Westerly Spine and Pain Center at the Westerly Hospital
25 Wells Street, Westerly, RI 02891

Telephone: 401-348-3865
Fax: 401-348-3641
Email: referrals@westerlyspine.com

A Total Care Approach – For Coping with Pain
Coping with pain does not have to be a painful process. Today, you have a new option. Dr. Adrian Hamburger and his staff at the Westerly Spine and Pain Center (at The Westerly Hospital) are dedicated to helping you achieve the relief that you need.

Compassion
We offer the latest treatments in a compassionate and supportive environment. We specialize in advanced minimally-invasive diagnostic and therapeutic treatments for a large variety of spine and pain conditions.

Dr. Adrian Hamburger and the Westerly Spine and Pain Center
Dr. Adrian Hamburger is Board Certified and Fellowship-trained in both conservative and interventional pain management. He strongly believes that diagnosing the origin of the pain is crucial in developing an aggressive treatment plan. This is often accomplished by using non-invasive or minimally-invasive injection techniques (frequently under live x-ray) to determine the source of pain, followed by a long-term treatment plan. Beyond the interventional approach to pain, he strongly believes in a multi-disciplinary approach and therefore will often recommend Physical Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Bio-Feedback, Massage Therapy, Acupuncture and other treatments, as part of a patient’s overall pain treatment plan. He may also refer the patient to other specialists for surgical evaluations (Neurosurgeons, Spine Surgeons, Orthopedic Surgeons, Podiatrists, etc.) or for non-surgical management (Chiropractors, Physiatrists, etc.).

Frequently, patients are taking Controlled Substances (Narcotics) to help control the symptoms of their pain. For most patients, this is NOT a long-term solution, and therefore Dr. Hamburger will do his best to help patients get off those substances. Dr. Hamburger does not provide Controlled Substance management for patients with addiction issues, and will therefore include addictionologists/addiction psychiatrists in the treatment plan.

Since the focus of the Westerly Spine and Pain Center is the interventional management of degenerative disorders of the spine, we will not refill chronic narcotic prescriptions, nor will we initiate chronic narcotic prescriptions. We will, however, be happy to evaluate a patient’s medical regimen, assist with management in conjunction with the patient’s primary care provider or specialist, and make recommendations.

Medications
Our goal is to improve your daily functioning, which may include therapies other than pain medication to help you live at the highest level of functioning with the fewest side effects possible. It takes patience to map out the best treatment for an individual. Also, since chronic pain management is a rapidly changing field, new therapies are constantly evolving.

Referral for Consultation and Additional Information
In order to be seen by Dr. Hamburger, the patient will need a referral from either their Primary Care Provider or a Specialist. This can be arranged by the patient’s physician (The Westerly Spine and Pain Center accepts referrals via e-mail, fax, and/or telephone – please see below for contact information). The patient will be scheduled for an initial appointment for a history and physical, at which time treatment options will be discussed.

Emergencies
Cancer pain is the ONLY TRUE pain emergency, and will be treated as such. The referring provider should speak with Dr. Hamburger directly to discuss any cancer patients for whom an urgent evaluation is needed.

Conditions
Treatment is available for the following conditions:

• Low Back Pain
• Neck Pain
• Acute Herpes Zoster/Shingles & Post-Herpetic Neuralgia
• Cancer Pain (Focal or Generalized)
• Chest Wall Pain
• Pain associated with surgical incisions
• Peripheral entrapment neuropathies/neuromas
• Post-laminectomy syndrome/Arachnoiditis
• Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy – RSD / Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
• Stump and Phantom Limb Pain
• Sympathetically-mediated Pain

Treatment
We will discuss with you what options are appropriate. Since pain syndromes vary widely, and no single treatment will work for everyone, treatment plans are individualized. Treatment includes:

• Lumbar Sympathetic Blocks
• Epidural Steroid Injections
• Nerve root blocks/facet injections
• Spinal Cord Stimulation
• Spinal Injections
• Trigger Point Injections
• Other treatment methods as recommended