NON-SURGICAL OPTION: “Our focus is non-surgical musculoskeletal care and interventional pain management. The first step in the treatment of any problem is an accurate and comprehensive diagnosis. Our goal is to work with you to diagnose and treat the causes of your pain, safely maximize your function, and improve your quality of life.” Dr. Grant Cooper, M.D. (second row, fourth from right) and Dr. Ana Bracilovic, M.D. (first row, third from right), co-directors of Princeton Spine & Joint Center, are shown with their staff. (Photo by Thomas Hedges)

By Jean Stratton

An icy sidewalk, driveway, or pathway can be treacherous, and a current reminder that winter is still with us!

Falling on the ice is no fun, and as Dr. Grant Cooper, M.D., co-director of Princeton Spine & Joint Center, explains, “Every season brings its own hardships. In the winter, people may slip on the ice or injure themselves shoveling snow.”

Not to mention skiing, sledding, and ice skating accidents, etc. Injured ankles, arms, legs, knees, shoulders, and hips may result, and Cooper and the team at Princeton Spine & Joint Center are ready to help.

Whatever the season, alleviating spine and musculoskeletal pain through non-surgical treatment is the specialty of the Center. Established in 2008 by Cooper and his wife and colleague, Dr. Ana Bracilovic, M.D., the Center now has two offices, located at 601 Ewing Street and 256 Bunn Drive in Princeton.

Summa Cum Laude

A summa cum laude graduate of Princeton University, Cooper attended UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and completed his residency in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at New York Presbyterian Hospital, The University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell in New York. He completed a Fellowship in Spine and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Medicine at the Spine Institute at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York.

A dual degree honors graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Bracilovic is a board-certified physician, specializing in the non-operative care of spine, joint, muscle, and nerve pain. After medical school at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson, she completed her specialty training at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, The University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell in New York. In addition, to serving as co-director of Princeton Spine & Joint Center, she is director of Princeton Dance Medicine.

Bracilovic is the author of the gold standard dance medicine text, Essential Dance Medicine, an active member of the International Association of Dance Medicine, a reviewer and contributor to medical journals, and the winner of numerous awards for research in musculoskeletal and dance medicine.

“Every patient is different,” she points out, “and the Center offers individualized care. For some, dancing again, or getting back on the tennis court is the goal. Others want to be able to play with their grandchildren. Everyone has specific goals and ambitions. The most important thing for us is to help people get back to their active lives as quickly as possible.”

Princeton Spine & Joint Center treats people of all ages, including children as young as 8. In addition, the Center has specific areas of focus in regenerative medicine, sports medicine, and dance medicine, with physicians specializing in each of these areas.

Using the most technologically advanced methods and comprehensive examination, the eight doctors and physician assistants at the Center diagnose the causes of their patients’ pain, and then prescribe a treatment program. They report that over the past decade, increasing numbers of people have become aware of the effectiveness of non-surgical intervention.

Many Options

“As non-surgical orthopedic rehabilitation specialists we emphasize treatment modalities ranging from nutrition and exercise to physical therapy, and when necessary, targeted image-guided injections,” explains Cooper. “There are many options people can utilize to help minimize the impact of wear and tear on their bodies, and remain pain-free, healthy, and active.

“For a whole host of reasons, joints aren’t just capable of movement — they require movement in order to stay healthy. One of the most important roles we play is reducing pain as a barrier to activity and exercise. One of the most exciting aspects of our field is that we continue to evolve and develop new treatments. Treatment approaches are available today that are vastly improved from even five or 10 years ago.”

“There are several non-surgical treatments available,” adds Bracilovic, “and at different stages of injury and the rehabilitation process, we tailor the treatment options to what each person needs. Treatment plans are individualized, and patients understand that they themselves play a significant role in their healing process.”

A treatment that can be effective is regenerative medicine, which is especially helpful in restoring function to hips, knees, shoulders, hands, ankles, and feet, particularly those afflicted with arthritis, points out Dr. Scott Curtis, co-director of the Sports Medicine and Regenerative Medicine programs.

“Regenerative medicine has helped so many people. This is an evolving sub-specialty that includes multiple specific treatments, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) image guided injections. The overarching goal of regenerative medicine is to help the body to heal and repair itself.”

“One thing we have learned very clearly in spine and musculoskeletal medicine is that you have to take a holistic approach,” explains Dr. Zinovy Meyler, co-director of Princeton Spine & Joint Center’s Interventional Spine Program. “Epidural steroid injections, for example, are a great tool to help alleviate inflammation and pain quickly, but they need to be combined with targeted exercises in order to prevent inflammation and pain from returning.”

