As planning continues for the 2010 continuing medical education program sponsored by Indiana Spine Group, the program educational objectives have been determined. At the conclusion of this continuing medical education symposium, attendees will be able to:
· Understand the clinical algorithms to effectively diagnose and treat patients that present with back or neck pain.
· Discuss comprehensive evidence-based treatment options for the spine patient, from a non-operative and operative treatment prospective; including indications, applications and expected outcomes.
· Identify common and uncommon spinal disorders; including spinal trauma, and discuss the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options.
· Address conditions and prevalent diagnoses that affect patients at specific life-stages. Additionally, discuss intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting these diagnoses, as well as prevention, diagnosis and treatment of these spinal disorders.
· Highlight new and emerging technologies for the treatment of spinal disorders and abnormalities; including the indications and potential benefits.
In October, I was a faculty member at the 8th Annual Symposium on “Innovative Techniques in Spine Surgery.” This continuing education meeting, hosted in Phoenix, addressed the innovative and emerging technologies of spinal surgery including; arthroplasty, minimally invasive procedures, motion sparring technologies and biologics. At this meeting I gave a talk on Lumbar Artificial Disc Replacement, and presented the results of the FDA studies for the Cervical Artificial Disc.
This education program was sponsored by the Organization of Spinal Teaching and Research. The purpose of this group is to facilitate education and discussion among spine care providers and industry and this organization includes leaders in the field of spine surgery and technology that utilize the most advanced and effective technology available for the treatment of spinal disorders.
Last week Indiana Spine Group hosted their
third annual spine symposiu
m, continuing medical education program for physicians and health care practitioners. This conference provided the latest information on spine treatment - diagnostics, therapeutics and spinal surgery.
The keynote speaker for ths conference was Cheryl Angelelli. Cheryl is a paralympic swimmer and American record holder. At the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2008, Cheryl won a pair of silver medals. Cheryl suffered a spinal cord injury when she was a teenager.
To learn more about her story, visit her web site -
www.untolddreams.net. On Friday prior to her keynote address, Cheryl was interviewed by Anne Marie Tiernon from WTHR. Additionally,
Kevin Macadaeg, MD, a minimally invasive spine specialist with Indiana Spine Group was interviewed. To watch the story,
click here.
I am chairman of a continuing medical education program for spine surgeons which will be 
held in Chicago during November. This program, sponsored by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, is titled “Contemporary Techniques in Spine Surgery.”
This is an interactive continuing medical education program which will provide spine surgeons the opportunity to learn the latest surgical techniques for addressing spinal pathology. This program will provide a comprehensive overview of the diagnosis and treatment of spinal pathologies, as well as applicable surgical techniques of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. Additionally, this course will provide a hands-on lab where spine surgeons will have the opportunity to perform these newer procedures under expert direction.
A few course objectives include:
· Evaluate patients with cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spinal pathologies and formulate a treatment plan.
· Compare and contrast various surgical and nonsurgical treatment protocols for spinal pathologies.
· Discuss alternative treatment and rehabilitation techniques for spinal disorders.
· Compare and contrast techniques of different surgical approaches to specific spinal disorders.
To learn more about this spine surgery continuing medical education program, click here.
Brochures for Back Talk, Indiana Spine Groups continuing medical education symposium, have been mailed. If you have not received a brochure, and would like to receive one – please ca
ll (317) 228-7000, or email your request to info@indianaspinegroup.com. Registrations are now being taken for this medical education program.
We are excited to highlight another silver sponsor of Back Talk, Indiana Spine Group’s continuing medical education program – Globus Medical.
Globus Medical is dedicated to providing the most advanced, simple to use, highest quality spinal products. Their spinal products include the areas of fusion, minimally invasive surgery (MIS), biomaterials and motion preservation. Since its founding in 2003, Globus Medical continues to develop new technologies to improve patient outcomes.
The ultimate goal of Globus is to utilize superior engineering and technology to achieve pain free active lives for all patients.
Dr. John Arbuckle, will give a presentation entitled "Minimially Invasive Spine Treatments". This presentation at our continuing medical education program for primary care physicians and practitioners, Back Talk, will address minimally invasive spine treatments. When medical and non-operative treatment options are ineffective or not a treatment option for back pain and spinal pr
oblems – interventional therapies may be a treatment option.
During this presentation Dr. John Arbuckle, a minimally invasive spine specialist with Indiana Spine Group, will highlight the different minimally invasive treatment options. He will discuss the indications and efficacy of these treatment options; including IDET, epidural steroid injections and rhizotomy.
To learn more about our continuing medical education symposium click here. The Back Talk section of our web site includes all of the education program information, including the agenda, accreditation, hotel information, sponsors and more.
