Acupuncture improves the body’s functions and promotes the natural self-healing process by stimulating specific anatomic sites, commonly referred to as acupuncture points or acupoints. The most common method used to stimulate acupoints is the insertion of fine, sterile needles into the skin. Pressure, heat, or electrical stimulation may further enhance the effects. Other acupoint stimulation techniques include manual massage, moxibustion or heat therapy, or cupping.

Acupuncture at the WVU Medicine Center for Integrative Pain Management is performed by Nicholas Marchesani, DC, and Edward Priem, DC.

We know that pain is experienced in the brain, and stress can make the experience of pain worse or more difficult to handle. A treatment that helps you cope with pain and stress can make your pain more manageable. There are a number of strategies patients can use to improve their pain and ability to cope with pain. The WVU Medicine Center for Integrative Pain Management offers both individual and group therapy to our patients, along with managing high-risk chronic opioid use patients.

Therapy services are performed by Rick Gross, PhD, Lynn Dobbs, LICSW, Martha Ferris, LICSW, and Whitney Myers, MSW, LGSW.

High-risk patients are managed by Dr. Gross, Jeremy Herschler, MD, Stephanie Smith, FNP, and Martha Ferris, LICSW.

Chiropractic care is a healthcare profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system, the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. Chiropractic services are used most often to treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches. Chiropractors often combine joint manipulation, soft tissue techniques, and therapeutic exercises to improve function and decrease pain.

Chiropractic Care at the WVU Medicine Center for Integrative Pain Management is performed by Nicholas Marchesani, DC, and Edward Priem, DC.

Dietitian services focus on weight management for pain relief and how the diet can impact pain. You can attend nutrition counseling with a registered dietitian, who will teach portion control and moderation and will serve as a personal motivator and resource throughout your weight-loss journey. We focus on positive, healthy lifestyle changes that promote lifelong health over short quick-fix diets. We don’t just counsel for weight loss; we take the entire patient into consideration, helping him/her to manage his/her weight in relation to other health problems, such as diabetes, hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome, or chronic kidney disease. During the counseling session, you will receive a personalized weight-loss plan that meets not only your physical needs but fits your lifestyle as well.

The WVU Medicine Center for Integrative Pain Management’s on-site registered dietitian is Amanda Pratt, RD, LD.

Movement therapy can result in greater ease and range of movement; increased balance, strength, and flexibility; improved muscle tone and coordination; joint resiliency; pain relief; and relief of rheumatic, neurological, spinal, stress, and many other issues. In our Movement Therapy Room, we provide functional movement assessments, individualized rehabilitation plans for patients, instruction on at-home exercise programs, and informative sessions on the benefits of exercise in relation to pain and overall health. Modalities and therapeutic exercise will be used to improve strength, stability, flexibility, range of motion, postural control, and enforce proper movement patterns.

Exercise Physiologist Julianne Speeney will help you get moving.

Massage therapy is a therapeutic form of treatment that can provide a number of benefits to patients with acute or chronic pain. We offer medical massage therapy, which concentrates on a medical diagnosis, as part of the patient’s overall treatment plan. The focus of this type of massage is measurable and functional outcomes for the patient. Massage therapy can help ease pain in several different ways, including increasing blood flow to sore, stiff muscles and joints. It has also been shown to increase relaxation, emotional well-being, ability to sleep, ability to move, and ability to participate in other therapies. Often, pain is accompanied by symptoms of depression, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping, and massage therapy is a proven option to help manage these difficult conditions.

Licensed Massage Therapist Ray Lemansky performs medical massages on site.

Consultation Request for Physicians

Fax number: 304-598-2602

When faxing a new patient consultation request to the Pain Management Center, please include the following information:

• a completely filled out request form
• a copy of the report for the patient’s most recent MRI, CT scan, or x-rays pertaining to the reason for the request
• a letter of introduction and reason for the request (what you would like us to do, i.e., epidural, nerve root block, or specific request)
• a copy of the patient’s current insurance cards
• Please obtain authorization or pre-certification as required by insurance prior to sending consultation request.

Sending this information with the request will help us get the patient scheduled in a timely manner. We do not accept patients for the sole purpose of narcotic prescription.