Kansas Pain Management provides comprehensive interventional pain management services in the Overland Park, Leavenworth/Lansing, and Ottawa, Kansas areas. With nationally recognized and award winning Physicians our providers are leaders in the field of pain management.
January is our annual Top Doctors issue, where we recognize local physicians who have been nominated by their peers and screened by our partners at a top New York-based research firm.
We know readers count on that list when making important care decisions and picking specialists, and it’s always an honor to publish the results.
This year, we supplement that list with a look at how eight Kansas City doctors have gone above and beyond in the coronavirus crisis. These physicians have all acted heroically in the face of the global pandemic, finding ways to go above and beyond in service to the city.
MAYANK GUPTA, M.D.
The opioid crisis has led to strict rules about how to prescribe the powerful, addictive painkillers to treat patients with chronic pain. The pandemic forced the closure of non-emergency medical offices, putting a lot of pressure on the system. Dr. Mayank Gupta at Kansas Pain Management went to great lengths to develop a system that meets government requirements while also serving patients who rely on prescriptions to battle debilitating chronic pain. His system involves a combination of telehealth check-ins, outdoor checkpoints and the hyper-efficient use of in-person appointments to keep patients safe but properly served, and he’s been active in sharing it with others in his field through webinars.
Pain management doctors diagnose pain and help patients pinpoint the underlying conditions that cause it. Then, they work with patients to find therapy, treatments and/or medication to help subside or diminish the pain.
Kansas City magazine’s annual Top Doctors list is compiled by a trusted national health care research and information company, Castle Connolly. A physician-led team of researchers follows a rigorous screening process to select top doctors through a nomination process that is open to all licensed physicians in America. The results are then carefully screened. Doctors do not and cannot pay to be selected for the Top Doctors list.
Howard Aks, MD Pain Management Associates 10550 Quivira Rd, Ste 270 Overland Park, Kan. 66215 (816) 763-1559
Edward B. Braun, MD The University of Kansas Health System 4000 Cambridge St Kansas City, Kan. 66160 (913) 588-1227
Dr. Mayank Gupta founded Kansas Pain Management with a mission to treat patients who suffer from chronic pain to restore their quality of life. The consequences of debilitating pain can affect nearly every aspect of life, from family to having a career. At Kansas Pain Management, patients can expect to be treated by caring, experienced medical professionals to help achieve the best outcome possible with a newfound freedom from pain. The care team consistently tracks each patient by therapy to achieve long-term lasting results. Kansas Pain Management has earned the respect of many referring physicians throughout the metro because of our exceptional outcomes and patient focus.
Talal W. Khan, MD The University of Kansas Health System 4000 Cambridge St Kansas City, Kan. 66160 (913) 588-1227
Smith Manion, MD Shawnee Mission Health Center for Pain Medicine Shawnee, Kan. 66204 (913) 676-2370
Andrea Nicol, MD The University of Kansas Health System 10730 Nall Ave, Ste 101 Overland Park, Kan. 66211 (913) 588-1227
Coronavirus disease is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is a novid (new version) Corona virus discovered in 2019, hence the name Covid 19. The disease was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, the capital of China’s Hubei province, and has since spread globally, resulting in the ongoing 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic] Common symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Other symptoms may include muscle pain, diarrhea, sore throat, loss of smell, and abdominal pain.
While the majority of cases result in mild symptoms, some progress to viral pneumonia and multi-organ failure. As of 5 April 2020, more than 1.23 million cases of have been reported in more than two hundred countries and territories,resulting in more than 67,200 deaths. More than 252,000 people have recovered.
As of April 5, 2020 Kansas has 701 cases and 21 confirmed deaths. 185 of these confirmed cases are in Johnson County with 7 confirmed deaths. Governor Laura Kelly imposed a stay at home order effective March 30 at 12:01 am.
At Kansas Pain Management, we implemented telemedicine on March 31, 2020 to ensure social distancing and help treat pain management patients. If a patient is unable to do a telemedicine due to internet constraints, phone consults are available.
If a patient is in severe intractable pain needing an injection, we will take care of them as long as they are free of any covid 19 symptoms and do not have a travel history. Also we continue to cover inpatient acute pain management consults at Overland Park Regional and Menorah hospitals.
During these difficult times, each of us has part to play in saving lives.
Do
Wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds, with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub.
Cover your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or flexed elbow when you cough or sneeze
Avoid close contact (1 meter or 3 feet) with people who are unwell.
Stay home and self-isolate from others in the household if you feel unwell.
Wear a face cover or mask when heading out for grocery/doctor’s visits or even at home if you are sick.