Additionally, registrations are now being accepted for Back Talk, and registration forms are online. For more information about Back Talk, call 317.228.7000 or email info@indianaspinegroup.com.
This blog entry will highlight Rapp Medical Systems Inc. | Medtronic Spinal & Biologics, a silver sponsor of Back Talk. Back Talk is the continuing medical education program that Indiana Spine Group is sponsoring for primary care physicians and practitioners.
Rapp Medical Systems Inc. is a local medical product distributorship representing Medtronic Spinal and Biologics. Working with physicians, their mission is to provide superior products and service which will enable our physician partners to provide the highest level of patient care possible.
Medtronic Spinal and Biologics, is a division of Medtronic which focuses on spinal and musculoskeletal therapies. Their key product areas include:
- Minimal Access Spine Technologies (MAST™) for treating painful conditions of the spine, such as degenerative disc disease.
- Fusion systems1 that correct and stabilize abnormal spine curves.
- Artificial cervical discs2 to replace damaged or degenerated discs in the neck. Our latest disc is made of surgical-grade stainless steel and allows motion so patients can go back to doing everyday activities they love.
- Infuse® Bone Graft,3 a biologic that stimulates the body to regrow bone and is used to treat certain spinal, tibial, and maxillofacial conditions. Infuse Bone Graft eliminates the need to harvest bone from another area of the patient's body, thus eliminating an additional, often painful, surgery.
For more information, visit Medtronic Spinal and Biologics and for consumer education information visit their patient education site.
Key to diagnosis is spinal imaging. With proper imaging studies, a majority of spinal diagnoses can be determined. The spinal imaging presentation, during this continuing medical education program, will provide attendees an opportunity to review imaging studies and understand the indications and applicability of the studies for effective spinal diagnosis and treatment. 
Dr. Thomas Reilly, a spine surgeon with Indiana Spine Group, will discuss the clinical indications and appropriate imaging studies. As he reviews imaging studies, Dr. Reilly will compare those to anatomical illustrations for a better understanding of underlying spinal problems and their significance.
Another talk scheduled for Back Talk, Indiana Spine Group's continuing medical education program is entitled, Spinal Disorders | Uncommon & Difficult. Many times, these patients present with back pain and other symptoms that are similar to many spinal diagnoses, therefore these uncommon problems can be difficult to diagnose.
In one talk, Dr. Michael Stack will discuss benign spinal disorders. This will include a review of rheumatologic and endocrinologic disorders as well as the symptoms, diagnoses and treatment indications. Dr. Stack is a rheumatologist with Diagnostic Rheumatology & Research PC.
Dr. Kenneth Renkens, a neurosurgical spine surgeon with Indiana Spine Group, will discuss the urgent spinal diagnoses. During his discussion, he will identify the red flags of spinal and nonspinal conditions that can present as back pain. This includes infections and vascular disorders. Additionally, he will review the symptoms and diagnostic indications of primary and metastatic spinal cancer.
During the morning of the
Back Talk spine continuing medical education program,
presentation topics will discuss spinal diagnostics and disorders. One talk, entitled
The Fundamentals of Spinal Diagnostics, will provide practitioners the latest evidence-based guidelines for assessing patients that complain of neck and back pain. Kevin Macadaeg, MD, a minimally invasive spine specialist with Indiana Spine Group. will present this spinal diagnostic lecture.
During this talk, Dr. Macadeg will discuss the normal spine, and the normal degenerative cascading process of the spine. He will discuss evidence-based guidelines for diagnosing neck and back pain and review recommended spinal diagnostic testing. This review will also include identification of red flags that present as back pain. Additionally, Dr. Macadaeg will discuss the different minimally invasive diagnostic tests and their indications. This discussion will include selective nerve root injects, facet joint injections and discograms.
As planning continues for the continuing medical education program sponsored by Indiana Spine Group, Back Talk: Comprehensive Concepts in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Spinal Disorders, applications for continuing medical education are being submitted. An updated list of all available CME’s is posted on the accreditation section (link to: http://indianaspinegroup.com/backtalk/Accredit2.27.pdf) of the Back Talk page on Indiana Spine Group’s web site.
At this time physicians can receive AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. Additionally, this activity has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 11.75 credit(s) by the American Academy of Physicians. Osteopathic and chiropractic physicians, as well as registered nurses will also receive continuing education credits. An application has been filed for nurse practitioners.
Planning on the third annual spine symposium / continuing medical education program continues. This conference entitled, Back Talk: Comprehensive Concepts in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Spinal Disorders - will address one of the key reasons people visit their physicians, back pain!
