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November 8, 2006
The Spine Center at Good Shepherd Now Open
Non-Operative Medical Treatments Provided by A Fellowship-Trained Physiatrist and Pain Specialist

Allentown—The Spine Center at Good Shepherd recently opened in the Good Shepherd Health & Technology Center at 850 S. Fifth Street in Allentown. The Spine Center treats spine pain with non-operative, evidence-based medicine, including interventional spinal injections combined with a comprehensive physical therapy program. The Spine Center’s medical director is Kumar Thangaraj, M.D., a fellowship-trained physiatrist who is board certified in pain medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Patients at The Spine Center are treated in a state-of-the-art facility that includes an imaging center (CT and MRI), fluoroscopy suite with C-arm equipment for spinal injections and Good Shepherd’s renowned physical therapy program. A variety of neck, back, joint and other musculoskeletal pain disorders are treated, including work-related, recreational and sports injuries. Some common disorders treated at The Spine Center are: post-operative back pain, nerve root irritation including sciatica, spinal stenosis, herniated disc disorder, facet joint pain, sacroiliac joint pain, pain syndromes including Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, joint pain, cancer pain, tendonitis and bursitis.

“Spine pain can be one of the most frustrating and depressing of all health problems,” says Dr. Thangaraj. “The good news is that most spine pain can be treated non-operatively with an interdisciplinary approach that helps improve patients’ daily function.”

Dr. Thangaraj (also known as Dr. Raj) earned a medical degree in India at Madurai Kamaraj University and JJM Medical College. He completed a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and a residency in rehabilitation medicine at National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. He completed a fellowship in interventional pain medicine at State University of New York—Downstate Medical Center. Dr. Thangaraj is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation and pain medicine.

For more information or to schedule an appointment at The Spine Center, call 610-778-1050.