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Better Than Ever Before
Riverview Medical Center’s Spine Center is not only offering patients a new specialty
program for comprehensive spinal care. It’s offering them new hope for chronic back pain.
Frank Guiterrez, 67, of Hazlet knows
something about pain. Having lived
most of his life with debilitating back
pain caused by disk injuries, Frank
has tried just about every corrective
therapy, procedure, and device that
offered the promise of relief, without
much improvement. Ultimately, like
many back pain sufferers, Frank just
adapted his lifestyle to deal with the
constant pain.
"I slept in a recliner for 13 years
because I couldn’t physically lie
down," Frank says. "I couldn’t stand
or sit for long periods of time, either,
and was constantly adjusting my body
to respond to the pain."
There’s a New Technology in Town
Then, just this past year, Frank met
with Gordon Donald, M.D., a boardcertified
orthopedic surgeon and spine
surgery specialist at Riverview Medical
Center. Dr. Donald developed a
customized treatment plan for Frank
that involved a minimally invasive
surgical procedure to alleviate the pain
stemming from the damaged disks.
For Frank’s procedure, Dr. Donald
incorporated an innovative miniature
robotic guidance system called the
SpineAssist, from Mazor Surgical
Technologies. This device aids in
the precise placement of tools and
implants, enhancing the surgeon’s
ability to perform spine surgery
with only a small incision. Riverview
is the only community hospital in
the nation currently offering the
SpineAssist technology.
"New technologies are allowing
surgeons to drastically reduce
surgical pain and recovery time,"
notes Dr. Donald. "With the added accuracy of the SpineAssist technology,
for example, the surgeon no longer
has to remove muscle from the spine,
which is tremendously beneficial.
These technologies are usually
found only at large, urban centers,
but Riverview has established a
reputation for offering the same
advanced technology to suburban
New Jersey patients."
Thanks to the minimally invasive
approach used to treat Frank, he was
able to return home in only a few days.
But what surprised him the most was
that he was already feeling the benefits of the procedure by the time of his
discharge. "The difference is amazing.
I am functioning better than I ever
have before in my life."
Caring for the Whole Person
With such advanced options available
to patients, it’s natural to ask why more
people don’t seek treatment to alleviate
their pain. Dr. Donald addresses that
question: "I believe many patients build
up a tolerance for their pain and put off
treating their back problems for a lot
of reasons. They often feel that seeing
a physician will automatically lead to a surgery that will carry a lot of risk
without much benefit. The truth is,
only about 10 percent of the patients
I see are candidates for surgery.
Most do well with non-surgical
treatments like physical therapy or
pain management, but it’s important
that those therapies are performed
by highly qualified professionals
who specialize in the spine."
It is this perspective that
characterizes the new Spine Center
at Riverview, which offers a
comprehensive, highly specialized
approach to spinal care. The Spine
Center brings together a multidisciplinary
team of orthopedic and
neurological surgeons, pain specialists,
and specially trained registered nurses
and therapists to provide both surgical
and non-surgical treatments, caring
for the "whole patient," not just
concentrating on isolated procedures.
"A truly comprehensive program
that’s focused on both the physical
and the emotional impact of a spine
disorder and that’s led by professionals
who specialize in the spine is a
powerful approach for patients,"
summarizes Dr. Donald, who has
modeled a similar approach in his
private practice. "With the Spine
Center at Riverview, we are bridging
patient care from the hospital to
outpatient recovery with a consistent
level of expertise and communication,
giving our patients the very best care
available today."
Frank can vouch for that: "The
expertise and the attitude of the staff
reassure you that you are in good
hands. I was a respiratory therapist
for over 35 years, and the care I received
from Dr. Donald and Riverview was
the best I have ever seen."
 – Michael Valentino
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