Don’t
Touch your eyes, nose, or mouth if your hands are not clean
Do trips outside the home/travel unless absolutely necessary for groceries/drug stores.
This is an extremely contagious virus and takes a downhill course in patients with pre-existing disease. After an initial cough and fever, many patients quickly progress to respiratory failure. Fatalities are high in elderly, immunocompromised patients, and those with pre-existing pulmonary disease. It has however caused mortality in all ages including young adults.
In the few months since this virus emerged, we’ve learnt an immense amount about it and yes a lo is largely unknown. Scientists have decoded it’s genetics and who it’s more likely to kill. Scientists have starting working on vaccines that could immunize humans to it.
This is an extremely contagious virus and takes a downhill course in patients with pre-existing disease. After an initial cough and fever, many patients quickly progress to respiratory failure. Fatalities are high in elderly, immunocompromised patients, and those with pre-existing pulmonary disease. It has however caused mortality in all ages including young adults.
In the few months since this virus emerged, we’ve learnt an immense amount about it and yes a lo is largely unknown. Scientists have decoded it’s genetics and who it’s more likely to kill. Scientists have starting working on vaccines that could immunize humans to it.
SARS-CoV-2 is very contagious, and a huge portion of the global population is vulnerable
One thing we do know is that this coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is very contagious. Just look at the headlines: Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, has now infected nearly a million people around the globe.
Scientists quantify the contagiousness of a disease with a figure called R0 (pronounced R-nought.) “The figure refers to how many other people one sick person is likely to infect on average in a group that’s susceptible to the disease (meaning they don’t already have immunity from a vaccine or from fighting off the disease before),” Vox’s Julia Belluz explains. An R0 of 2, for example, means each infected person is expected to spread the virus to two others, on average. Covid-19 is currently believed to have an R0 between 2 and 2.5.
Javier Zarracina and Christina Animashaun/Vox
That makes it more contagious than the seasonal flu. With the flu, there are people in the population who have some level of immunity to it — either because of a vaccine or because they have been exposed to that strain of flu in the past.
If chronic back, neck, or joint pain has made simple tasks like carrying groceries arduous, made sleeping through the night a rarity, or keeps you from enjoying activities you love like golf, jogging or even walking the dog, our radiofrequency treatment should give you hope. By attacking pain at its source, this non-invasive, outpatient procedure has been proven to eliminate or significantly reduce chronic pain for months, and in some cases years.
If you think you’ve tried everything but still aren’t living the lifestyle you desire, you should take some time to discuss with us how radiofrequency relieves various pain syndromes affecting the back, neck, hips and extremities. Regardless of age or injury, radiofrequency eases many types of pain without the risk of surgery, the ups and downs of physical therapy, the side effects of medication, or the very temporary relief of massage.
How Does Radiofrequency Stop Pain at Its Source?
Radiofrequency ablation, also known as rhizotomy or neurotomy has been used as a pain treatment for more than 25 years. But, recent advances in our understanding of the nervous system have helped make the treatment remarkably easy on the patient while delivering consistent and long-lasting pain relief.
Guided by X-ray imaging, the doctor uses a thin cannula to deliver radiant energy directly to the spinal nerve endings sourcing the pain. The pathways are heated to a temperature that disables the transmission of pain signals for months without damaging nerves that control movement, balance or normal sensation.
Is Such an Advanced and Effective Treatment Really that Easy?
The procedure is done in the comfort of our clinic and rarely takes longer than two hours. General anesthesia is not necessary. A mild local anesthetic eliminates discomfort and allows the doctor to work with you to pinpoint the source of the pain.
The next day, you’ll be able to get right back to your routine. Shortly thereafter, you’ll begin enjoying months of pain relief and resumption of the activities you love. What’s more, if the treatment works well, it is perfectly safe to undergo the procedure again after the effects of the previous treatment wear off.
Can Radiofrequency Be Your First Step towards Living Free of Pain?
The long-term pain relief provided by radiofrequency treatment offers the opportunity to strengthen the muscles surrounding the pain source, improve flexibility and regain posture, all important steps towards eliminating pain on an ongoing basis.
We understand that the way you feel affects many other parts of your life. Relief of chronic pain, especially in the spine, has been associated with resolution of psychological distress, reduced use of oral medications, lessened disability and an improved return to usual lifestyle activities. And ultimately, that’s our goal for all patients: to help you get back to the life you enjoyed before the pain took over.
Contact us today to find out how radiofrequency treatment may be a solution for your specific ailments. Please complete our online form, or call us at .
