website:  www.backpainusa.com

Contact:  Norman J. Marcus, MD.  Medical Director

In 1975 Dr. Marcus introduced a multifaceted approach to the treatment of headaches at the Headache Unit at Montefiore Hospital.  Two years later he established, along with Edith Kepes, MD, the Montefiore Pain Treatment Center, the first multidisciplinary pain center in New York.  Then in 1984 Dr. Marcus established the New York Pain Treatment Program at Lenox Hill Hospital. He is also a founding member of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.

This program is accredited by CARF. In 1997, the program offered both inpatient and outpatient treatment, but today this is an outpatient program only. While each program is tailored to fit individual needs, all patients are treated with some combination of the following therapies:

In his interview with Marketdata Enterprises, Dr. Marcus reported that his primary focus when treating patients for pain was to electrically identify the muscle in the body that caused the pain. He also stressed using a methodology that reduced unnecessary surgical procedures.

Dr. Marcus reported using opioid and COX-2 drugs in a complementary fashion. He also stressed that no uniform measures for pain existed, which made it very difficult to assess patient success in a uniform manner.

Outpatients spend approximately two to six hours a week in treatment over a three-week to six-month period. In 2002, there approximately 20 patient visits a day and approximately 100 per week, for a total of approximately 5000 visits. 75% of incoming patients reported non-specified lower back pain.

Physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, rehabilitation nurses, psychologists, employers and third-party carriers may refer patients to the program.  Anyone with chronic pain who does not have a primary physician may call the program and they will be assisted in obtaining an evaluation.

Team members include physician pain specialists, neurologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, physical and occupational therapists, biofeedback and stress management specialists, social workers, vocational rehabilitation specialists and pain team nurses. The pain team meets weekly to review the progress of each patient.

Those eligible for the outpatient program must have:

• Pain lasting longer than three months

• Desire to learn how to manage pain

• Adequate mobility to travel to and from Lenox Hill Hospital

• Ability for self-care at home

• Absence of serious or poorly controlled medical problems

• Willingness to consider non-drug approaches for pain control

• Absence of those psychological problems that could interfere with participating in program

• Willingness to participate in all aspects of the program

Each patient undergoes a comprehensive multidisciplinary evaluation before starting the New York Pain Treatment Program.  The evaluation includes:

• Complete review of all pertinent medical records

• Full  physical assessment indulging & evaluation of those body movement patterns that may be perpetuating pain

• An in-depth pain profile to determine how pain is interfering with daily work and personal  life

• Vocational evaluation, when appropriate