Spine Care
At the Penrose-St. Francis Total Joint and Spine Center in Colorado Springs, our goal is to work with you as a team to reduce your pain, increase your motion and improve your quality of life to return you as quickly as possible to doing what you love.
Our Services
Our expert surgeons, fully coordinated team of clinical staff, physical therapists and nurse navigators give you access to a multidisciplinary team of specialists to provide a full continuum of care from diagnosis to rehabilitation. Get the complete joint and spine care you deserve when and where you need it.
Coupling research-based methods with cutting edge technology, our orthopedic surgeons specialize in total joint replacement to treat a number of conditions in the knee, hip, shoulder and other joints. Our orthopedic and spine surgeons treat a wide range of conditions involving the back and neck.
Often, non-surgical options are available for your specific injury or condition. At our total joint and spine center, our team will work with you to determine whether a non-surgical approach to care is right for your situation.
Joint care
The Penrose-St. Francis Total Joint specializes in total joint replacement to treat a number of conditions in the knee, hip, shoulder and other joints.
The most common joint conditions we treat are:
- Osteoarthritis - degenerative joint disease
- Osteonecrosis of the joint
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Shoulder, hip or knee pain
Severe joint conditions may require surgical treatments. Our orthopedic care teams are lead by orthopedic surgical experts, all of whom are either board certified or board eligible.
The most common surgical joint procedures we perform include:
- Hip resurfacing
- Minimally-invasive surgery
- Partial knee resurfacing
- Partial shoulder resurfacing
- Total hip replacement
- Total knee replacement
- Total shoulder replacement
Typically, conservative treatment is tried before a surgeon would recommend a total hip or knee replacement surgery (arthroplasty).
Here are some of treatments surgeons currently suggest:
- Wellness programs including changing work habits, positions, weight loss, and education on activities of daily living.
- Physical therapy for strengthening and treatment to decrease pain and improve function of concerned joint. Sometimes aquatic therapy will also help to improve strength while not irritating the joint with total body weight.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories: There are many kinds of anti-inflammatories to try. Talk with your doctor first before attempting this route.
- Injection into painful joint; this may be with or without a local anesthetic and corticosteroid to decrease inflammation in the joint.
Spine care
We bring together pain management specialists, spine surgeons, physical therapists, a nurse practitioner, psychologists and a personal nurse navigator to evaluate your condition and recommend a comprehensive, conservative, treatment program designed to get you back on your feet.
Our experts take a multidisciplinary approach to treat all conditions related to your spine including:
- Neck and back pain
- Spinal degenerative disorders
- Herniated/Slipped discs
- Muscle spasms/Strains
- Arm/Leg numbness
- Scoliosis/Deformities
- Sciatica/Leg pain
- Stenosis
We practice conservative management – an approach to treating back pain, neck pain and related spinal conditions utilizing non-surgical treatment options first. These options may include physical therapy, medication and injections. If nonsurgical options are not improving your condition, then surgical options may be recommended.
- Biofeedback training or relaxation therapy
- Botox or trigger point injection
- EMG/nerve conductions studies
- Interventional pain management: epidural injection, facet injection, medical branch block rhizotomy, SI joint injections, selective nerve root block
- Physical therapy (land and water)
- Psychological pain management
- Medication management
- Decompression
- Discectomy
- Disc replacement
- Foraminotomy
- Kyphoplasty
- Laminectomy
- Microdiscectomy
- Spinal fusion
- Vertebroplasty
Osteoporosis & bone health consults
Our goal is to identify at-risk patients for osteoporosis and bone fractures, support early diagnosis and provide appropriate medical treatment. From specialized prevention to multi-disciplinary treatment, our experts address every aspect of a patients’ osteoporosis diagnosis and bone health needs.
If you break or fracture a bone and visit Penrose Hospital or St. Francis Medical Centers’ emergency departments, our Fracture Liaison Service will ask you a series of questions to help determine if you are at high-risk for bone fracture. If so, you will be referred to our for an osteoporosis and bone health consult. If you visit us for care, imaging and radiology, physical therapy and orthopedic services will be a part of a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary treatment approach.
