On the move | Health Beat

Jim Houseman had endured from back again and hip pain for so extended, it appeared pain would often be an unavoidable part of life.

The Grand Rapids resident can depend some 20 surgeries over his life span.

“I’ve experienced a appropriate hip substitution done,” Houseman, 78, claimed. “I’ve had 10 kidney stones eradicated. Quite a few pores and skin most cancers operations. And eye surgical procedures. I have built up a superior tolerance for ache, but my back and hip discomfort was much too a lot.”

The soreness lingered in his neck, back again and hip. And his neck motion remained restricted.

“I’ve experienced two ruptured discs in my neck and two in my back,” he reported. “That was about 25 many years ago, but the ache has only gotten even worse.”

On a lot of instances, it led him to find care at an emergency office.

In spring 2021, he went a diverse route. He contacted his primary medical doctor and acquired a referral to the Spectrum Wellness Spine & Ache Administration Middle.

That related him with Ryan Felix, DO, MPT, in osteopathic medicine at Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital. Prior to specializing in physiatry and pain administration, Dr. Felix worked as a physical therapist.

Dr. Felix established Houseman suffered from lumbar side arthropathy—a painful, arthritic situation of the facet joints.

“That can lead to a lot of discomfort through any form of excess weight-bearing exercise and stationary positions,” Dr. Felix reported.

Lumbar aspect arthropathy is a variety of osteoarthritis that can induce reduced again discomfort, especially in the lumbar spine. It can impact everyone, but normally occurs in persons age 65 or more mature.

There is an elevated risk for people with a higher system mass index, very poor core strength and bad posture, and it is also a pretty popular cause of neck ache, termed cervical facet arthropathy.

“Dr. Felix was a great listener,” Houseman explained. “He put me appropriate at ease. When I to start with went to the spine and suffering clinic, I had to wait around only a handful of minutes ahead of finding in to see him.”

Discovering aid

Immediately after speaking to Houseman about the suffering, Dr. Felix purchased an MRI to get a much better glimpse at the problem.

He then commenced therapy with a diagnostic block, a series of injections that numb the nerves in the impacted area.

“We performed two thriving diagnostic blocks,” Dr. Felix explained. “If the affected person gets sizeable suffering reduction on the working day of the blocks, then the client will be scheduled for a radiofrequency ablation.

“The ablation will supply them everywhere from six months to much more than a yr of suffering relief in the vast majority of instances,” Dr. Felix mentioned.

For some individuals, a one ablation of the aspect joint nerves is adequate to end the agony for additional than a year. For others, the pain will recede for six months, with the treatment repeated once again at 6 months if wanted.

These sufferers could require to return for repeat ablations if the original ablation does not supply them extensive-phrase advancement in ache and mobility.

That is what transpired with Houseman.

“Those initially injections aided, but then the aid light,” Houseman reported. “I was in a position to stroll with a cane or walker.”

With ablation, he found aid.

“We then cauterized the aspect joint nerves that were being sending the discomfort signal to Jim’s mind, with a method identified as RFA, or lumbar radiofrequency ablation,” Dr. Felix claimed.

The outpatient course of action needs area anesthetic. It is performed by a three-person group working with X-ray assistance.

“Patients commonly tolerate this process very well and go household the exact same day,” Dr. Felix claimed.

For Houseman, it made all the variance.

Dr. Felix and the staff at the Spectrum Wellness Backbone & Discomfort Administration Middle deliver a huge variety of complete treatment method selections for persistent pain.

“It’s not a cookie-cutter solution, since everyone’s ache is various,” Dr. Felix reported. “We consider the person.”

Out and about

Houseman is now cherishing the means to move about.

“The discomfort now is tolerable,” he explained. “I just can’t just sit, that is not me. To be capable to rest and wander and go again … that’s truly massive. But when the soreness returns, I know I can go back again to Dr. Felix for yet another treatment.”

Houseman experienced constantly been utilized to an active life style, interacting with people. He has a bachelor’s in schooling, a master’s in counseling and a different master’s in religious education.

“I enjoy serving persons,” he said. “I’m nevertheless very lively in my church and was a pastor for 35 decades, and I taught in community university for 6. Now I’m a choir director at a nursing home. A single of my hobbies is sweet-earning. I make sweet and then go it out to people today in church and at the nursing household.”

To keep active in retirement, he realized it would be essential to deal with the agony.

“I can sign up for in and play the horn with the choir all over again,” he mentioned.