Dr. Nuthalapaty can help treat chronic muscle pain

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / News Editor for the Southern Standard

Board-certified physiatrist Dr. Suneetha Nuthalapaty, left, with the help of medical assistant Dianne Swann, demonstrates the operation of her office’s electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction study (NCV) machine.

Warren County now has its first board-certified physiatrist, Dr. Suneetha Nuthalapaty. Nuthalapaty is based at River Park and has her offices, known as Regional Rehabilitation Center, PLLC, in Suite 104 of the hospital’s Medical Office Building.

Of course, there are some who might ask just what it is a physiatrist does, since this is a relatively new medical specialty. Put simply, a physiatrist is a physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Physiatrists treat a wide range of problems from sore shoulders to spinal cord injuries. These doctors treat problems that affect all major systems of the body and focus on restoring function to patients and thus improving their quality of life.

Dr. Nuthalapaty says rehabilitation is a vital part of a patient’s recovery process.

“Rehab is relatively a new field,” Nuthalapaty said, “that has started developing within the last 20 or 30 years. And it’s growing so fast because people have realized what a significant role it has in patient’s lives.”

Physiatrists treat acute pain, chronic pain and musculoskeletal disorders. They deal with patients who have arthritis, tendonitis, back pain and work or sports related injuries. They also coordinate the long term rehabilitation process for patients with amputations, multiple sclerosis, cancer, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, stroke or other neurological disorders.

Dr. Nuthalapaty says that rehab plays a major role in the complete recovery of patients with a variety of illnesses and conditions, and even though patients have received their primary treatments, they may not be ready to deal with everyday life.

“They get treated for the problem,” Nuthalapaty said, “but physically they’re not ready to go home yet. They need a transition phase.”

Without some sort of specialized rehab program Nuthalapaty says it can take a long time for patients to recover.

“But if they go to a rehab specialty like ours, they get intensive therapy,” Nuthalapaty said. “Our therapy focuses on bringing function back to their lives, improving their quality of life and their functional capacity.”

River Park’s rehabilitation unit includes a well-staffed and equipped center with a multidisciplinary approach including physical, occupational and speech therapy.

Another specialized service Dr. Nuthalapaty’s practice offers, which has not been readily available locally until now, is electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCV). This is a diagnostic method where Dr. Nuthalapaty uses a specially designed machine, somewhat similar to an EKG, to identify muscle or nerve damage in order to assist doctors in providing the proper treatment.

“Electromyography and nerve conduction studies play a central role in the evaluation of patients with neuromuscular disorders,” Nuthalapaty said. “They help me, as a physician, to study the health of the nerves and the muscles to see if there is any damage going on, and if there is damage, how bad it is, and whether it is recoverable or not.”

Dr. Nuthalapaty’s hours are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, or to schedule an appointment call 815-1616.