Spine Surgery
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Axis Spine – Post Falls
Address: 1641 E Polston Ave #101 Post Falls, ID 83854
Phone: (208) 457-4208
Website: www.axisspinecenter.com
Fax: (208) 457-4197
Axis Spine – Coeur d’Alene
Address: 7600 N Mineral Dr, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815
Phone: (208) 457-4208
Website: www.axisspinecenter.com
Fax: (208) 457-4197
Meet Our Providers
Roland Kent, MD
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Dr. Roland S. Kent is a fellowship trained Spine Surgeon. Fellowship training is the highest level of training available for spine surgical care in the United States. He specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery, alternatives to bony fusion including disc replacement, fracture care, bone health, sacroiliac (SI) joint disease, revision spine surgical care, and complex spinal disorders. Dr. Kent is excited to finally be back home. After graduating from Coeur d’Alene High school he received a Bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and then joined the Navy. He attended medical school at Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland and then internship and residency at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia. He graduated from the combined Neurosurgery and Orthopedic Spine Fellowship at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, where he performed complex surgical care at Harborview, the University of Washington, and Seattle Children’s Hospital. He returned to the Navy as the chief of Spine Surgery at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, where he taught spine surgery to resident physicians and managed the Navy’s highest volume interdisciplinary spine practice with physical therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, pain psychologists, physical medicine specialists and other spine surgeons. There, he built a comprehensive spine surgical practice specializing in cutting-edge technologies and time-honored surgical strategies. He presented academic papers at national and international spine meetings and helped to establish a standardized curriculum to teach young surgeons spine surgical techniques and principles.
Additionally, he provided expert spine surgical care to active duty military members, the elite Navy special warfare community, military retirees and their families. During his two decades in the US Navy, he served in Washington, DC, Virginia, Diego Garcia, Italy, Cuba, Afghanistan and finally in Spokane as a Navy reservist. In 2015, Dr. Kent joined the Rockwood Clinic in Spokane, Washington as the Spine Surgery Section Head where he helped develop the interdisciplinary spine surgical program at Rockwood Neurosurgery and Spine, integrating the efforts of surgical and non-surgical spine specialists.
Daniel Blizzard, MD
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Dr. Daniel J. Blizzard is a fellowship-trained Spine Surgeon specializing in comprehensive spinal surgical care ranging from minimally-invasive and motion-sparing techniques, to scoliosis and deformity surgery, and revision surgical treatment.
Dr. Blizzard was raised in Liberty Lake, WA and graduated valedictorian of his class from Central Valley High School. He then attended the University of Washington on academic scholarships from the Gates Foundation and the Washington NASA Space Grant, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in Bioengineering. Dr. Blizzard attended medical school at Yale University where he was selected as a Doris Duke Research Fellow for his work investigating osteobiologics and 3D-MRI in spine surgery. After medical school, he completed his general surgery internship and orthopaedic surgery residency at Duke University in Durham, NC. He then graduated from the combined Orthopaedic and Neurosurgical Spine Surgery Fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta, GA performing complex surgical care at the Emory University Hospitals, Grady Memorial Hospital (the busiest Level 1 trauma center in the country), and the Atlanta Veterans Administration Hospital.
Dr. Blizzard has a specific interest in the development and utilization of new diagnostic and surgical techniques with the goal of reducing the pain, recovery time, and longterm morbidity associated with traditional spine surgery. Throughout his training Dr. Blizzard pursued these interests, leading dozens of studies assessing the clinical efficacy of new minimally-invasive fusion techniques, motion-sparing techniques for cervical spine pathology, and the identification and prevention of complications in spine surgery.
David Glass man, MD
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Dr. David Glassman is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon at Northwest Specialty Hospital. He is an international speaker, published author, professor, and thought leader. As a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, he has received the highest level of training attainable in spine surgery. Dr. Glassman remains actively engaged in innovative research, embracing the latest innovations in surgical techniques and approaches including the use of augmented reality to provide remote integrated surgery. Over the course of his training and experience, he has developed a balanced approach to the use of surgical intervention and values the importance of non-operative care when customizing a comprehensive treatment plan with his patients designed to improve the quality of their lives.
Dr. Glassman attended the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, graduating with honors at the top 10% of his class. Following graduation, he served two tours as a Seahawk helicopter pilot and was awarded Pilot of the Year while serving as an Instructor Pilot for the United States Navy.
Dr. Glassman was then accepted into the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, which has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading medical institutions and earned his Doctor of Medicine. He completed his Orthopedic Surgery Residency at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia. Dr. Glassman then completed his spine fellowship at Harborview Medical Center at University of Washington in Seattle, where he was trained by world-class orthopedic surgeons on complex and minimally invasive surgical spine interventions.
Sarah Murphy, PA-C
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Sarah Murphy, PA-C is a board certified Physician Assistant who is joining the team at Axis Spine Center as a surgical PA. She is a Pacific Northwest native having grown up in southwest Washington and recently relocated to Rathdrum with her husband.
Before obtaining her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from Pacific University, she worked in a multitude of settings which included mental health, obstetrics, and emergency medicine. Sarah is excited to work in both the clinic and operating room to help patients become healthier, happier versions of themselves with improved quality of life.
