Local doctors offering procedure to help ease back pain

Severe back pain can change a person's life and take them away from the activities they enjoy.

That is what happened with Kevin Lee, of Dartmouth. However, life is getting back to normal after he tried a non-invasive procedure that eliminated his pain in a matter of hours.

"I just may move a certain way or bend over a certain way, and all of a sudden, I'm done and I can't get up," said Lee. "These episodes where I'd be flat on my back, and it would take a week to get back on my feet."

That was tough for Lee to handle. At 64 years old, he was very active and spent time every week rowing or steering a whale boat in New Bedford Bay. The boats are big, and the work can be grueling.

"29 feet long, weighs 927 pounds, 6 foot at the beam, five rowers, one steering. We can row out into rough waters. We can take pretty heavy chop," Lee said.

Chronic lower back pain eventually took Lee out of the boat. He was often unable to walk or standup straight. When the pain flared up, he had to use a cane or even a walker to get around.

"I wasn't mowing my lawn. I wasn't stacking my own firewood. I wasn't able to play with my grandchildren," said Lee.

He saw a spinal surgeon, but they couldn't help.

Eventually, he ended up at a pain management clinic at Brigham & Women's Health Care Center in Foxborough. He met Dr. Pradeep Dinakar, a neurologist and interventional pain management specialist, who realized he was suffering from sacroiliac joint pain on his right side.

"You're in pain, you don't exercise. Your core becomes weak. A weak core makes things worse. It gets to the point that you're debilitated," said Dinakar. "This technique definitely breaks the cycle."

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Local doctors offering procedure to help ease back pain