OKC pain center offers back surgery alternative, relief from chronic pain
Chip Crume, an Oklahoma truck driver who drives 5,000 miles a week in his big rig, was ready to do whatever it took to get rid of his chronic pain.
Crume suffered from scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, for years. Because of the condition, he had broken his back twice, injured his neck repeatedly and suffered severe pain.
“I was literally at the point to go in for surgery and have two discs removed and the vertebrae in my lower back fused,” he said.
But one evening, his wife found an ad in the newspaper saying, “Get out of pain without surgery,” offering a low-cost exam at Renuva Back & Pain Center in Oklahoma City. Having gone through countless treatments, he had nothing to lose.
“For 59 bucks, I thought, ‘What the heck. It can’t hurt,’” Crume recalled.
It was a decision he never regretted.
“They gave me a new lease on life,” he said.
After the first consultation, Crume decided to explore some alternatives to surgery. The experts at Renuva performed a cervical decompression of his neck.
“I had a headache for eight years. The next day, I woke up and had no headache,” he recalled.
From there he began a multi-session treatment plan at Renuva. “It’s been two years and I couldn’t be happier,” he said.
He never had the surgery.
Pain across the nation
Crume is one of 76 million people in the United States who live with chronic pain, according to the National Institutes of Health. In fact, pain affects more people than heart disease, diabetes and cancer combined in the United States.
There are many options
for treating or managing chronic pain, ranging from over-the-counter medications and physical activity to more invasive treatments, such as injections or surgery. Unfortunately, some interventions come with significant risks.
“Surgery, prescription medications and injections do not address the cause of the patient’s pain,” said Dr. Michael Riley, D.C., founder and medical director at Renuva Back & Pain Centers.
“‘Band-Aid approaches, designed only to treat the patient’s symptoms, are not able to provide a longterm solution for the fundamental problem that’s causing the pain,” he said. “Renuva addresses the cause of each patient’s pain rather than just masking the symptoms.”
Chronic pain doesn’t have to dominate your life
“The truth is that chronic pain is debilitating,” Riley said. “Many patients who experience chronic pain suffer not only physically, but emotionally as well.”
“It’s often the simple things in life that my patients want to get back to doing again — playing with children and grandchildren, gardening, and traveling,” he added. “Pain should not be accepted as part of the aging process, and I believe life should be lived to the fullest — painfree.”
For those who suffer from chronic pain, fear of the unknown and affordability are often in the way of getting the help they need to manage their pain.
“The cause of each person’s pain is unique, so to be effective, your treatment plan must be designed specifically for you. That’s why Renuva is making a private consultation affordable,” said Dr. Gerald Flores, D.C., clinic director at Renuva’s clinic in Oklahoma City.
The treatment centers offer consultations at a discounted rate of $59 through March 13, compared to the regular fee of $257.
“The fee covers the cost of an initial exam, consultation with the doctor and two treatments,” Flores said. “If we need digital X-rays to get a clear idea of what’s causing your pain, those are included at no extra charge.”
“Renuva’s goal is to understand exactly where you hurt and what is causing your pain so they can develop a treatment plan to get you back to living life again — like Crume,” Flores said.
Crume added that he became a patient because he finally experienced relief from constant pain, but it is personal service that made him stay.
“Doctors are usually so busy that they know your chart, but not you. They do know me at Renuva,” Crume said.
The Renuva Back & Pain Center in Oklahoma City is located at 5601 NW 72 Street, Suite 312, in Warr Acres. Call 405-810-6881 for information.