Lori Pilatos, 58, played competitive softball for 25 years and regularly keeps up with the sport on her television at home. A die-hard Angels fan, the Westminster resident also stays connected to America’s favorite pastime by attending games at Angel Stadium whenever possible. 

In her 50s, Lori developed osteoarthritis in her knees – nothing unusual for her age or history of sports. Her primary care physician, Gary Ohashi, M.D., of MemorialCare Medical Group, prescribed Supartz injections in her knee to restore the cushioning and lubricating properties of her joint fluid. This provided some relief, but by June 2017, the pain was unbearable. Oftentimes, pain in the knees or legs – like Lori was experiencing – can be linked to injuries in the spine.
Given her increasing and persistent pain, Dr. Ohashi ordered a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan on her lumbar spine and, based on the results, referred her to the Spine Health Center at Orange Coast Medical Center.

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Lori’s team comes together
The Spine Health Center brings together a multidisciplinary team of providers whose specialties range from physical therapy, pain management, neurology and acupuncture to neurologic and orthopedic surgery. What’s more, initial consultations are conducted by a physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation. This triage doctor diagnoses and guides patients toward the most appropriate treatment for their condition. 

“We take a very conservative approach,” says Jason Koh, D.O., board-certified physiatrist. “I’ve seen nearly 900 patients since the Spine Health Center opened its doors and a majority of the patients have gotten better without the need for surgery.”

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Lori began physical therapy, but within two months, the pain in her knees intensified and spread up the front of her thighs. Dr. Koh sent her to Medhat Mikhael, M.D., double board-certified specialist in anesthesiology and pain management, and medical director of the Spine Health Center at Orange Coast Medical Center. In Dr. Mikhael’s office, pain medication was injected directly into the small, stabilizing facet joints of Lori’s lumbar spine. Feeling better, she returned to physical therapy.

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One Saturday afternoon, Lori was washing her car. As she bent to scrub the wheels, pain suddenly shot across her lower back and down the front of her legs, from thighs to shins. Two days later, she was unable to stand. Dr. Koh directed her to the Emergency Department at Orange Coast Medical Center and ordered a new MRI on her lower back, followed by epidurals to ease the pain. 

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The new MRI report noted profound changes in Lori’s spine, including a severely compressed disc between the second and third vertebrae of her lumbar region (L2-L3). Based on these findings, Dr. Koh concluded she would need surgery.