Spine Nevada In the News

May 25, 2011 - SpineNevada donates resources to help two injured athletes get back to activity

SpineNevada specializes in helping people with back and neck pain recover and get back to activity. So while the spine center doesn’t treat spinal cord injury patients as part of its specialization, founding neurosurgeon Dr. James Lynch couldn’t help but be moved by the tragic stories of two local Reno athletes who had life changing accidents that impaired their ability to walk.

“SpineNevada helps people conquer back and neck pain so they can get back to their favorite sport, and injury prevention plays a huge role in that,” explains Dr. James Lynch, founder of SpineNevada, a regional spine center of excellence based in Reno. “As local Chairman of ThinkFirst injury prevention, I learned about Grant and Jason and their challenges to get back to activity, and felt we needed to help them.”

The ThinkFirst foundation is chartered to raise awareness about serious spine injury, and how thinking first about risks is so important to prevent life-changing accidents. “Seeing the struggle that Grant and Jason go through is a constant reminder for how fortunate we all are to have our health,” adds Dr. Lynch. “Sadly with a lot of things in life you don’t appreciate your health until it’s taken from you.”

Image copyright Eliot Drake, used with permission

Grant & Jason: 2 injured athletes

Grant is a mechanical engineer, worldclass kayaker, an accomplished mountain biker, skier and snowmobiler. He has climbed Mount Whitney, maneuvered Class 5 rapids on his kayak and skied some of Europe’s highest peaks.

But in March 2010, Grant damaged his spinal cord in a snowmobile accident in the Sonora Mountains. He was airlifted to Renown hospital in Reno where he had a nine-hour surgery to relieve pressure from a shattered lumbar vertebra, and two titanium rods and a cage were attached to Grant’s spine. His surgeon told him that most people with his injury rarely walk again. His wife, Shawna, a personal trainer, encouraged him to press on with rehab. The challenge was that their health insurance paid for very limited physical therapy which was exhausted quickly.

SpineNevada to the rescue

After hearing of Grant’s story, Dr. Lynch was moved to play a more active role. He donated to the High Fives Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises money and awareness for winter sport athletes with life-altering injuries. He also donated extensive time with SpineNevada’s therapist Thaïs Mollet. Physical therapy is a major part of Grant’s 8 hour daily work outs. The determination, hard work and countless hours of rehab are now paying off. Surprising everybody, early in 2011 Grant was able to start walking with crutches. And in May 2011, Grant flew to Norway to be in an outdoor film and skied near the arctic circle in a ski chair.

Giving hope to others

Image copyright Keoki Flagg, used with permission

Just as Grant received the needed help from SpineNevada, he now wants to help others through his experience, “I want people to have hope,” Grant says. Grant is now involved with the rehab of Reno athlete Jason Craig, a worldchampion kayaker who injured his spinal cord in a kayaking accident. The 2009 Junior World Freestyle Kayak Champion underwent six hours of reconstructive surgery. As a result of the accident, Jason has severe nerve damage and has lost feeling in the back of his legs, and has little feeling in his feet and calves.

Dr. Lynch again offered physical therapy care at the SpineNevada gym, working with spine therapist, Thaïs Mollet.

During his therapy sessions at SpineNevada, Thaïs incorporates manual therapy techniques as well as electrotherapy to help relieve some of Jason’s pain symptoms and increase function. Thaïs also works with Jason using the treadmill and partial weight bearing harness. The treadmill harness helps with gait retraining for patients with spinal cord injury. Jason and his family are hopeful for his continued recovery. He is looking forward to the day when he can walk pain free again, drive a car and return to kayaking.

“While helping spinal cord injury is not part of our normal mission, all of us at SpineNevada are excited to help these two athletes get back to activity. It’s a bigger journey than our normal patients, which perhaps is the challenge we also enjoy. We’d love to see them succeed.”

To learn more about ThinkFIrst, visit http://www.thinkfirst.org/	To donate to the Grant Korgan Recovery, visit http://www.highfivesfoundation.org/ Click on the Grant Korgan Donate Link. To learn more, visit YouTube and watch the Grant Korgan - Korg 3.0 Sponsorship Video.		To donate to the Jason Craig Recovery, visit Facebook, type “Jason Craig Recovery Fund”

April 7, 2011 - Becker’s Orthopedic & Spine Review has announced that Dr. Lynch has beenselected for the "100 of the Best Spine Surgeons and Specialists in America" list in 2011.

Click here to read the complete press release for this recognition.

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