Hello and welcome to our video podcast mini-series Doc Talks, where we chat with our providers about acute and chronic pain. Today’s guest is Dr. Priyesh Mehta, DO. Dr. Mehta joined the practice in late 2016 after completing his residency at Columbia/Cornell in NY in Physical Medicine and Rehab, and his fellowship at NewYork’s elite Hospital for Special Surgery in Interventional Pain and Spine. Dr. Mehta is board certified in both Sports Medicine and Pain Management, and just spoke at the Ohio Society of Interventional Pain Physicians Conference last weekend. Welcome, Dr. Mehta and thanks for being with us today.  

Please tell us a little about your background and how it has impacted your philosophy and work at DOC.

With my training as a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, my approach to sports related injuries and pain has reaaly been interventional.  While I do have many chronic pain patients, I always try to assess and discover the route of the pain, and treat the underlying issue in hopes that I can restore my patients to their original and full mobility. Being a DO, I have learned not only traditional procedures, but methods and treatments, about alternative treatments like osteopathic manipulation, and the value of physical therapy, and exercise. 

Last week, Dr. Gupta spoke about DOC’s multidisciplinary approach to pain management and treatment modalities. Can you detail some of those? 

Sure, there are a lof of different treatements and treatment options for which patients seek out Dayton Out Patient Center. A lot of what we focus on is minimally invasive spine treatments, such as Vertiflex, spinal cord stimulators, and intrathecal pumps to really give our patients a more non-surgical approach to pain management as well as for those patients who have been suffering from pain for years. 

With all the specialties you have and the clinical work you do, it sounds like you interact with a variety of patient populations. Can you tell me a little more about the types of patients you have at DOC Pain Management?  

Because I am both a sports and pain physician, my patients vary from young cross-fit athletes and sports teams, to older patients recovering from strokes, surgeries, and even chronic pain patients. I take a similar approach to all of my patients, trying to provide the most conservative but effective treatment so that they can get back to recovering, get back to their lives, and hopefully not on medications indefinitely. 

What aspect of your work do you really enjoy? 

I really enjoy watching my patients recover from injury, getting relief from their debilitating pain is very rewarding. I like getting to know my patients and work with people who want to get better and put the effort into doing so. I do also enjoy learning the practice of medicine, especially that of pain in Ohio is evolving. I am constantly reading and attending conferences to better educate myself with the new laws and regulations so that I can apply that to my practice as well as educate my patients in the future. 

In what ways do you educate others? 

I hold meetings within the community for different specialists. I try to present in different areas related to pain management. I think it’s very important to build a network of physicians and contacts so that we can rely on each to really provide a multi-disciplinary approach to pain management.  The treatment of pain and other disciplines is not very straight-forward and often require a collaborative approach. 

That’s great that you are so active in the community and knowledgeable about what you do!  Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to share your experience and work with us today.