Patients who may benefit from an osteoporosis or bone health consult include:
- Post-menopausal women
- Women over the age of 65
- Men over the age of 70
- Anyone with a history of fragility fractures
- Anyone with a family medical history of osteoporosis or fragile bones
- Anyone with low bone density (BMD)
To schedule an appointment or a bone density test, call 719-776-BONE (2663).
Our facility
The Penrose-St. Francis Total Joint and Spine Center at St. Francis Medical Center provides an exclusive, hospital wing that features beautiful decor, scenic views, and 33 large, private rooms designed specifically for the care of hip, knee, shoulder and spine patients.
Each patient room includes a pull out sofa bed for a family member, chairs specifically designed for comfort and ease of use for joint replacement patients and gourmet meals including room service. Two premiere patient rooms include a fireplace, kitchenette, dining table and ample room for the patient and family to stay.
Every patient’s family has access to our family room – a comfortable and relaxing place for families and friends to gather while their loved one has a group workout in the gym. The family room includes a fireplace, flat screen TV, complimentary coffee and Wi-Fi access.
To support early mobilization, patients participate in two to three therapy sessions daily - morning and/or afternoon private therapy sessions and one group therapy gym session. The gym is located in the Total Joint and Spine Center and just steps from patient rooms. Therapy is designed to meet each patient’s specific needs and goals toward going home. Group gym time enables patients to meet other patients and share in the recovery process. Our gym is equipped with the new Alter G Anti-Gravity Treadmill which enables patients to rehab with less pain and impact.
Over 50 orthopedic physicians and neurosurgeons are on the medical staff. We employ specialty-trained nurses in orthopedics with a 4:1 nurse patient ratio with CNAs to assist. We also have a Nurse Patient Navigator to provide patient education and support during your stay and a follow-up phone call after discharge.
Care team
At Penrose-St. Francis Total Joint and Spine Center, our multi-disciplinary team provides patients with a number of services to treat the body, mind and spirit. Services provided are dependent on the particular need of the individual. We utilize a patient and family centered team approach. This approach emphasizes continuous communication among the care team.
Over 50 orthopedic and neurosurgeons choose to practice at the Penrose-St. Francis Total Joint & Spine Center. Finding the right doctor means focusing on the factors that can actually affect your health.
The nursing staff is specialized in the care of joint and spine surgery patients. Each morning you will have goals to achieve for the day. You will go over your daily goals with your nurse to plan your day. The staff will assist you in personal care activities, such as bathing, toileting, and position changes. The nurses will also assist you in areas such as pain management, bowel function, medication education, incision care and movement activities such as walking and getting in and out of the chair.
These physicians specialize in physical medicine and are non-surgical experts that treat all back conditions. Some of these physicians do injections to the spine or muscles to help decrease pain symptoms.
The case manager is a registered nurse who works in collaboration with other team members to develop and implement the treatment plan and coordinate medical resources for patient's discharge needs.
Provides patient education and support during your stay and a follow-up phone call after discharge.
Our PT / OT team will assist you in regaining independence with activities of daily living (ADL's) such as dressing, grooming, bathing and toileting, getting in and out of bed, walking and going up and down stairs. You may receive instruction in postural alignment and exercise to relieve pain and regain your strength.
A pain management advance practice nurse or physician may be called in to help manage your pain medications.
The orthotist is a specialist who may be involved in your care if you have been told you will need to wear a brace after surgery. Among other activities, they are involved in making neck, back and limb braces.
Psychological services are provided to help optimize each individual's pain management and surgical outcomes. The psychologist helps to address any concerns or anxiety related to each person's surgery which will significantly increase the benefit of the surgery. The psychologist will help with the preparation, recovery, and rehabilitation associated with each surgery. The psychologist will also help with maximizing pain management for each individual.
