What is on your bucket list...
...if you could be freed from debilitating neuropathy pain?
Our Philosophy of Care for Dr. Richard Burke's Practice Relieving Chronic Pain and Suffering from Peripheral Neuropathies (such as Diabetic Foot Neuropathy) in Traverse Specializing in Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS), Dorsal Root Stimulation (DRG), and in Northern Michigan
Richard Burke M.D. has been helping people whose lives are afflicted by chronic pain since 1987. He has developed a devoted following of patients who have found what some call “miraculous” relief through the depth and breadth of his medical expertise, compassionate manner, and adherence to the highest standards in healthcare ethics.
Dr. Burke’s ultimate goal is to enable each person to become as functional as possible, restore hope, and return the patient to the best possible quality of life. Achieving excellence in patient-centered care depends on a solid patient-clinician relationship defined by mutual trust, respect, empathy, and compassion, resulting in a solid therapeutic alliance.
We work to create individually tailored treatment plans for patients to relieve pain and increase function while decreasing dependence on narcotic medications and steroid injections. His focus is on each patient's functional goals while providing compassionate care to all patients to help them re-live life again!
Individualized Treatment Plans
Dr. Burke believes that every patient is a unique individual deserving of a personalized course of treatment. Listening is the first step in the treatment plan. Dr. Burke then conducts a thorough, comprehensive medical evaluation of every patient that takes into account the mind-body connection. There is no single cure for chronic pain. His philosophy of care centers on having an ongoing dialogue with each patient on the medical options that may deliver optimum results for each particular condition.
Multidisciplinary Coordination of Care
Indeed, it takes a team approach and involves medical management, movement therapy including a stretching routine such as yoga or tai chi, psychological assessments and therapies (such as EMDR and CBT), improving sleep habits, learning specific coping strategies, eliminating unhelpful substances such as smoking (reduced oxygen prevents healing) and excessive alcohol consumption (creates nerve damage over time). Thus, the complexity of some pain conditions will require multidisciplinary coordination among healthcare professionals; as the direct consequences of acute and chronic pain, the experience of pain can exacerbate other health issues, including stress-related diseases, delayed recovery from surgery, or worsened behavioral and mental health disorders.