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New Physicians at Washington Regional

Today's post is from guest blogger, Jackie Cooper, RN, BSN. One of JMS Consulting's finest, Jackie is our NorthWest Arkansas Case Manager. Always keeping her eye out for the latest in treatment options, Jackie recently had lunch with two new providers in Fayetteville to learn more about their practice and new procedures they offer to patients.

Back Pain is a fairly frequent condition for many people throughout the country. Almost everyone gets it at some point in their lives. It usually goes away on its own. The cases that require surgery or urgent care are rare.  Up until about a year ago, I have never had to deal with any back issues. I have a sister who, if she sneezes wrong, she is “down in her back” for days, is unable to function normally, and is in severe pain. I am not sure what caused my back pain, but I too was unable to move at all for several days. It was very scary because I wasn't sure what had caused it. 

Unfortunately, a strained back is one of the leading causes of workers comp injuries. If you have a client that has truly injured themselves, it could be a daunting task trying to work through the maze of recovery. We as case managers know the physicians that will treat the injured worker in a manner that will not only ensure a good outcome, but will have them return to work as soon as possible. Low back pain can be scary - but it is almost never serious. 

Northwest Arkansas has recently had a wonderful addition to the medical community with the addition of NorthWest Arkansas Neuroscience group. Dr. Mayshan Ghiassi and Dr. Mahan Ghiassi are two brothers who have recently moved to the Fayetteville area to practice. They treat complex spinal disorders and perform minimally invasive spinal surgery.  They bring to the community their expertise from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine where they both completed a residency in neurological surgery as well as advanced fellowship training in endovascular surgery. 

Endovascular surgeries are minimally invasive; just a small incision where a catheter goes in rather than a big incision.  The surgeons then use a variety of tools thru that catheter to address the surgical indication.  Smaller incisions mean less exposure to infection, less trauma to tissues, and shorter recovery time.  Washington Regional has recently completed a new state of the art hybrid (for both endovascular and open neurosurgical cases) Operating Room suite for their more complicated cases.  

Now for the credentials - They are both members of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery, American Stroke Association and Southern Neurosurgical Society.  

The NWA area is growing rapidly bringing more industry and therefore more injuries. There are many physicians in the area with amazing qualifications who can help get your injured worker back to work and feeling much better.

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