Pain treatment
program gives patients new lives
Myer Schnitzer is busy these days enjoying
and planning his new life after years of pain and disability. The 66-year-old
Boca Raton, Florida, man injured his back in 1987 lifting an engine while
working as an auto mechanic.
 "I went through ten years of chronic back pain and suffering,"
relates Schnitzer. He underwent back surgery and traction with minimal relief.
Schnitzer attempted to return to work at light duty, but a rear-end auto
accident in 1990 undid even his minor improvements. The next seven years
would see him in therapy, trying to find some way to rebuild his life.
"I attended numerous therapy programs, received a spinal cord stimulator
implant, 26 epidural injections, nerve block injections, ten hospitalizations,
and the maximum allowable narcotic drug therapy," says Schnitzer. "I
wore a back brace 24 hours a day, and still nothing helped."
Schnitzer became dependent on the pain medications and spent most of
his days in bed. He was unable to dress himself or even stand to take a
shower. "My wife became my servant. My children were afraid to visit
or even call me," says Schnitzer. "A simple sneeze sent me into
such agony, I would go to bed for days."
Finally in the spring of 1997, desperate to regain a normal life, he
investigated another back surgery. Instead, the surgeon recommended the
University of Miami Comprehensive Pain and Rehabilitation Center (CPRC).
Located at South Shore Hospital on Miami Beach, the CPRC is one of the
oldest and largest pain treatment programs in the world. Founded in 1974
as a program of the School of Medicine, the center was created specifically
to treat people with chronic painespecially of the back. The facility
is famous for its success with people who have not responded to standard
procedures or care. Many patients who had been told to live with their pain
have returned to productive normal lives after care at the CPRC.
"When I was referred to the Comprehensive Pain and Rehabilitation
Center, I was very skeptical and apprehensive," remembers Schnitzer.
"I had been disappointed by every other program. But I had no alternative.
I was literally at the end of my life physically, emotionally, and spiritually."
Schnitzer entered the CPRC in April with his medications, wearing a back
brace and using a walker. Immediately a dedicated team of physicians, psychologists,
nurses, therapists, and other professionals concentrated on a holistic approach
to his pain, emphasizing kindness, caring, individualized goal-oriented
therapy, activation, and return to maximum function.
This approach to pain and its cause was pioneered by the CPRC's founder
and Medical Director, Hubert L. Rosomoff. "The source of much chronic
pain," says Rosomoff, "is not injury to joints, nerves, or vertebrae
but to the tissues surrounding them." Contrary to popular belief, Rosomoff
declares that "Pinched nerves aren't the primary cause of pain. A high
percentage of people with chronic back pain, for instance, have no neurologic
abnormalities."
Rosomoff, professor and chairman emeritus of the Department of Neurological
Surgery, says a vicious cycle develops. "Pain leads to sustained contraction
of the muscles. This in turn prompts people to be less active for fear of
increasing their pain, but inactivity merely leads to worse muscle contractures
and more pain," says Rosomoff. "This is accompanied by stress,
anxiety, and fear, which all become a part of the pain cycle."
Rosomoff's center believes in aggressive stretching, activation, and
detoxification from pain medications. "Medications merely mask pain,"
says Rosomoff. "They do nothing to resolve the problem causing the
pain. You can't fully participate in therapy while taking a lot of medications.
Besides, they offer only temporary help. Eventually you must take higher
and higher doses."
And what about Myer Schnitzer? After four weeks of treatment, he was
discharged from the CPRC in May with complete resolution of his pain, depression,
and medication dependence. Walking three miles a day and completely independent,
he is now enjoying his family. He and his wife just returned from a week-long
cruise to celebrate.
"My pain is gone, and I am living a full and rewarding life,"
says Schnitzer. "I am a human being again." | 
One of the week's highlights included a lecture at the
Maurice Gusman Concert Hall on September 24 that was free and open to the
public. During the forum, he discussed his nationwide efforts to recognize
the importance of music as an essential component in the education and enrichment
of young and old alike.
"Dr. McCoy has distinguished himself as one of this nation's preeminent
scholars in epidemiology and public health, and we are proud to have him
lead our program," said John G. Clarkson, senior vice president for
medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine.
This year's event will be held on the Whitten University Center Patio
on Thursday, November 20, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering many attractive
items at reasonable prices.
Wasting little time in his new position at Sunbeam, Dunlap claims to
have cut 6,000 jobs at the Delray Beach, Florida-based small appliance maker.
He also noted that the company's stock has tripled in just over a year since
he took the helm, with market capitalization increasing by more than $2
billion.
Among the presenters was Edward Trapido, professor and
associate director for cancer prevention and control at the Sylvester Comprehensive
Cancer Center, recently appointed associate director for education of the
Southeastern Cancer Genetics Research Consortium. Also recently elected
chair of the advisory committee to the board of directors of the North American
Association of Central Cancer Registries, Trapido spoke on Florida's highest
crude incidence rate of cancer of any state. He pointed out that one case
will be diagnosed in Florida every 5-1/4 minutes.
