Sometimes a physician’s title does not paint the whole picture of what they do. For instance, the title, Pain Management/Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician, Interventional Sports Medicine/Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician, or Pain Management Physician can only tell you so much about what they do.

So, what is physical medicine & rehabilitation, interventional sports medicine, and pain management, what conditions and procedures do our Non-Operative Physicians treat and perform, and how have we expanded our non-operative capabilities at OSMS?

What is Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R):
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) Physicians, otherwise known as physiatrists, are trained to diagnose and treat musculoskeletal and neurological conditions by emphasizing and evaluating the whole patient. Ultimately, this means that our PM&R Physicians evaluate their patients in a holistic way, working to understand the foundation or reasoning behind how or why a patient is in pain. By taking the time to evaluate a patient this way, our physicians can focus on improving a patient’s function and quality of life. The goal of PM&R is to get one’s musculoskeletal functions back to normal, so that everyday things are done in the most functional way possible.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is a 4-year medical residency specializing in neurologic as well as musculoskeletal conditions of the body such as muscle strain, joint problems, pinched nerves, low back pain along with many others. Pain Medicine is a fellowship that is completed after residency which provides more specialization in spine issues such as pinched nerves, spine arthritis, as well as advanced procedures like ultrasound and x-ray guided injections such as epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, and more.

What is Interventional Sports Medicine:
In late 2023, OSMS expanded its non-surgical treatment options for patients by adding Dr. Michael Harper to the team, who specializes in non-operative interventional sports medicine and orthopedic conditions. Conditions he treats include sprains and strains, tendon problems, non-operative labral tears, dislocations, carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, and more – all with the focus of avoiding surgery if possible.

To see the full list of non-operative conditions that Dr. Harper treats, click here.

When it comes to non-operative interventional sports medicine and orthopedic conditions, many do not require a procedure. Instead, Dr. Harper offers activity modification, physical or occupational therapy, bracing, and medication treatment options, making sure to start with the most conservative treatments. If non-operative treatments are not helpful, then they may be referred to an orthopedic surgeon for further treatment options.

Some interventional sports medicine and orthopedic procedures include Orthobiologics – also known as Regenerative Medicine (tapping into the body’s ability to heal itself by using one’s own cells and healing properties), intraarticular injections, tendon sheath injections, carpal tunnel hydrodissection/injection, trigger finger injection, barbotage for calcific tendinopathy, and more.

What is Pain Management:
The Pain Management side of our non-operative capabilities at OSMS specializes in musculoskeletal ultrasound, occipital nerve blocks, stellate ganglion blocks, suprascapular blocks, medial branch blocks, lumbar sympathetic blocks, and genicular blocks.

Common pain management and PM&R conditions include arthritis, headaches and migraines, neck and back pain, post-injury pain, post-op pain, joint pain, shingles, and sciatica.

As for treating these pain management conditions, our physicians provide procedures involving epidural injections, piriformis injections, sacroiliac (SI) injections, Botox for migraines, radiofrequency ablation, and other peripheral joint injections.

To see the full list of conditions our pain management physicians treat, click here.

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At OSMS, we have three non-operative physicians, each with their own unique specialties, Dr. Paul Bruhnding, Dr. Daniel Brunner, and Dr. Michael Harper. With the addition of Dr. Harper to the team, OSMS has expanded its non-operative capabilities by adding Interventional Sports Medicine.

Dr. Paul Bruhnding is board certified in Pain Management and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, making him a Pain Management/Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physician. Dr. Bruhnding sees patients in Green Bay and treats a variety of pain management conditions including chronic pain, neck and back pain, arthritis, shingles and sciatica.

Dr. Daniel Brunner is board certified in Pain Management with a background specialty in Anesthesiology, making him a Pain Management Physician. Dr. Brunner sees patients in both Neenah and Oshkosh and treats a variety of Pain Management conditions including chronic pain, neck and back pain, arthritis, post-laminectomy syndrome, neuropathic pain, and sciatica.

Dr. Michael Harper is board certified in Sports Medicine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, making him an Interventional Sports Medicine/Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician. Dr. Harper sees patients in Green Bay and treats a variety of non-operative sports medicine and orthopedic conditions including knee pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, and neck and back pain, along with acute and chronic conditions from ankle sprains to tendon disorders, to osteoarthritis.

If you or someone you know is experiencing pain, Schedule an Appointment with one of the Non-Operative Physicians today.