Alexandra Fannin, MS, APRN

My specialty, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, is dedicated to improving quality of life for patients by helping to maintain or improve their function over time. My core objective is to help people lead better lives through coordinated, non-surgical treatment of muscle, joint and spine problems. I listen with great care and intention to my patients to better understand the problem, its effects on their lives and their goals for treatment. I perform a thorough, hands-on physical examination to help establish a diagnosis. I then work collaboratively with my patient and others to create an individualized treatment plan for treatment and prevention. Treatments are carried out by the patients themselves or with the help of a team of providers that I help to coordinate. The team may consist of other physicians or other health professionals. I provide guidance for physical and occupational therapy programs and perform targeted manual therapy and fluoroscopic and non-fluoroscopic injections. By seeing patients as a whole, rather than by simply addressing their symptoms, I empower my patients to manage their own medical problems and help them stay as active as possible at any age. An interdisciplinary approach I believe strongly in the value of an interdisciplinary approach to medicine and to problem solving, in general. This approach is integral to the practice of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Health care, like the world around us, is changing rapidly. Such change demands flexible thinking and the ability to collaborate with others who offer fresh perspective and new ways of seeing. These skills are critical to the creative problem solving needed to meet the challenges that we face as professionals and caregivers. I believe that the future belongs to those who are able to think creatively, work collaboratively and integrate solutions from outside of the discipline in which we have historically been trained. I feel fortunate to practice a medical specialty that embraces the interdisciplinary mindset and to work alongside nurses, surgeons, anesthesiologists, therapists and social workers in the Center for Pain and Spine where I have the opportunity to apply this approach daily for the benefit of my patients. Rehabilitation is, by nature, positive and forward-looking. I help patients improve their quality of life by meeting goals that they have set, based upon what is important to them in their daily lives. These goals and the treatment methods used to achieve them are as varied as the patients I see, but the process is always very rewarding for me.

My work isn’t done until we have a cure for cancer. I’m focused on improving each patient’s experience through customized, research-guided healthcare. I want my patients to know that I am on their side. I do everything I can to ensure they’re well cared for with the latest and greatest in treatment. That includes my research and focus on strategies that prevent metastasis. In my office, each patient is treated based on their one-of-a-kind needs and life circumstances. For those with metastatic disease, helping them live as long and well as possible is my top priority. For individuals in the early stage of the disease, it might mean giving them minimal therapy to cure them without adding long-term side effects. I love watching patients hit important milestones. The times when a patient moves forward—healthy and happy after the strain of cancer—are a win for us all. No matter the situation, we work together. I want my patients to understand what’s happening, why and what their options are. I achieve that by sharing information, listening and empowering my patients to take control of decision-making and their overall health. Knowledge helps manage expectations. It also helps my patients find their strength and voice again. Watching them regain control of their lives is a wonderful thing.

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