One middle-aged patient sought me out in Seattle from the East Coast for a second opinion regarding his neck. He had been disabled since 2001 with chronic pain over most of his body. He had at least 10 additional symptoms of burning, aching, stabbing, and tingling that would migrate throughout … Read More
Compassion—First and foremost I am on a much-needed vacation this week in Italy. From 1980 until 1990, my wife lived in Florence. We have many friends in Italy we like to visit as much as we can. It is a unique opportunity for me in that she is fluent in … Read More
From my perspective, life in the worker’s comp system for my patients has never been more difficult. The improvement in overall numbers belies the daily struggles of my patients who are admittedly an unusual group. Many of them have been referred to me after “failed surgery” or have been in … Read More
Fixing the problems with the worker’s comp system is critical. However, the system is unwieldy and we are not going to change it anytime soon. We know extremely well what needs to happen to enable a worker to move smoothly through the system. One of my physiatrist colleagues felt so … Read More
I have a patient who is a muscular 43 y/o welder. He injured his back on the job about four years ago. After undergoing a laminectomy for low back pain, his pain actually increased. When I first saw him a couple of years ago, his complaint was unrelenting low back … Read More