REDLANDS –It’s easy to dismiss neck or back pain as a life- changing condition until an acute episode or injury lands you flat on your back, unable to move and suffering from great pain.

Here is some good news. Back pain may go away over time on its own with rest and medication. Your back that was injured from a work injury or personal injury may require medical treatment.

To improve access to and provide care for those with neck and back pain, Redlands Community Hospital has opened a dedicated, comprehensive program at their Center for Surgical and Specialty Care. The Center is located across the street from the Hospital campus at 255 Terracina Blvd. Suite 104B, adjacent to the Hospital’s Women’s Health Imaging Center.

The Center for Surgical and Specialty Care is a specialty clinic dedicated to the treatment of back, neck and spinal disorders by a team of highly trained and credentialed physicians and surgeons. From diagnosis to medical care, from surgery to rehabilitation and a healthy return to your active lifestyle and work, the Center provides the care to expedite your recovery. The medical team is comprised of neurosurgeons, pain management specialist, and a physiatrist (physical medicine specialist).

“We ask a lot from our backs each day, and we often take for granted all that it does to keep us upright and moving,” said Robertus Kounang, MD, a board-certified physiatrist who manages patient care for the back pain program at the Center for Surgical and Specialty Care and is on staff at Redlands Community Hospital. “Most back pain can be treated very effectively without the need for surgery, which is welcomed news for many patients. Once we understand what it takes to keep our backs in shape, we become our own best caregivers.” Dr. Kounang’s specialty in physical medicine deals with the non-surgical treatment of back pain, including occupational rehabilitation and physical therapy.

Patients enjoy the coordinated care provided at the Center as a venue for all of their back care. “When you have back pain, even just the thought of traveling all over to get different medical care can be overwhelming,” he said. “By focusing on a patient-centered program, and providing coordinated care in one location, it is easier on the patient and their family.”

Dr. Kounang’s approach to patient care is based on a simple goal – getting you out of pain and back to work as soon as possible. “Back pain is one of the leading causes of missed work due to injury. My passion is to get my patients back to normal with the least amount of stress and pain in as quick of time as is clinically available,” said Dr. Kounang, who completed his fellowship in spinal cord injury at Harvard Medical School.

The Center for Surgical and Specialty Care at Redlands Community Hospital offers comprehensive care by specialty-trained, board-certified physicians serving patients from diagnosis through treatment in the areas of: Neck and Back Pain, Neurosurgery, Vascular Surgery, and minimally invasive robotic surgery (daVinci®), which includes: Prostate and Gynecology.

For more information please call the Center for Surgical and Specialty Care at (909) 335-5500, or visit our website at www.redlandshospital.org

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Redlands Community Hospital is a Not-For-Profit, Stand-Alone Hospital.