unfortunately, though, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are living better. There are many different issues that are connected to poor health and chronic pain, but in a study published this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association, poor diet and lack of physical activity were described as two of the leading causes of health issues in the nation. The findings from this study and two others, all from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), have received wide public attention in recent weeks.

This research examined data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2010, which provides comprehensive data on health outcomes for individuals from countries around the world. One aspect of the data in this study that has been pointed out is the large number of Americans suffering from disabilities that are related to neck and back pain. In fact, lower back pain came in third (behind ischemic heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) as a top cause of “disability-adjusted life years.” This measure was developed as a time-based way to interpret the data, looking at the years of life individuals lived with a disability, and the number of years of life lost due to premature mortality as a result of a disability (as compared to someone who does not have this disability). The data show that living with chronic pain is not only diminishing your overall quality of life, it can also actually shorten your life span.

This study, and the other papers being published from it, emphasize the importance of preventative care and basic health habits — the First Lady herself, Michelle Obama, has been promoting these studies as part of her efforts to increase awareness of exercise- and obesity-related issues. With chronic back pain and musculoskeletal problems finally being recognized as a more serious health issue, it will be interesting and exciting to see the changes and improvements that can be made for treating and helping those who currently living with chronic neck and back pain. With stronger awareness, earlier intervention becomes a greater possibility — and less pain can become a promise.

You can learn more about this study, and the IHME, on their website.

By the time she found the Spine Institute Northwest, Rebecca Sipes was living with excruciating leg pain. “My toes burnt nonstop, … my legs ached, and I had cramps in my calves,” she remembers. Since having an l5/s1 lumbar fusion at the Spine Institute Northwest, “it’s all gone.” In fact, Rebecca says that while before her procedure her pain level was “beyond off the charts,” just shortly after her minimally invasive spine surgery she had no pain.

Rebecca praised the care and attention she received from the doctors and staff at the Spine Institute Northwest, who did everything possible to ensure that her lumbar fusion went as smoothly as possible. “As soon as I was feeling something they were right on top of it to make sure I was 100% comfortable,” Rebecca recalls. “I feel like I’m gonna heal a lot faster just from this whole process.”

The Spine Institute Northwest specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery procedures like the lumbar fusion Rebecca received, and the doctors and staff do everything possible to help diagnose your pain and get you back on your feet — literally! “I think it’s the best thing ever,” Rebecca concludes. “Everybody is caring and right there to make sure your needs are met.”

Hear what Rebecca has to say about Spine Institute Northwest:

“Nobody could ever really tell what it is that was hurting on me,” remembers Tina Morris. She had begun experiencing weakness and numbness in her leg, and as time went on, Tina could no longer find comfort. It was not as if Tina were making extraordinary demands of her body, either — by the time she came to the Spine Institute Northwest, even sitting or standing were painful for her. Changing her posture or stretching could provide temporary relief, but the pain always came back.

Though she was nervous about undergoing testing, Tina knew she wanted relief. She asked her doctor, “‘Can you guarantee me I’m not going to have any pain? That’s all I wanted to be, pain free.” Though the physicians did not want to make a guarantee — “he said he’ll do his best,” Tina remembers — the outcome was exactly what Tina wanted.

An MRI determined that Tina had no disc left at all between lumbar 4 and lumbar 5, causing her leg pain. Despite her trepidation, “I said let’s do it, let’s just do the surgery” Tina remembers, “and I’m so glad I did.” Following a lumbar MIS fusion and decompression with stem cell therapy, Tina is now free from pain. By her third day following the procedure, Tina was able to sit comfortably for several hours, and “in probably three weeks I was pain free. Pain free!” Thanks to the Spine Institute Northwest, Tina was able to stop living with her pain and reclaim her quality of life.

Hear Tina’s story, in her own words:

We at the Spine Institute Northwest are proud to share the news that we have been awarded the highest honor in pain management from the World Institute of Pain. Following an evaluation from the World Institute of Pain in May, this June the Spine Institute Northwest was awarded the Excellence in Pain Practice Award for Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Pain Practice.

This is an honor for everyone at the Spine Institute Northwest. It recognizes the research done by our surgeons, and how we work to not only use but to further develop the best practices when it comes to treating pain. It also acknowledges the education and training of not only our physicians but also our staff — what they bring to the Spine Institute Northwest, and also how our team works together to ensure our patients receive the best pain management available.

The World Institute of Pain is an international organization that is a hub for training, education, and networking for physicians specializing in the study and treatment of acute and chronic pain. They also hold regular meetings and symposia, and the Spine Institute Northwest will be recognized for receiving the Excellence in Pain Practice Award at the 2014 World Conference in the Netherlands.

