Bay Area spine surgeon Dr. James Reynolds hasn't needed excuses to visit his mountain retreat cabin in Chicago Park the past 20 years.

During his most recent trip, the Bay Area physician noticed that, “everything was as green as Ireland,” while pulling into Nevada County.

The area's bountiful beauty brought him originally, but a growing patient load has required him to increase his hours at the Delphi Orthopedic Clinic inside Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital.

Although it can fluctuate, the orthopedic physician specializing in spines is normally at the clinic the second Friday of each month from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a lunch break.

“It just makes it easier for the patients, and I like coming here,” Reynolds said last Friday. “I dropped the dogs and cats at the cabin this morning and came to work.”

“We don't do spinal surgeries here, but he can refer patients or take them as his own,” said hospital Vice President of Marketing and Business Development Debbie Plass. “People were already going down to see him, so he thought to help them up here with a diagnostic and follow-up clinic.”

Area residents can also be referred to Reynolds by their personal physicians, Plass said.

Reynolds sees about 10 to 12 patients per visit, and there are plenty from Nevada County's elderly demographic seeking his services.

“I've seen people in their teens, too, but back problems usually start in people in their 30s,” Reynolds said. “It can progress as the years wear on to where people with a severe problem can have leg pain, as well, and they're looking for help,” Reynolds said. “By the time they come to me, they have been in pain for awhile.”

Diagnosis is key, Reynolds said. In many cases, he simply counsels patients and sends them back to their primary physicians for a solution.

Only 5 percent of patients actually get spinal surgery as a last resort, Reynolds said.

“That's why I got a degree in the rehab side, as well,” he said. “Usually, most people need exercise and occasionally medications and then injections,” unless they are in the last 5 percent.

There are several main causes of back pain, Reynolds said. There are maladies with back joints called facets, backbone disc problems and narrowing of the spinal canal from bulging discs or bone spurs.

There are also some easy ways to avoid back problems, Reynolds said.

“If you walk daily, 20 to 30 minutes, that promotes disc health,” he advised. “Most important, avoid twisting, that's the hardest thing on the back. Ten times worse than bending over.

“Move your feet when you're turning,” Reynolds said. “It's usually when you're lifting a box, and you twist without moving your feet that something happens.”

When lifting, you should do more than just bending at the knees, the physician said.

“Bend your knees and your hips when picking things up,” Reynolds said. “It's easy to do and makes such a difference in people's lives.”

Reynolds is the chairman of the orthopedic spine surgery department of the SpineCare Medical Group and a member of the San Francisco Spine Institute. For more information on him and the institute, log on to www.spinecare.com.

Those with back problems can also get help at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital's Back School, Plass said.

There are two levels of classes for patients recovering from back maladies that meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Call the hospital outpatient department at 264-6170 for more information.

To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail dmoller@theunion.com or call 9530) 477-4237.