This symposium will discuss the latest spinal diagnostic and treatment information for back and neck problems. Overall conference objectives include:
· Provide a comprehensive diagnostic assessment of patients that present with back and neck pain; including the physical exam, imaging and psychological assessment.
· Review current evidence-based treatments of spinal disorders from a non-operative to an operative perspective; including medical and physical therapy, chiropractic care and when referrals are indicated.
· Identify the diagnostic and treatment algorithms of spinal conditions specific to life stages – from the pediatric patient to the older adult; i.e. pediatric injuries, scoliosis, osteoporosis, and the degenerative spine.
· Discuss spinal injuries resulting from sports activities and trauma, their non-operative and operative treatments as well as preventative measures.
· Identify uncommon and difficult causes of spine disorders; including rheumatologic disorders and cancer.
· Understand the key principles of spine wellness to maintain a healthy spine; i.e. nutrition, lifestyle and exercise.
· Discuss emerging technologies and the future of spine care.
For more conference infomration, visit Indiana Spine Group's web site, or call (317) 228-7000.
In January, Dr. Kevin Macadaeg will be co-presenting at the continuing medical
education meeting sponsored by the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians He will be giving a presentation on osteoporosis. This continuing medical education program, entitled Back to Basics, will be held in Indianapolis.
Dr. Macadaeg, a minimially invasive spine specialist with Indiana Spine Group will be speaking with Dr. Michael Stack. Dr. Stack is a rheumatologist with Diagnostic Rheumatology and Research.
During their talk on
The Osteoporotic Spine, a few key topics they will discuss are:
• The medical management of osteoporosis.
• Recognizing the patient presenting with an osteoporotic spine fracture.
• The nonoperative management of osteoporotic spine fractures.
• Understanding when to refer for vertebral augmentation (vertebroplasty / kyphoplasty).
• How vertebral augmentation is performed.
For more information, about this conference here is the
link to the Indiana Academy of Family Physician's continuing medical education page.
At a recent continuing medical education program one of the speakers Dr. James Anderson discussed the assessment of low-back pain. Dr. Anderson is a family practice physician in Greenfield.
During his presentation, Dr. Anderson highlighted a few spine wellness / patient education sites. These sites provide spine eucation information as well as other health information on other topics. These sites are http://orthoinfo.aaos.org, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/, and www.uptodate.com/patients. A few books that he recommended include: Kortz, JN, Parkinson, G. Heal Your Aching Back. McGraw Hill, New York, 2007 and Dumhi, HA. All You Need to Know About Your Back Pain. Arthritis Foundation, Atlanta, 2002.
Additionally,this link on Indiana Spine Groups web site provides a listing of other useful spine related web sites.
In July, I presented at the 15th annual International Meeting of Advanced Spinal Techniques. I was honored to present two scientific papers at this medical education program. One was about the US FDA IDE trial for the Bryan cervical disc replacement. My second presentation was also about the Bryan cervical artificial disc replacement, and was a detailed motion analysis of the Bryan cervical disc.
Here are links to the abstracts presented –“Radiographic Results from the BRYAN® Cervical Disc IDE Study,”and “Comparison of BRYAN Cervical Disc Arthroplasty with Anterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion: Clinical and Radiographic Results of a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.”
Another special interest symposium for this continuing medical education program is entitled, “The Osteoporotic Spine”. Co-presenters for this session are Kevin Macadaeg, MD, and Michael Stack, MD. Dr. Macadaeg is a minimally invasive spine specialist with Indiana Spine Group, and Dr. Stack is a rheumatologist with Diagnostic Rheumatology & Research, PC.
Osteoporosis has been identified as a major health concern, and the National Institutes of Health predicts that one in two women and one in four men over the age of 50 will suffer from a vertebral compression fracture. Many times, not diagnosed until there is a fracture – this session will highlight the latest screening and diagnostic guidelines and recommendations. Additionally, there will be a review of the recommended treatments including anti-osteoporotic medications and vertebral augmentation (vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty).
For a complete medical education /symposium agenda click here.
On Saturday, the Back Talk continuing medical education program will focus on different diagnoses and treatments and will feature concurrent sessions. These next series of blog entries will highlight these special interest symposiums.
One special interest symposium entitled, The Healthy Spine, will be presented by Alta Skelton. Alta is a nurse practitioner with Indiana Spine Group.
During this session, Alta will be discussing how lifestyle can affect the health of one’s spine. She will address exercise, posture, obesity, smoking and the role of nutrition and diet; and how these key lifestyle factors affect the spine. Additionally, Alta will discuss key characteristics that dispose an individual to spine problems.
Powered by Compendium Blogware