Quality of Life is Key
By Chelsea Pyne
Treating the whole patient, not just symptoms, is the philosophical backbone of Physical Medicine of the Carolinas. In 2014, three doctors came together to build a synergistic approach to healthcare that treats patients like whole people in order give them the most comprehensive methods for pain relief. Since their collaboration, Dr. Richard Schaffer, Dr. Jessica Katz, and Dr. Joshua Katz have created a physical functional practice that treats patients holistically in order to minimize prescriptions and surgery.
After years of working for big corporations that focused solely on numbers, productivity, and salaries, Dr. Schaffer felt the patient care experience needed to change. The decision was made to pull together resources and open an office in Kernersville. Dr. Schaffer explains, “It started with the Katz’ and I sitting down and talking about patient care philosophy; we currently have a sick care system, not a healthcare system. I agreed with their views on how patients should be taken care of and we all felt we could do more together than either could do apart.”
Physical Medicine of the Carolinas does it all under one roof. From a medical provider, nurse practitioners, chiropractors, exercise therapy, and a plethora of wellness therapies and programs, PMC aims to enhance every patient’s quality of life. Dr. Schaffer explains, “I stress treating the whole patient. They are not just here to treat their knee. People do not walk into the clinic just because their neck or back hurts. They walk in because their problem is impacting their quality of life. I challenge the staff to find out what brought them to the clinic now. ‘I cannot play with my grandkids; I cannot dance…’ So then we have our goal: dancing; playing. We do not promise to cure everybody, but we ask ourselves, can we get this person physically functioning better? By doing so, we can reduce their stress and increase their happiness, guaranteeing we have affected every aspect of their health: mental, emotional, physical, and social. Any office can inject a patient’s knee and call it a day. We change the focus to ‘why did you come?’ Many patients have had knee pains for years, but what was the threshold that pushed them to finally get help?” A view the entire staff is devoted to, PMC addresses the source of a patient’s problem rather than treating patients like a collection of symptoms.
This is the very reason Physical Medicine of the Carolinas is different from the rest. Dr. Joshua Katz adds, “There are not many clinics doing what we are doing. I like Kernersville because we can still help people in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point–they do not have to drive across the state to find treatments. We also have multiple physicians from different backgrounds and doctorate degrees. We can look at a patient from a nurse practitioner’s eyes, a chiropractor’s eyes, and so on. We sit down with each new patient and together look at their exams, X-rays, and symptoms and the impact it is having on their lives. From there, we collectively find a solution to get them to their goal.”
Physical Medicine of the Carolinas has many services including trigger point injections, physical rehabilitation, medical weight loss, spinal decompression, food sensitivity testing, Vevazz laser-like lipo, and more. Their newest and most exciting treatment is a category of injectables referred to as orthobiologics. Orthobiologics are derived from substances that are naturally found in the body. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), amniotic stem cells, and growth factor therapy are cutting edge treatments that have the potential to alter the course of the condition instead of masking the pain. Amniotic regenerative stem cell therapy can regenerate and repair tissue in the body that has been damaged from age, disease, or degeneration. This type of treatment can be life changing for those who suffer from arthritic conditions in the knees and shoulders. The powerful anti-inflammatory properties of the injections decrease swelling and regenerate new cells and tissue. Patients may experience decreased pain and increased range of motion within days of a single treatment.
Although orthobiologics are still very new to clinics and patients, Dr. Schaffer and Dr. Katz’ are excited to offer the latest advancements in the field. “Most people know that platelets help clot blood. The real beauty of platelets is in their healing and growth abilities. Whether it is joint or tendon inflammation, we can use someone’s own plasma to help them heal themselves. It is their own biological product–and a cutting edge use of it. Orthobiologics are not brand new; they have just been used in other venues until now,” Dr. Schaffer adds. Orthobiologics have been available at PMC for the past year producing great results among patients and gaining popularity.
Dr. Schaffer explains, “It takes time to educate the patient. I do not subscribe to the ‘take medication until it becomes so bad surgery is your next option’ philosophy. We look at people from a quality of life standpoint. I feel that our practice is different because of that. Sure, we can prescribe morphine, but that is not necessarily giving you a better quality of life. I am not opposed to treating pain; I want people to know there are other options than prescriptions and surgery. Our goal is for people to take back control of their lives. The PMC staff is very realistic with patients. If they need surgery we suggest it, but if they have not been offered alternatives then we find a better solution to the problem. Our clinic is an elective office; no one is forced to see us. No one is coming to us for matters of life and death. They enter our office for quality of life issues and we will do everything to get them back to where they need to be.”
Physical Medicine of the Carolinas is located on 1407-G Highway 66 South in Kernersville. For more information, visit PhysicalMedicineoftheCarolinas.com or schedule a free consultation at 336.992.0110.