Posted by
Ryan Davis on Fri, Sep 21, 2007 @ 11:42 AM
Click here to download a pdf of this article from The Huntsville Times
What: SpineCare Inc.
Who: Dr. Anthony Houssain
What it does: Functions as a spine rehabilitation clinic. The practice’s approach varies from a traditional chiropractic clinic with its “research-based practice of chiropractic medicine,” Houssain said. The practice has clinics in Huntsville and Madison.
Employees: 15 – four doctors, six rehabilitation assistants, five office staff
Company history: Founded in January 2002 and “defied conventional wisdom. We focused on quietly building a research-based practice of chiropractic medicine ... to market effectively to an untapped resource: medical doctors.” Houssain identified family physicians and spine surgeons as “two opportunities for rapid business growth. Our model has evolved into ‘quarterbacking’ ” spine cases for teams such as the Huntsville Havoc and Tennessee Valley Vipers, Alabama A&M University and Bob Jones High School football. While SpineCare doctors explore new areas to develop ideas, “Our foundation remains unchanged – providing evidence-based, non-surgical spine management to the medical community and their patients.”
Honors: Finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year at the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Awards program.
Secret of success: Equal attention to “sciences of chiropractic medicine and business. Both are required to identify an unmet need, realize the solution and, most importantly, communicate to our market.”
Biggest mistake: “Systems in place that helped us in one clinic didn’t work with two clinics.” Fortunately, the doctors learned about controlling growth of the practice.
Contact: 461-7775, visitspinecare.com
SpineCare in Madison is at 3825 Sullivan St., Suite 1. For more information, call 461-7775, send e-mail to info@visitspinecare.com or visit www.visitspinecare.com.
Posted by
Ryan Davis on Fri, Sep 21, 2007 @ 09:03 AM
Click here to download a pdf of this article from the Huntsville Times
Although he won't be burning up the dance floor, Dr. Joe Ragone is serving as tour physician for the Fox network's series "So You Think You Can Dance."
On the series, contestants' dances vary in style from hip-hop and other street styles to ballroom moves, like salsa and jive.
"The show is very similar to 'American Idol.' They go around the country and have auditions. Then, each week the two dancers with the lowest votes have to leave the show until there is one winner," Ragone said.
Each week, dancers learn a new routine and the judges critique their performance. "Then, America votes," Ragone said. "The top 10 dancers then tour the country after the show ends."
His wife, Melissa, "is a dancer and loves the show, so I watched it as well," he said. He is associated with a group that provides chiropractic and massage services for events throughout the country and had been talking with "So You Think You Can Dance." Contacts with the TV series asked Ragone to join them as chiropractor. His responsibilities are "to do what I can to make them feel better so they can perform that night with less pain." He expects to treat mostly "overuse injuries that develop from repetitive stresses without appropriate time to rest."
Although he'll work closely with the crew, Ragone doesn't plan to pick up any dance moves. "My wife is the dancer in the family, and it is better to leave it at that."
In similar work, Ragone was the chiropractor for the 2004 Snowboarding U.S. Open for Burton Snowboards and was the onsite chiropractic physician for the 2004 Boost Mobile Pro Snowboarding Event in Chicago.
Ragone is a physician at SpineCare of Madison. Melissa Ragone works as office manager for SpineCare.
He received a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Wisconsin. In 2002, he earned a doctorate of chiropractic at the National University of Health Sciences.
"I practiced in Chicago since 2003 before moving toAlabama," Ragone said. He also was a member of the adjunct faculty at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Ill.
For Ragone, entering the field of medicine was "a natural progression for me. I have always been health conscious." He accepted a position at SpineCare of Madison for "a solid practice philosophy. They carved out a great niche in the area."
SpineCare in Madison is at 3825 Sullivan St., Suite 1. For more information, call 461-7775, send e-mail to info@visitspinecare.com or visit www.visitspinecare.com.
Posted by
Ryan Davis on Wed, May 30, 2007 @ 10:02 AM
The adrenaline rush of a triathlon wasn't limited to three SpineCare doctors and a spouse who entered a recent Gulf Coast competition. By closing their clinics, the entire staff joined in the experience.
Dr. Anthony Houssain and his wife Elizabeth Houssain, Dr. Sean Caine and Dr. Nicole Bock entered and completed the Alabama Coastal Triathlon in Orange Beach. Elizabeth Houssain placed fifth in the "Open-Female 35-39" category. Anthony Houssain earned eighth place in "Open-Male 35-39," Bock was seventh in "Beginner - Female" and Caine took third place in "Open - Male 30-34."
"We closed our office and took our staff for support and for a cheering section," marketing director Kristy Drake said. "It was an exciting trip."
"Our office staff accompanied us to the Orange Beach race, not only to reward them for doing a great job but to provide moral support and provide a teambuilding experience," Bock said. The trip allowed staff members from SpineCare's locations in Madison and Huntsville to become better acquainted. "This was an opportunity to bring them together to vacation as a group." Keeping that team spirit, the SpineCare doctors recently launched a wellness program that allows "everyone the opportunity to take advantage of a long lunch hour to exercise," Bock said. The doctors already were training at lunchtime and wanted employees to have the same option. "The SpineCare team can now experience firsthand how rejuvenated we are during the second half of the day."