Holistic Strategies

“The most common problems we see involve back pain, neck pain, shoulder, hip, and knee pain,” reports Dr. Marco Funiciello, also co-director of the Center’s Interventional Spine Program.

“We have doctors who take care of every musculoskeletal ache and pain, including nerve pain. Most of our patients have focused issues where we can efficiently figure out their problems, fix them, and move on. But it can be a longer process if there is a chronic pain situation. When it is chronic, we can help break that cycle of pain, and figure out holistic strategies to prevent, or at a minimum, slow the pain from recurring.”

Nerve pain, such as sciatica, is another condition the doctors treat.

Patients of all ages are treated at the Center, emphasizes Cooper. “Some people have pain for a while, and just feel that’s how it is. They may think it’s too late to try to take care of it, and don’t realize there are treatments, whatever their age.”

“While it is true that as people age, they may become pre-disposed to aches and pains, we reject entirely the notion that pain is a natural part of aging that patients must accept,” stresses Dr. Peter Murphy, co-director of the Sports Medicine Program. “In fact, we have several 85-year-old and older patients, who, after treatment, have returned to playing sports, and participate in their usual daily activities without pain. Our goal is always to enable people to maximize the quality of their lives at every age.”

Treating each person as an individual is crucial, he adds, as everyone is different. “When you think you know everything about your field, you’ll learn from your patients that people don’t always fit a chapter in a textbook.”

Children, including some with scoliosis, young athletes, and performing artists are also among the Center’s patients. They come from Princeton and beyond, including New York and Philadelphia. In the last two years, the Center’s increasing YouTube video presence (with some videos garnering close to a million views), has brought patients from as far away as the Bahamas, Texas, California, and Florida.

Same-Day Appointments

“We have patients who have been referred by current and former patients, others who have found us online, or who have read our books,” reports Cooper. “Also, an important aspect of our practice and that we believe sets us apart is that we offer same-day appointments. and are equipped to help people get better when we first meet them, if possible. We emphasized setting up the practice this way because if people are in pain they don’t want to wait, and they shouldn’t have to wait.

“We have state-of-the-art equipment in both our offices that allows us to help people right away. Also, we take the time to get to know our patients, who are from all backgrounds and professions. We meet weekly to review interesting or difficult cases and discuss the latest research.”

He adds that when appropriate, the doctors reach out to other specialists, such as rheumatologists, surgeons, and neurologists, for additional collaboration.

“Our unwavering commitment is never to deviate from our dedication to give each patient our full attention. A doctor I studied with told me something very important. ‘Just take care of one person at a time, and the rest will take care of itself.’ We always take care of that one person — always.”

Continuing education in non-surgical spine and musculoskeletal treatments is crucial, and the physicians at the Center are foremost in their fields. As Cooper says,” The doctors in our practice are fellowship-trained and board-certified. Our doctors continue to author books on non-surgical orthopedics, write and edit papers, and often participate in educational outreach events within our community.”

Author of 20 books himself, Cooper points out recent titles, such as Non-Operative Treatment of the Lumbar Spine, A Case-Based Approach to Neck Pain: A Pocket Guide to Pathology, Diagnosis and Management, and A Clinicians’s Evidence-Based Guide to Supplements.

Close Collaboration

He notes that these and others are often collaborations. “Many of the recent ones are written with our friends and colleagues at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Dr. Joseph Herrera is the chair of Physical Medicine and Performance at Mount Sinai, and we have been colleagues and co-authors on many of these books. There is a close collaboration between Princeton Spine & Joint Center and Mount Sinai.”

Princeton is important to him and to Bracilovic, he adds. They originally met at Princeton High School, went to medical school together, and then trained together at New York Presbyterian in New York. They are grateful to have been able to return to Princeton to work together, and bring up their children here, close to all four grandparents.

“Our medical practice is really an extension of our family,” he points out. “The doctors who have joined us are good friends, amazing doctors, and are also raising their families here. Several of our staff have been with us for more than 10 years.”

They all share his and Bracilovic’s dedication to their patients’ wellbeing. As he says,“ For all of our doctors, it is extremely gratifying to see a patient who comes in with terrible pain and leaves without pain. There is no better feeling for us than to be able to have that impact. Always, the welfare of the patient is the most important priority.”

Princeton Spine & Joint Center accepts all major insurance plans, and appointments are available Monday through Friday. (609) 454-0760. Visit the website at www.princetonSJC.com.