Read more in the press release issued about this honor.

With the Spine Institute Northwest recently having been awarded the Excellence in Pain Practice Award from the World Institute of Pain, we thought it would be helpful to explain a bit more about what this means. Not only what exactly the World Institute of Pain does (though we will certainly talk about that!), but also why this kind of credentialing is important.

The World Institute of Pain is a worldwide organization that includes many of the world’s leading experts in the fields of pain management through medicine and surgical procedures. They strive to standardize and advance the practice of interventional pain, sharing information between practitioners on a global scale. The World Institute of Pain was founded two decades ago on the premise that most patients who suffer from chronic and acute pain, as well as those who experience chronic pain due to cancer, do not get the proper representation they need and deserve. As the number of people that suffer from pain continues to grow each year, more effective techniques are needed to provide adequate care and comfort to patients and to improve their overall quality of life. Funding for the World Institute of Pain is made possible by sponsors and endorsements from training and educational programs that are developed for pain physicians. These programs focus on developing standards and guidelines for physicians that specialize in treating pain.

The main goal of the World Institute of Pain is to provide training and to education to its members, allowing them to spread these best practices to every corner of the globe. This can include international seminars, hands-on training, and exchanging clinicians. The physicians provide new and up-to-date information through newsletters, seminars, telecommunications, books, and journals. This way new protocols can be developed, and physicians can learn about the outcome of different procedures. This sharing of information has also helped to develop criteria for hiring and evaluating trainees at pain centers. With information from doctors in every region of the world, pain medicines and treatments are better understood, ensuring each patient will be able to get the best care and be successfully treated for the wide range of symptoms associated with pain.

When being treated for pain or any other health-related issue, most people prefer an experienced doctor who has a proper education, training, clinical background, license, certification, and experience. Credentials show others the experience and professionalism one possesses, and that one has the expertise that is necessary to deal with certain tasks. Those who are dedicated to their profession appreciate the opportunity to continue learning and doing more work than what is expected of them — and this lifelong learning is an endeavor that is strongly supported by the World Institute of Pain. By providing special training programs and seminars throughout the year and all across the world, they are able to further our understanding of pain with new information, studies, and procedures that can make a difference in the lives of patients around the world.

The Spine Institute Northwest is extremely proud to have been recognized by the World Institute of Pain with the Excellence in Pain Practice Award. It demonstrates not only the dedication of our surgeons, but also our staff, to treating patients’ back and neck pain in a way that is both compassionate and cutting-edge. While this credential might appear to be simply another plaque on the wall, its significance goes much deeper.

Spine Institute Northwest is pleased to support the 7th World Congress of the World Institute of Pain (WIP 2014). The World Congress is a major biennial gathering of pain management specialists.

Designed for at physicians, researchers, students and nurses, WIP 2014 will combine participant-friendly educational activities with hands-on courses. This combined theoretical and practical approach has already facilitated breakthroughs in pain management interventional techniques, such as minimally invasive spine surgery. Held in historic, Maastricht, the Netherlands, May 7-10, 2014, WIP 2014 will give attendees access to leading lecturers and a scientific program consisting of the latest evidence-based and best-practice-based pain medicine in all relevant disciplines. Learn more.

The board of the Society for Advanced Spinal Intervention (SASI) recently thanked Dr. Solomon Kamson for his integral role in the launch of the new SASI website, www.sasiglobal.org. Said the board members of Dr. Kamson, “Your tireless work and commitment over the last two decades to the field of minimally invasive spine surgery has been an inspiration for all that have followed in your trailblazing footsteps.” Dr. Kamson’s work has, the board explains, “provided a hopeful future for the advancement of innovative spine care globally.”

SASI is a worldwide organization whose purpose is to educate, train, and credential physicians from multidisciplinary backgrounds in cost-effective healthcare delivery models for interventional pain medicine, interventional radiology, neurosurgery, and orthopedic spine surgery. Working with interventional radiologists, interventional pain physicians, neurosurgeons, and orthopedic spine surgeons, SASI advocates for cost-effective spine care with a significant focus on the education and training of doctors from around the world. The current US-based training and credentialing program is soon to be expanded to other parts of the globe, giving physicians around the world access to the skills and knowledge to provide expert spine care.

As president of SASI, Dr. Kamson has played an important role in developing the organization’s mission and outreach, which has reached a new milestone with the launch of www.sasiglobal.org. With his role in SASI, Dr. Kamson is able to further his broader goal of bringing the latest in minimally invasive spine care to the international healthcare community.