CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Living with chronic pain is a daily battle against an unseen enemy. At Desert Pain Specialists, patients are heard, understood and supported throughout their pain management journey by a team of highly trained and compassionate physicians.

Pain often is regarded as an inevitable part of the aging process. However, many Desert Pain patients aren’t retirees, but people in their 30s and 40s trying to raise families and work full-time jobs while dealing with chronic pain. Relatively young and otherwise healthy, these patients need the support of an interventional pain management team to control their symptoms and continue functioning at a high level.

Mathis Harman, a 34-year-old clinical pharmacist and St. George resident, has struggled with recurring kidney stones for the past decade. Passing one or two kidney stones on a weekly basis, his pain was ever-present and often excruciating.

“It was severely limiting my life,” he said.

Harman initially sought treatment at another local pain clinic, where the doctors prescribed opioids and advised him to drink more water. Despite the usage of powerful narcotics, he still experienced a significant amount of pain while passing kidney stones. His goal was to break free from opioids and find a better way to manage his pain long-term.

Harman started working with Katrina Poulsen, a nurse practitioner at Desert Pain, in May 2021. Together, they worked to implement pain-relieving strategies, including dietary and lifestyle changes as well as alternative therapies, over the next several months. Medical cannabis provided the most profound relief.

“Once we went down that road and I tried it, it changed my life,” he said. “I’m now essentially able to do what I was 10 years ago before grad school: play with my family, be present and not just be consumed by pain.”

Now, instead of taking opioids every day, Harman only treats his pain whenever he experiences a flare-up. His overall pain level has dropped dramatically, and he’s grateful to Poulsen for her willingness to explore alternative therapies. The providers at Desert Pain truly care about their patients, he said.

Not every pain clinic prescribes medical cannabis, Poulsen said, but Desert Pain is broadening the horizon of pain treatment in Southern Utah by thinking outside of the box. They’ve created a network of providers throughout the area to connect patients with experts who can further their healing beyond interventional pain management, including chiropractors, physical therapists, nutritionists and behavioral health therapists.

“With Mathis, it was a good partnership of him having a goal and me helping him realize that goal,” Poulsen said. “We aim to provide every patient with that partnership and be willing to make changes as needed.”

The specialists at Desert Pain are dedicated to helping patients find relief from a wide range of chronic and acute pain conditions using all available resources, including injections, nerve blocks, regenerative medicine, physical therapy, medications and surgery. Although it isn’t possible for every patient to be completely pain-free, many experience significant improvement.

Desert Pain operates a state-of-the-art facility at the Riverfront Medical Center in St. George that allows them to offer unmatched quality of care to their patients. And with satellite locations in Hurricane, Hildale (opening in September), Cedar City, Kanab, Beaver, Panguitch, Delta and Fillmore as well as Mesquite and Overton, Nevada, they’re prepared to serve the needs of the area’s growing population. 

Call 435-216-7000 or visit the Desert Pain website to schedule an appointment today.

Written by ALEXA MORGAN for St. George News.

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Resources

• Desert Pain Specialists | Telephone: 435-216-7000 | Email: [email protected] | Website.
• Locations:
  • St. George: 617 E. Riverside Drive, Suite 301.
  • Hurricane: 48 S. 2500 West, Suite 110.
  • Cedar City: 1760 N. Main St.
  • Beaver: 68 N. Main St.
  • Panguitch: 200 N. 400 East.
  • Kanab: 348 N. 300 West.
  • Delta: 126 White Sage Ave.
  • Fillmore: 65 N. Main St.
  • Mesquite, Nevada: 340 Falcon Ridge Parkway, Suite 600.
  • Overton, Nevada: 475 N. Moapa Valley Blvd.

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