Location

Medical Clinic
750 Hospital Loop
Craig, CO 81625

Phone: 970-826-2400

CONTACT US TO LEARN MORE

Helping Patients with Chronic Pain Management

Many people don’t realize that pain management is a medical specialty all its own, with techniques you’ve probably never heard of.

Your primary-care or specialist provider may treat you for pain associated with a certain condition. Often this level of pain management is short-term and aligned with simultaneously resolving a physical illness or injury.

But pain that continues beyond the physical treatment timeline or isn’t being adequately relieved by common methods is a good candidate for assessment by providers who specialize in pain management. Their expertise can result in significant, lasting pain relief.

Services we provide:

  • Epidural steroid injections

  • PRP (platelet-rich plasma injections)

  • Muscle injections

  • Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)

  • Botox injections for migraines

  • Selective nerve root blocks

  • Intra-articular steroid injections

  • Stellate Ganglion blocks

  • Medication management

  • iovera® cold technology

For more information or to schedule a consultation with our pain management team, don’t hesitate to reach out to Memorial Regional Health today!

Meet Our Pain Management Specialists

Trey Gorham, CRNA, DNP
Trey Gorham, CRNA, DNP
Pain Management

Trey Gorham, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, works together with Alfred Maina to provide state-of-the-art anesthesia and pain-management care to MRH patients. He has completed a Pain Fellowship program at the University of South Florida and did his hand-on training for his fellowship at Metamorphosis Pain Clinic in Canon City and Colorado Springs.

“Pain decreases quality of life,” said Gorham. “If pain isn’t controlled, it can lead to depression, weight gain, loss of energy and the inability to do things you enjoy.”

To assess pain type and levels, Gorham steps a new patient through a comprehensive physical exam, health questionnaire, radiological imaging and “a lot of detective work.” Many times, he said, there is more than one factor causing the pain, and the treatment plan needs to take everything in account.

Pain treatment can include medication, interventional procedures, physical therapy, weight loss, acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic therapy and/or cognitive therapy. “Most pain has multiple causes and requires a plan from all angles,” Gorham said. “It’s much more than prescribing pain pills. In fact, all types of prescription pain medications have side effects. I prefer using interventional techniques first when possible.”

Trey Gorham has practiced anesthesia at MRH for six years and has been part of the pain management team for a year. He said that the main issues he sees in patients are pain in the low back or peripheral joints, such as knees and shoulders.

Simple steroid injections into joints or muscles can often temporarily relieve these types of pain, Gorham said. But other pain-management techniques are also available and can sometimes deliver longer-lasting results.

Get to know Trey Gorham here.

Alfred Maina, CRNA, DNAP
Alfred Maina, CRNA, DNAP
Pain Management

Alfred Maina, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, joined the MRH Pain Management team in January 2024. He brings over 10 + years of experience in delivering independent and expert anesthesia care for patients at all stages of life. Along with colleague Trey Gorham, his Fellowship from the University of South Florida included advanced pain management and interventional non-surgical pain management, medication management, and interdisciplinary care of patients with chronic pain.

“ I enjoy nurturing and creating safety for patients,” Maina said. “I want them to know they’re in safe hands with someone who has a watchful eye. And as a pain management specialist, I love being able to help people do the things they love to do with minimal pain.”

Before relocating to Craig, Maina worked in Colorado Springs as a CRNA in a variety of medical settings for several years. His medical career also includes serving as an ICU, surgery center and ER nurse, a CNA in nursing homes and worked as a paramedic for ten years.

Get to know more about Alfred Maina here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Pain management is a comprehensive approach to identifying, treating, and reducing pain so patients can improve their quality of life. At Memorial Regional Hospital’s Pain Management Clinic, this starts with a full evaluation—including your description of the pain, a physical exam, and sometimes imaging—to pinpoint the cause.

We perform a high volume of cervical and lumbar procedures—like epidural steroid injections, medial branch blocks, and ablations. Lumbar procedures, in particular, are common because lower back pain affects many of our patients. We also treat chronic joint pain, especially in the knees, using steroid injections or ablations for those who aren’t surgical candidates or still experience pain after surgery.

We take an interventional and team-based approach to pain management. That means working closely with physical therapists, mental health providers, and other specialists to treat pain without relying on opioids. Since the evidence supporting long-term opioid use for chronic pain is limited, we focus on non-opioid medications and treatments like ketamine therapy when appropriate.

We always give patients a choice and make sure they feel heard. Nothing we recommend is mandatory. We take the time to explain the options and answer questions. Our experience and history of safe, effective outcomes help build trust. We’re also upfront—interventions work well for many, but not everyone. If needed, we refer patients to surgical specialists for additional care.

We start with a comprehensive evaluation that includes a review of your symptoms, a physical exam, and sometimes imaging. Based on what we find, we create a personalized treatment plan. Physical therapy is often the first step. If further treatment is needed, we may recommend injections or other procedures.

It depends on the condition, but typically we can begin physical therapy within a couple of weeks. A standard course lasts about 6 to 8 weeks, with a follow-up scheduled around 4 to 6 weeks in. If physical therapy isn’t effective, we usually move to interventional treatments within another 2 to 4 weeks.

For a few patients, one injection may be enough, but most need more than that. When targeting nerves, we typically begin with two diagnostic injections to confirm the source of the pain. If successful, we proceed with a therapeutic procedure like an ablation. Steroid injections are often single treatments, though some patients return every 3 to 6 months for repeat relief.

Ablation is not permanent. It works by interrupting the pain signals from specific nerves to the brain. Over time, those nerves regenerate, and the pain can return. Most patients experience relief lasting anywhere from 6 months to 2 years, depending on their condition and how actively they manage their overall health.