Charissa’s job takes her all over the state. But, she likes to come home at night to teach her painting classes. It’s her passion; it’s her world.

But a car accident almost kept her from painting.

One day as she was looking over her shoulder as she was turning, she was rear-ended. The impact damaged the nerves in the back of her neck. From the day of her accident, Charissa experienced chronic pain.

Charissa visited multiple doctors, including chiropractors, to relieve the pain. But, it was so bad she had to give up almost everything. The intense pain even changed her personality.

When Charissa traveled to the Wausau area, she would drive by the Bone & Joint. One day she noticed they specialized in pain management.

Charissa saw Dr. Benjamin Hackett, the spine surgeon at Bone & Joint. After examining Charissa, Dr. Hackett gave her a diagnosis and explained why she felt so much pain. Charissa was emotional. Now that she had a reason, she could find a treatment.

Charissa suffered a whiplash-type injury, which usually gets better within six months; but Charissa’s didn’t. The constant pain sapped her energy and made it hard for her to teach. Dr. Hackett referred Charissa to Dr. Kulpreet Sahota, a pain management specialist at Bone & Joint.

Dr. Sahota recommended radiofrequency ablation, a procedure that uses heat to kill the nerves and deal with the source of the pain, instead of just treating the symptoms.

“It sounds awful,” said Dr. Sahota. “But, it’s not that bad. People usually do really well until the nerves grow back.”

Dr. Sahota explained the treatment and performed the procedure. After her radiofrequency ablation, Charissa’s energy returned. She could teach and move from person to person in her class. She didn’t have to worry about triggering excruciating pain if she bent her neck the wrong way.

“I have patients like Charissa come in all the time,” said Dr. Sahota. “It feels good when you can get people back to their lives.”

“You don’t think a minor accident can alter your life,” said Charissa. “Getting your life back is the greatest feeling in the world.”

Source: The Greatest Feeling in the World
Charissa’s Bone & Joint Story