Outside of medicine Sarah loves the outdoors and enjoys fitness including running, yoga, and jiu jitsu. She also enjoys exploring new places with family and friends and looks forward to experiencing northern Idaho.
Ashley Lammers, PA-C
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Ashley Lammers is a Physician Assistant with experience in both Neurosurgery and Pulmonology. She earned her bachelors degree from Ohio University and a Masters degree in Sports Medicine from the University of Oregon before obtaining a Master of Physician Assistant Studies at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She provides comprehensive spine care and is passionate about helping patients to return to an active lifestyle.
Ashley enjoys spending as much time as possible outdoors, preferably on adventures with her husband and dog. As a recent transplant to the Pacific Northwest, she has enjoyed exploring all this area has to offer!
Amber Mingura, PTA
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Amber Mingura is a physical therapist assistant with Axis Spine Physical Therapy in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho. She joined Axis Spine in 2022 and is excited to bring her background in home health and sports rehabilitation to the services they offer.
Physical therapist assistants (PTAs) provide physical therapy services under the direction and supervision of a physical therapist. PTAs implement components of patient care, obtain data related to the treatments provided, and collaborate with the PT to modify care as necessary. PTAs care for a spectrum of patients including those with injuries, disabilities, or other health conditions, and also for those who simply want to become healthier and prevent future problems.
To work as a physical therapist assistant in the United States, you must graduate from a Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education-accredited physical therapist assistant education program and pass a state-administered national exam to obtain licensure or certification required in most states. The length of a PTA program is typically two years (five semesters). Primary content areas in the curriculum may include but are not limited to, anatomy, physiology, exercise physiology, biomechanics, kinesiology, neuroscience, clinical pathology, behavioral sciences, communication, and ethics/values.
The Excelsius3D™ Globus Medical’s Intelligent Imaging System is now available at Northwest Specialty Hospital. An elegant extension of the Excelsius™ ecosystem, it provides unmatched imaging adaptability, intelligence, and automation. With integrative haptic-touch response and smart position memory to enhance execution it controls cone-beam CT, fluoroscopy, and digital radiography all in one consolidated system with a 50% larger field of view than the leading competitor.
Our surgical spine program is one of the most innovative in the country.
The Excelsius robotic arm navigation platform with one of the first, and most advanced intra-operative full body 3D scanners in the world that provides an unprecedented level of precision and accuracy. Complimented by an equally advanced surgical spine table with intelligent memory for precision placement, radio-translucence for amazing image clarity with and a built-in Tempur-Pedic memory foam pad. These technologies are designed to help increase our patients recover faster with fewer complications in a more comfortable environment. We also feature one of the first fully automated, robotic digital microscopes, the Modus V, with 3D visualization and AI-enabled voice-activated control, which allows us to perform more advanced procedures that make it easier to use minimally invasive surgical approaches resulting in less post-operative pain. Our surgeons were also among the first in the area to implement custom 3D printed surgical spine implants that are printed exclusively for our patients and have incorporated regenerative medicine as an option to improve recovery times.
As a center of excellence for spine surgery, some of the best spine surgeons have observed our use of surgical robotic techniques to improve their level of care. In fact, we have been recognized by US News and World Report as one of the highest performing hospitals in the nation for spinal fusion. Our board-certified, fellowship trained orthopedic spine surgeons are thought leaders, authors, professors and experts in their field who work with a team of spine care specialists trained in other specialties who collaborate on a customized surgical plan for you. They perform their procedures at the award-winning Northwest Specialty hospital, which has been one of the highest ranked hospitals in the US for patient satisfaction according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, consistently for nearly a decade and features a host of culinary delights like steak, seafood and crème brûlée.
As a surgical specialty hospital, our procedures are elective allowing a thorough screen process prior to surgery. Our pre-surgical process begins weeks before surgery with classes designed to provide our patients the information they need about their procedure, their medications and what to expect. Our program also includes a comprehensive review of your medical history and provides you with the information you need to make you comfortable prior to surgery and know that you are in good hands. After your surgery has been completed one of our hospitalists who specializes in your post-surgical care will work with a dietitian on a plan to assist you recover as quickly as possible. Our surgical suites and patient rooms are cleaned regularly with not only the highest standards of care as recognized by the Joint Commission but implement a robot that disinfects our rooms utilizing a spectrum of ultraviolet light. It is one of the only robotic disinfection systems in the world proven to kill the virus that causes COVID and has demonstrated in more than 40 peer reviewed studies to effectively kill pathogens.
Despite our award-winning surgical care our surgeons have adopted a very conservative approach to the use of spine surgery. Our team of specialists implements offer an assortment of options including chiropractic care, physical therapy and interventional pain managements as alternative options for our patients to consider as our specialists as design the care plan with you. We believe that all options ought to be exhausted prior to surgery and encourage our patients to consider working with our specialists prior to choosing surgery and we want to give them the confidence to know that when they do, they are in some of the best hands in the world.
At Northwest Specialty Hospital, our neurosurgeons are dedicated to caring for disorders of the central and peripheral nervous systems. These doctors have completed at least ten years of training to prepare for the delicate work of surgically repairing and treating the brain, spine, and related nerves. Neurosurgeons handle these conditions using current techniques and minimally invasive options.