Dr. Gugger
Chip Brewer of Lansdale, PA fell 40 feet onto the stone surface of a parking lot when the scaffolding supporting his body collapsed in a construction site accident. He spent three months casted from his neck down. When he emerged from the cast, he was faced with years of follow up surgeries and bone grafts along with a replacement cast set on his right leg for nearly two years. His situation was so dire that one physician expressed his concern that Brewer might not be able to walk by the time he turned 40.
"Well, I made it until about 50 and the pain really started to set in on my legs and back," he said. Brewer experienced something called a non-union fracture in his leg, which he says never really healed. "My back was broken in four places and my left knee had become so painful from arthritis and scar tissue that I could hardly put weight on it.”
After years of physical therapy and cortisone injections he was about to give up. "My family doctor kept telling me that it was time to see a pain physician, someone board-certified specifically in the treatment and relief of pain; but I really lost hope that anyone was going to do anything different. I've seen therapists and surgeons, and no one seemed to have any new ideas. What was one more opinion going to do?" he feared.
"I'm happy to share that I was wrong! Dr. Gugger knows all of the newest techniques and introduced me to something I’ve never heard of before, a genicular nerve block with X-ray guidance. This procedure has changed my life," Brewer shared.
Doug Gugger, MD, of the Pennsylvania Pain & Spine Institute in Quakertown shares, "Chip had severe knee pain and osteoarthritis that was not responsive to multiple traditional therapies. His condition was complicated by his previous history of trauma. We performed what is known as a genicular nerve block of his left knee. This new, minimally invasive procedure blocked the painful nerve signaling that caused his chronic discomfort. The procedure can also be utilized for those patients still experiencing knee pain after a total knee replacement or for those who aren't candidates or ready for knee replacement. Chip's prognosis is excellent and most importantly, he won’t need surgery."
When asked what makes his therapies so effective, Dr. Gugger stressed that he is trained specifically in pain medicine with a focus on avoiding surgery and restoring function. “I know the newest techniques coming out of the University of Pennsylvania, minimally invasive procedures for conditions that were traditionally treated with surgery. Because of this I have ways of treating back, neck, knee and hip pain, among other things, without surgery. Our goal is zero down time for our patients and real, long term relief that can some times be achieved in a matter of minutes.”
Dr. Gugger attended the University of Pennsylvania where he completed a residency in Anesthesia and an extra year of fellowship training in Pain Medicine. He is board certified.
Dr. Gugger honorably served in the United States Navy for four years and completed a long tour in Afghanistan before returning to civilian medicine. He welcomes veterans to his new practice, the Pennsylvania Pain & Spine Institute located in The Atrium building at 127 S. 5th Street, Suite 180, in Quakertown, PA 18951. He is accepting new patients. For more information or to make an appointment with Dr. Gugger call 215-695-6688 or visit him on the web at www.pennpain.com.
Photos attached: (1) Pennsylvania Pain & Spine Institute logo.jpg; (2) Dr. Doug Gugger of the new Pennsylvania Pain & Spine Institute with new patient Mr. Chip Brewer of Lansdale, PA.