Disc Tear Management Without Surgery In Summit Woods, OH

Spinal discs act as shock absorbers between the vertebrae (spinal bones) in your neck and back. They have a tough outer covering called the annulus fibrosus and a softer, gel-like center called the nucleus pulposus.  The annulus can tear from wear and tear or trauma and can cause mild to severe pain, depending on the location. And although many are asymptomatic, they are more likely to be painful if you’re under age 50.

Annular tears can be overlooked as a cause of pain and are often lumped in with degenerative disc disease (DDD). The only reliable way to find out if a tear is causing your back pain is via discogram. During a discogram, pressure is injected into the disc. The doctor uses this pressure to see if the disc is painful.

In many cases, given enough time and rest, torn discs will heal on their own. However, the area will be more prone to repeat injury and degenerative disc disease (DDD). 

If the pain and other symptoms don’t lessen over time, physicians often recommend a high-dose epidural steroid injection that can temporarily help the pain. But this can also lead to severe side effects and reduce your body’s natural ability to heal itself. 

If the steroid injection doesn’t work, the next common orthopedic option is spinal fusion, a procedure in which two vertebrae are screwed together, or fused. Spinal fusions have been shown to be no more effective than placebo surgeries (also known as sham surgeries), while complications occur in 25% of fusion patients and often lead to further issues, including adjacent segment disease (ASD).

That’s why we’ve developed a different approach.

500 East Business Way
Summit Woods, OH 45241

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Doctors

Dr. Brannan was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and attended St. Xavier High School and the University of Cincinnati. He takes a hands on approach to all patient care, where the focus is on a thorough history and physical exam, followed by a detailed review of imaging and past interventions, to fully assess the patient’s condition.

His special interests include clinical spine medicine, sports medicine, rehabilitation, and electrodiagnosis, including various non-surgical treatment options for patients with acute and chronic pain. Dr. Brannan also focuses on physiatry, which involves diagnosing and treating orthopedic and neurological disorders.

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Areas treated: Cervical Spine (Not Upper Cervical or CCI)*, Lumbar Spine, Thoracic Spine

Emily E. Dixon, D.O., earned her Bachelor of Science with honors from the University of Missouri in 2003. She then graduated from Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2007. Dr. Dixon subsequently moved to Cincinnati where she completed her residency in Family Medicine in 2010. She then completed her sport’s medicine fellowship with Beacon Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in 2011.

Dr. Dixon has provided physician coverage for several local middle school, high school and college athletic programs. She has been a team physician at Xavier University since 2010. She has provided team coverage for USA Gymnastics and Perfection Gymnastics. She is also faculty for the TriHealth Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship which trains physicians who have completed medical school and residency, and wish to pursue subspecialty training in sports medicine. Dr. Dixon has taught musculoskeletal ultrasound at both a local and national level with the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine. She is a member of the AAFP, AMSSM and ACSM.

Dr. Dixon has special interest in diagnostic and therapeutic musculoskeletal ultrasound, orthobiologics, care of the female athlete, medical conditions associated with athletics, concussion, and osteoporosis and fragility fractures. Her education and experience make her trained to treat both adult and pediatric sport-related injuries, and nonsurgical orthopedic conditions.

Dr. Dixon was born and raised outside of Kansas City, MO. She is a Kansas City Chief’s football fanatic, and University of Missouri athletics fan. She and her family are also fans of FCC Cincinnati and Xavier University. She was a competitive soccer player and is still active (along with her husband and 2 daughters) in Pilates, cycling, hiking, swimming, snow skiing, and several other athletic activities. Dr. Dixon and her husband, Chris, recently summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, on 7/31/21.

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Areas treated: Elbow, Foot & Ankle, Hand & Wrist, Hip, Knee, Shoulder

Areas Treated

Cervical Spine (Not Upper Cervical or CCI)*, Elbow, Foot & Ankle, Hand & Wrist, Hip, Knee, Lumbar Spine, Shoulder, Thoracic Spine

*This provider is NOT authorized by Regenexx to treat the C0-C1 or C1-C2 levels of the neck or CCI (craniocervical instability).

During Regenexx’s outpatient procedures, custom concentrations of your body’s natural healing agents are injected into the exact areas of damage in the spine. Treatments use only your own blood to make super-concentrated platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or your own bone marrow concentrate (BMC), which contains stem cells.

Best of all, your downtime will be a fraction of what it is with surgery and generally requires little to no opioid pain medications or time off of work.

Am I a candidate?

Watch a real Regenexx spinal procedure performed by a certified Regenexx physician:

Our goal is to use the least invasive, least expensive procedure to get the desired results. Your Regenexx physician will work with you to determine whether that would be a platelet procedure or a BMC procedure.

At Regenexx, we are dedicated to giving you the information you need to make an informed decision about your best treatment option.

During your initial appointment, your Regenexx doctor will use our four-part SANS (stability, articulation, neuromuscular, and symmetry) evaluation to identify the underlying causes of your pain. Your doctor will examine your injury through a full range of motion and may use ultrasound to observe the inner workings in real time. 

Once the evaluation is completed, your doctor will determine if Regenexx is right for you and will discuss your customized treatment plan based on your specific needs.

Am I a candidate?

Join Chris Centeno, MD, founder of Regenexx, to learn how Regenexx procedures can help treat your back pain without surgery and lead to a faster recovery.

During this free webinar you’ll learn:

  • How procedures using bone marrow concentrate (BMC) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) compare to surgery and other spine pain treatment options
  • Procedure expectations
  • Answers to the most common questions about regenerative medicine treatments
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