Spine procedures help patient enjoy pain-free living

Linda & Dave Causton with pet therapy dogs, Snickers & Muppet

Linda Causton suffered from intense pain that took a toll on her enjoyment of life over a period of many years. She relates her positive experience of getting pain relief from the Neck, Back and Spine team at Riverwood’s specialty clinic in Aitkin.

“Having a sore neck is a terrible experience, especially when you’ve been dealing with intense pain for many years. I had a fusion surgery on my neck 25 years ago following a fall off a horse, and a fall on the ice 10 years ago made my neck pain flare up again.

So, when Riverwood began offering new pain clinic services, I was eager to see if they could help resolve pain in both my neck and my hips. Dr. Dan Lonergan performed two nonsurgical procedures that have stopped the pain that was draining the life out of me.”

Linda had a cervical interlaminar steroid injection to her neck in May and then a sacroiliac joint injection for her hip pain in August.

Linda adds: “Dr. Lonergan is the patron saint of pain control! My pain went away nearly immediately after both procedures he performed. This treatment has given me my life back. I can enjoy doing my art and painting again. I also have an easier time doing volunteer work with my two pet therapy dogs, Muppet and Snickers, who my husband, Dave, and I bring to Riverwood’s hospital and clinic once a week.

I was impressed with the entire pain service staff, who were so knowledgeable, calming, easy to talk to and over-the-top nice and friendly. Best of all, they recognized my pain as legitimate and identified the issue and took care of it quickly. For anyone with a chronic pain issue, I would highly recommend the pain clinic at Riverwood.”

Many effective interventional, nonsurgical spine treatments are available from Dr. Lonergan and Dr. Joshua Horowitz. Nurse Practitioner Christy Nagel sees patients in clinic before and after procedures. For an appointment at Riverwood in Aitkin call 218-927-5566.