"To experience triathlon or other endurance races is very motivating. Seeing everyday athletes, from teenagers to 70-something race is inspiring. We wanted to share that experience," Bock said.
SpineCare employees are now forming relay teams for the race next year.
Their interest in triathlons has a connection with their professions. "Injuries such as back pain, neck pain and shin splints occur in high-level athletes, as well as our everyday patients," Bock said. "As tri-athletes, we are able to empathize with our patient athletes instead of just sympathize."
Houssain and Caine are two of only four physicians in Alabama certified in active release techniques. This "soft-tissue technique is used to treat problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves often resulting from overuse," Bock said. Like triathlon injuries. Ironman Performance Care by active release techniques is also the official treatment used in the Ironman triathlon.
Away from the clinics, SpineCare doctors serve as team chiropractic physicians for the Tennessee Valley Vipers, Huntsville Havoc and Sparkman High School athletes. Dr. Jonathan Robinson also practices with SpineCare.
SpineCare in Madison is at 3825 Sullivan St., Suite 1. For more information, call 461-7775, send e-mail to info@visitspinecare.com or visit www.visitspinecare.com.
Posted by
Ryan Davis on Wed, Dec 07, 2005 @ 10:04 AM
Dr. Anthony Houssain, a co-owner of SpineCare, demonstrates an active release technique on his partner, Dr. Sean Caine. It is a technique he used while helping at an Ironman triathlon.
Dr. Anthony Houssain, a co-owner of SpineCare, worked as a team physician for an international Ironman competition. He helped athletes at the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Approximately 1,700 athletes from 30 countries finished the race, which included "a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run in the Hawaiian heat," Houssain said.
While he competes in triathlons locally, the meet in Hawaii was his first role involving "pre-race treatment." He has competed in triathlons for the past four years. This year he hopes to compete in his first half-Ironman triathlon.
For almost 10 years, Houssain has treated spine- and sports-related injuries and recently was certified in active release technique, "a soft-tissue therapy technique specific for overuse injuries related to endurance athletes including tri-athletes," he said. Several of Houssains patients are also devoted to the sport. "They compete at many levels of triathlon distance, including Ironman, half-Ironman, Olympic and sprint distances," he said. "Since Triathlons have become a passion of mine, experiencing the pain involved with endurance training, as well as having to care for myself, has allotted me some insight and empathy in managing injuries related to the sport," Houssain said.
A fellow competitor once put Houssain in humbling perspective. "While I was doing one of my first triathlons, a 56-year old woman passed me during the running leg of the competition," he said. "I realized then that it wasn’t how fast you run, but how fast you run tired."
Houssain said he never appreciated the many chances for injuries during training and the race. Fatigue causes runners to compromise their body’s ability "to protect itself while performing what seem like trivial tasks, such as removing your bike from the bike rack," he said. Using human movements to minimize injury plays an important part in protecting athletes in triathlons, Houssain said.
Houssain and his wife, Elizabeth, a speech pathologist with Restore, have a 3-year-old daughter, Emma.
Houssain and his SpineCare associate, Dr. Sean Caine, will open a second clinic in early 2006. SpineCare is at 3825 Sullivan Street, Suite 1. For more information, call 461-7775.
Posted by
Ryan Davis on Sun, Aug 15, 2004 @ 10:06 AM
Clinic is Business of the Year in Personal Services Category
Click here to watch the video.
SpineCare, a clinic specializing in treating and relieving back and neck pain, was among the winners for Business of the Year by the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce. SpineCare won in the Personal Services category. The awards banquet was held August 26 at the Von Braun Center.
Dr. Anthony Houssain, chiropractic physician and clinic director, credits his win to the clinic's involvement in the business community "from Day 1, even before opening the clinic." As a result, business owners became familiar with the practice. "We used the tools that were here" with the Chamber to help our Clinic, he said. "That gave us a leg up and allowed us to prosper as quickly as we did."
SpineCare offers the following services:
- Work and sports-related neck and back disorders, the main workload.
- Nonsurgical neck and back problems ranging from whiplash to slipped discs.
- Referrals from area family physicians, orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine physicians and obstetricians.
Six other groups were recognized at the awards banquet, Holly McClain said. She is communications director for the Huntsville/Madison County chamber.
Hearing SpineCare announced as the winner, Houssain was "pretty shocked. I didn't think we were going to win, but just being nominated was an honor." He was just looking forward to enjoying the night and only jotted down a few notes for an acceptance speech. "I had to ad lib while I was up there accepting the award." The 2003 Personal Services winner, Linda Hamlin with Linda's Printing Services, presented the award to Houssain.
Houssain gained the following credentials to practice at SpineCare:
- Board certification, American Academy of Pain Management.
- Diagnosis and clinical management of whiplash-related disorders, Spine Research Institute of San Diego.
- McKenzie Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy of Spinal Disorders, McKenzie Institute, USA.
- National University of Health Sciences, Lombard, IL, bachelor's degree, human biology, and doctor of chiropractic.
Houssain's wife Elizabeth is a speech pathologist with Restore Care. Their daughter Emma just turned 2 years old.
SpineCare's office is in 12205 County Line Rd., Ste, D. Call 461-7775 for more information.