When it comes to back pain, most people want one thing: relief. And that’s completely understandable. But true recovery means more than just easing discomfort—it’s about helping you move better, feel stronger, and get back to doing the things that matter to you.
As a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) physician, also called a Physiatrist, I focus on treating the whole person with a special emphasis on function. In other words, instead of asking only where it hurts, I want to know what you want to get back to doing and how we can make that possible.
A Lifelong Connection to Musculoskeletal Care
Growing up in a family of five boys, I was surrounded by movement, activity, and inevitably, injuries. My dad was a chiropractor, so I was introduced early to the world of musculoskeletal care. I watched him help people feel better through manual manipulation, and I learned to respect the power of hands-on work.
As I explored my own path in healthcare, PM&R was a natural fit for me: it blends a deep understanding of the musculoskeletal system with advanced medical interventions, rehabilitation strategies, and a focus on helping people live active, functional lives.
What Makes PM&R Different
While PM&R shares some overlap with sports medicine and pain management, the philosophy and training is different. After a one-year internship, we complete a 3-year residency that focuses on neuromuscular rehabilitation and restoring function, not just managing symptoms. I then took it a step further and completed a 1-year sports medicine fellowship to further hone my interventional skills.
In PM&R, we take a whole-person view of pain. Instead of focusing only on what is wrong, we also ask how we can help you make the most of what you have. This means improving strength, mobility, endurance, and confidence. Our patients often tell us they didn’t just feel better, they started moving better.
Why Entira Offers PM&R
At Entira, we saw a gap in care. Many patients with back pain, pinched nerves, joint issues, or chronic headaches often bounced between specialties without a clear plan forward. PM&R fills that gap. We provide both advanced procedures and long-term rehab-focused planning, all in one place.
Some of the tools we offer include:
- Spinal injections for back and disc-related pain
- Ultrasound-guided joint, tendon, and nerve injections
- EMG and nerve conduction studies to evaluate nerve issues
- Botox injections for migraines
- Rehabilitation strategies tailored to your lifestyle and goals
Conditions We Commonly Treat
We help patients with a wide range of musculoskeletal and neurologic conditions, including:
- Low back pain from disc degeneration, muscle strain, or joint inflammation
- Pinched nerves, often confirmed through EMG testing
- Arthritis-related joint pain, supported with guided injections and rehab
- Muscle and tendon injuries such as rotator cuff tears or chronic strains
- Chronic migraines, often treated with Botox and lifestyle support
A True Team Approach
Back pain is rarely caused by just one issue, so it often takes a team—primary care providers, chiropractors, physical therapists, and specialists working together—to see the full picture and create a personalized treatment plan. In fact, national guidelines now recommend this kind of comprehensive, noninvasive, team-based care as the first-line approach for low back pain, rather than relying solely on medications and imaging tests (Qaseem et al., 2017).
Studies also show that when patients receive care from an integrated team, outcomes improve: there’s better pain control, increased physical function, and a lower chance of chronic disability (Foster et al., 2018). Even brief educational interventions combined with simple movement-based therapy at home has been shown to outperform passive treatments like rest, back braces, and shoe inserts (Maher et al., 2017).
No matter where you’re starting from, our goal is to help you move forward—with a coordinated, compassionate plan built around you. Relief is just the beginning—let’s get you back to what you love.
References
– Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, Forciea MA. Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2017;166(7):514–530.
– Foster NE, Anema JR, Cherkin D, et al. Prevention and treatment of low back pain: evidence, challenges, and promising directions. Lancet. 2018;391(10137):2368–2383.
– Maher C, Underwood M, Buchbinder R. Non-specific low back pain. Lancet. 2017;389(10070):736–747.
