For Thomas Brooks, MD, Pain Medicine specialist, his passion is two-fold: to ease the chronic pain his patients endure and to free them from opiate addiction. As part of his work in the Pain Medicine clinic at Village Pointe, he sees dozens of patients each day, performing procedures that target the source of their pain, not the symptoms. Those procedures can include injections at the joint, nerve and ligaments. Many of Dr. Brooks’ patients suffer from back pain.
When patients arrive for their procedure, they’re often filled with anxiety.
"Maybe they’ve had a bad experience or saw something on the internet about someone who experienced something very painful during the procedure," says Kat Mulcahy, nurse, Outpatient Surgery Center at Village Pointe. "Or maybe they’re afraid of needles or just the fear of the unknown."
Dr. Brooks has long been an advocate of massage therapy for people suffering from chronic pain. Because of the anxiety he witnessed in his patients, he partnered with Megan Krenzer, massage therapist, to offer massage therapy before the procedure and sometimes after, if necessary.
"When Megan begins to massage a patient’s shoulders and neck, you can see their blood pressure go down," says Dr. Brooks.
"I often lower the lights and play tranquil music," says Krenzer. "I will sometimes target a patient’s area of pain, which is often the lower back and the upper neck."
"Our goal is to give patients a better experience," says Dr. Brooks. "Megan’s calming techniques are just what it takes to get our patients over the hump and into the procedure room. If they’re able to relax, we’ll see a better outcome."
"My goal is to provide the patient an experience where they feel their pain and anxiety is validated and offer a personalized relief from both," says Krenzer. "We see daily the positive results from the use of massage in the procedure center, specifically with lowering blood pressure, which can sometimes be necessary for a procedure to begin or for the patient to be discharged."
"We consider this a way to individualize care and provide something special," adds Mulcahy. "It’s a great example of our value of healing."
Dr. Brooks says it’s not uncommon for him to receive letters from patients after the procedure.
"They’ll write me and say ‘I feel so much better. I was really anxious and Megan really helped me relax,’" he says.
Dr. Brooks is one of five physicians who perform procedures for the Pain Medicine clinic at Village Pointe and all utilize massage therapy.
Massage therapy is available to any patient at Village Pointe. To learn more or schedule an appointment, call 402.596.4200 or email Krenzer at mekrenzer@nebraskamed.com.