Your Healthcare Connection: Helping Patients Live A Full Life Through Occupational Medicine And Interventional Pain Management

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Dr. Dagher uses non-operative medicine to get people back to work.
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Dr. Dagher joined Oly Ortho in 2010. He specializes in the evaluation, care and treatment of injured workers.

Statistics show the longer a person is unable to work, or engage in an activity they enjoy due to illness or injury, the greater the chance they never return to it.  In fact, after six months away, greater than 50% of people will never return.

These statistics were sobering, but are highly motivating to a group of specialized physicians at Olympia Orthopaedic Associates called physiatrists.  Physiatry is defined as “a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities through non-surgical means.”

At Oly Ortho, Dr. Zachary Abbott and Dr. Edward Dagher are active physiatrists, both working toward the common goal of physically functional patients, but with two very different specialties.

Dr. Edward Dagher

Dr. Dagher grew up in Nevada and lived in California before joining Oly Ortho in July of 2010. He is just now starting to warm up in our Pacific Northwest climate.  He specializes in Occupational Medicine, a field that helps treat workplace injuries and health issues as well as educate employers on preventative measures to keep workers healthy.  His office at Oly Ortho treats patients with a wide variety of conditions that impair their ability to fully participate in life.  “Someone who is trained, like me, can offer many solutions that do not involve surgery and can get people moving again,” he says.

And while Dr. Dagher sees many patients, he specializes in the evaluation, care and treatment of injured workers.  He focuses on getting people back into the workplace, being productive, and returning to normal physical function.  He knows the statistics and aims to get people off disability and back into their jobs quickly.

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Dr. Dagher uses non-operative medicine to get people back to work.

Dr. Dagher focuses on treating injured workers using non-operative musculoskeletal medicine including muscle, nerve, joint and spine disorders.  Patients also turn to Dr. Dagher for his expertise in electrodiagnosis, trigger point therapy and intramuscular stimulation.  He also performs medical acupuncture for musculoskeletal pain.

His extensive experience in the field of workplace injury claims and workers compensation, as well as a familiarity with the paperwork involved, allow him to provide care that is both comprehensive, and timely, as he navigates the complex system.

“What gets me up in the morning and makes me come to work every day is my passion for keeping people active and productive.  Because, not only is it good for them physically, but mentally as well.  It’s good for their spouses, their kids, and our greater society to have them back at work.  Productive people are what keep society going,” he summarizes.

Dr. Dagher also performs workplace screenings, helping employers put preventative measures in place, keeping workers healthy and safe.   And employers are grateful for his expertise because when someone is out of the office for an extended period of time, the impact ripples out and affects a great number of people.

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Dr. Abbott settled in Olympia as a physiatrist with Oly Ortho. He defines his practice as helping with any impairment of the neuromuscular system.

When asked about working in the new Westside Clinic, Dr. Dagher shares, “Being in an integrated facility is fabulous.  I can ask one of my partners down the hall to look at something and offer an opinion, which for certain cases, is just what we need.”

Dr. Zachary Abbott

Dr. Abbott grew up in San Francisco, but after attending UW and rowing on the crew team, he was hooked on the Pacific Northwest.  After years of travel for his medical trainings, including one of the most prestigious fellowships in his field, Dr. Abbott chose to settle in Olympia.  Now a father of five, Dr. Abbott is a physiatrist with a practice quite different from Dr. Dagher.

“Physiatry encompasses a broad spectrum of patient populations and we deal with anything that impairs the function of the neuromuscular system.  Physiatrists specialize in a variety of fields – stroke rehab, amputee rehab, workplace injury – I specialize in spine care and electrodiagnostic testing.”   With his extensive training, including an impressive four board certifications, Dr. Abbott can employ the use of highly specialized diagnostic tools to help pinpoint a patient’s pain.

One such tool is electrodiagnostic testing, including nerve conduction studies and EMG.  These tests are used to evaluate the neuromuscular system to diagnose and characterize nerve disorders and guide treatment.   And a large part of the physiatrist’s job is diagnostic – determining if that ‘hip pain’ that plagues you is really your hip joint or an issue with muscles, ligaments, nerves or the spine.  Dr. Abbott uses his tools like a detective, discovering the true cause of a patient’s pain and crafting a specific and appropriate course of treatment.  That treatment may include spinal injections, another specialty of Dr. Abbott, performed either in the Olympia Surgery Center or in the Westside clinic’s fluoroscopy suite.

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Dr. Abbott specializes in spine care and electrodiagnostic testing.

Sometimes, however, the appropriate course of action is surgery.  Luckily, Dr. Abbott works just steps away from some of the most talented orthopaedic surgeons in the state, a benefit to doctors and patients at Oly Ortho.

“As a general rule, I’m a minimalist.  If you have a little bit of back pain, but are able to carry on with your daily life – playing with your kids, going to work, sleeping well – there is no need to come in.  But if daily function is being impacted, then you should see me.”   Dr. Abbott will ask what you hope to accomplish with your visit.  This question is key to his patient care.  While you may come in for pain, your personal outcome is most important to him, and he’ll customize your care to ensure you get just what you need, whether it’s a good night’s sleep or picking up your grandkids.

Both Drs. Dagher and Abbott have one common goal, despite the differences in their practices: returning patients to normal function, allowing them to live full and productive lives.

 

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