For residents who experience pain, numbness or tingling, Excelsior Springs Hospital’s Outpatient Clinics offers a Pain Management solution through the care of Dr. Dennison (Denny) Hamilton. Dr. Hamilton is a board-certified Orthopedic Pain Management specialist with over 30 years of experience.
According to Dr. Hamilton, as we age, the discs in our spine tend to deteriorate over time, causing pain that can move along the spine, across the back and into extremities – arms, legs, feet and hands. Individuals may develop spinal stenosis, which is a narrowing of the canal where the nerve endings come out of the spinal cord and span through the body. The good news is that most cases can be treated with spinal injections and do not require surgery, but every case needs to be assessed to develop the most appropriate treatment strategy.
Dr. Hamilton emphasizes that nonsurgical treatment is always approached first, yet if a patient has had one or more surgeries and is still experiencing pain, a spinal cord stimulator can be a very effective treatment for pain. The stimulator sends a low level of electricity directly into the spine to bring relief. Another solution may be a Vertiflex implant, a minimally invasive procedure that expands and restores the space surrounding the nerves, allowing the canal to open and release the pressure off of the nerve.
Dr. Hamilton works with each individual and establishes a comprehensive health plan that seeks to resolve ongoing pain issues. Taking into account the challenges associated with the growing opioid epidemic, he stresses that prescribing opioids may be necessary in some cases yet highlights that these minimally-invasive procedures can reduce pain immediately and provide continuing relief, requiring little-to-no pain medication at the time of the procedure and over the longer term. Patients can often reduce or eliminate their usage of opioid medications altogether.
Having grown up in a small rural community in South Bend Indiana, Dr. Hamilton expressed his love for serving the smaller communities. “The nursing staff, clinics, and operating room here are as good as any in the Kansas City area,” Dr. Hamilton said.
Dr. Hamilton’s Pain Management Clinic is offered on Mondays and Friday of each month. To make an appointment with Dr. Hamilton, please call 816-629-2700. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/ESH_DrHamilton.