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FEB. 8, 2013
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Local doctor saves patients’ backs By Tracy Moran
RANCHO SANTA FE — Ranch resident Kamshad Raiszadeh’s career in medicine seems natural, given his upbringing. With a chemistry professor father and pathologist mother, it wasn’t unusual
highest honors in bioc hemistry, minored in art. “I liked building things,” he said, which translated to his inter est in the spine and the “delicate work you need to do on the spine, the combination of the struc-
spine surgery at the Hospital for Joint Disease in Ne w York. Today, he is a married father of four who lives in Rancho Santa Fe. He and his brother Ramin Raiszadeh both specialize in the spine.
came to to wn, I had a standard spinal surgery practice, but I saw what he was doing and saw the good results his patients were getting.” Raiszadeh said that since he finished his specialty tr aining in ’96, there’s been “a huge boom in spinal surgery” for back and neck pain that has a difficult-to-discern cause. “Oftentimes surgeons
My consistent message is, I’d rather not operate on you...” Kamshad Raiszadeh Spinal Surgeon
Rancho Santa Fe resident Dr. Kamshad Raiszadeh is a spine specialist who believes that “the body can heal most spinal conditions without injections or surgery.” Courtesy photo
for him and his tw o younger brothers to spend hours looking through slides at his parent’s lab. Many family friends were medical professionals, which impressed upon the thr ee boys how rewarding it could be to help diagnose and treat people. His parents, who came to the United States to study before returning to Ir an, chose to relocate to America for good at the time of the Iranian Revolution. “My brothers and I have a lot to thank them f or,” Raiszadeh said. “There was lots of sacrifice. It wasn’t easy leaving everything you know and saying, ‘This is not safe for my kids.’ I don’t know if I could be that brave.” Inspired by their parents’ dedication, all three became orthopedic surgeons. Raiszadeh, who graduated U.C. Berkeley with
In addition to being surgeons, they run three Spine Zone clinics in San Diego County (see accompan ying article.) The belief that “the body can heal most spinal conditions without injections or sur gery” is the philosophy behind the program. “My consistent message is, I’d rather not oper ate on you if your body can heal the condition,” said Raiszadeh. “My biggest successes ar e often the ones wher e I get people to impr ove without surgery, returning back to their regular activities and feeling great. To me that’s a congruous message between my spine sur gical practice and Spine Zone.” Raiszadeh’s philosophy of spinal car e was largely Cathie influenced by orthopedic Kamshad surgeon Vert Mooney. “He was a guru of nonexcruciattreatment,” Courtesy operative Raiszadeh said. “When I
ture and working around the nerves.” After earning his medical degree at U .C. San Francisco, he completed his orthopedic residency at U.C. Davis and fello wship training in adult and pediatric
Ironman competitor Summerford turned to Raiszadeh to solve the ing pain in her back. photo
are faced with ha ving nothing else to offer but surgery,” he said, adding, “and that’s where Spine Zone comes in. It helps pr event surgery, even in patients who’ve tried multiple other treatments.” Certainly there are cases where spinal surgery is the best option. For Encinitas r esident and Ironman competitor Cathie Summerford, spinal surgery by Raiszadeh changed her life. “I’m pretty tough,” she said. “In a million y ears I never thought I’d have back surgery.” But she was in excruciating pain and after a year of tr ying alternative methods, went to see Raiszadeh. “I had three problems,” she said, “a slipped disc, a bulging disc that w as causing foot drop, and stenosis … It was amazing I w as even walking.” But now, she said, she’s “in better shape and more balanced in all ar enas than before surgery. Not only is Dr. Kamshad Raiszadeh the best sur geon you could find, he is just a plain great guy who goes a bove and beyond in the personal care and issues of each patient.” Raiszadeh said his goal is to empower people to make TURN TO DOCTOR ON B17
Spine Zone puts surgery as its last option By Tracy Moran
COAST CITIES — You’ve probably felt it — whether it’s a dull ache in your low back or a s harp pain across your shoulders, the majority of Americans will experience back pain at some point. The causes are myriad — on-the-job injury, sedentary lifestyle, aging and stress can all be contributing factors. Sometimes the cause is elusive, though the pain can be excruciating. Treatment options abound — ice, heat, rest, physical therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, decompression, medications, injections and surgery are just some of the healing methods people turn to seeking relief. While spinal sur gery has become incr easingly popular, San Diego County residents seeking back-pain relief have another option — the Spine Zone clinics, co-founded by brothers Kamshad and Ramin Raiszadeh, orthopedic surgeons who specialize in the spine. Their medically supervised Spine Zone clinics offer strengthening and stretching programs designed specifically to alleviate back pain and to prevent its recurrence. “The joint is only as good as the muscle support around it,” said Kamshad Raiszadeh. “We really focus on getting that muscle support.” While some people may shun e xercise when their back hurts, according to WebMD, it’s “a big myth that exercise is bad for back pain.” “Regular exercise prevents back pain,” according to the site. “For people suffering an acute injur y resulting in lo wer back pain, doctors may recommend an exercise program that begins with gentle
exercises and g radually increases in intensity. Once the acute pain subsides, an exercise regimen may help prevent future recurrence of back pain.” That’s been the experience for the Raiszadehs. Ramin Raiszadeh noted that 90 percent of patients he sees will improve with some sort of physical therapy, and the specific equipment and protocols incorporated at the Spine Zone are “a proven entity to afford excellent improvement in quality of life, without the need for surgery.” Patients who c hoose Spine Zone enjoy a level of confidence in their tr eatment protocol, said Kamshad Raiszadeh, TURN TO SPINE ZONE ON B17
Spine Zone Clinic Director Dan Noel demonstrates one of the exercise machines to treat back ailments. Photo by Tracy Moran
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(760)944-0301 186 North Coast Highway 101 Encinitas, CA 92024 www.portofinobeachinn.com