Submitted

PLAINVILLE – Rooks County Health Center adds new pain management specialist to complement the hospital’s roster of therapists in providing the most technologically advanced, minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic services currently available for effective and innovative pain management solutions. RCH’s expanded services are designed to help patients reduce their chronic pain, eliminate their dependence on drugs and return to an independent lifestyle.

Emphasis is given to non-invasive and non-opioid based treatments. RCH Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Kimberly Wunder, expanded her practice to include pain management. “I saw the growing demand within our community for non-opioid based pain treatments that would enable the people of our community to resume their activities of daily living as quickly as possible after illness or injury,” explained Wunder.

Wunder works closely with primary care physicians to assess the cause of a patient’s pain and find the best treatment option, sometimes even being able to begin treatment during the initial visit. RCH offers a variety of treatment alternatives based on the unique situation of each individual patient some techniques include cervical, thoracic and lumbar steroid epidural injections, facet and sacroiliac joint injections, hip and shoulder steroid injections, nerve blocks as well as specialty migraine pain treatment.

Physical therapy also plays a vital role in helping patients manage and overcome chronic pain. “A person in pain may not feel like moving but most of the time they haven’t been moving at all and that is actually increasing the pain,” stated A.J. Thomas, PT, DPT and Director of RCH Physical Therapy. “We use a variety of evidence-guided treatments to deal with chronic pain including but not limited to movement, soft tissue mobilization, and dry needling. When we start with low or no resistance, physical therapists are able to gradually increase the intensity of active exercises. Part of the treatment is also the education of the patient to learn how and why their body responds differently to pain.”

Dry needling is one of the newest techniques RCH therapists use to help release muscle tissues and relieve pain without the use of medication. According to Thomas, this method doesn’t simply treat pain symptoms, but addresses the actual cause of the pain.

For more information on pain management, visit RooksCountyHealthCenter.com or call 785-434-4553.