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:
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, 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, 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.