Offering pain relief … with injections

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Dr. Todd Handel is a doctor of physical medicine and rehabilitation

Dr. Todd HandelPROVIDENCE – Dr. Todd Handel, of the Handel Center for Spine, Sports and Pain Intervention, is an interventional physiatrist, a doctor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, who specializes in various spine injections for pain management.

He spoke by phone from his office with The Jewish Voice.

Handel earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Michigan, and completed his residency at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, which is associated with Harvard Medical School. In practice for 12 years, he has had his current practice, the Handel Center for Spine, Sports and Pain Intervention, on Highland Avenue in Providence for the past two years.

Echoing comments from John McLinden of Liberty Physical Health (see related story, “Liberty Physical Therapy addresses patients’ needs,” at page 22) about the close working relationship between the two practices, Handel added, “I speak to them on a daily basis. If there is an issue that patients are having during PT [physical therapy], I am always available [to them.” A clinical assistant professor in the department of orthopaedics at Brown Alpert Medical School, Handel does not teach there; however, many physical therapy students who rotate through Liberty Physical Therapy also study under him at his practice he explained.

The first doctor in his family, Handel said that he became interested in medicine generally and physical medicine and rehabilitation specifically at a young age.
“My brother had a spinal cord injury when I was 11 and he was 14,” Handel said. “[He] had a miraculous recovery.”

The focus of his practice, he said, is on interventional pain management, with, for example, cortisone shots, epidurals or trigger point injections, for patients with bone and/or soft tissue injuries.

Virtually every body part – shoulders, hips, knees, hands, wrists and spines – could be a source of either chronic or acute pain. After evaluating the patient and offering the injections he deems v most appropriate, Handel works to get the patient into a comprehensive rehabilitation program with physical therapy.

His client base, like that of Liberty Physical Therapy, runs the gamut – from adolescents on up through the age spectrum, he said. “I see patients pre- and post-surgery, but I like to see them before surgery,” he said, “as I try to manage [patients] conservatively to avoid surgery, if possible.”

The practice accepts most commercial health insurance and workers’ compensation, as well, he said, adding that general practitioners, internists and orthopedists refer patients to his practice.

Asked what makes his practice stand out from the competition, Handel said, “We do it better. I focus on their physical function and the whole aspect to their treatment.”

Handel, who called every day in the office a “good day,” likes getting patients, including individuals who have experienced a workers’ compensation injury, safely back to their normal active life style and activities.

This is one of a series of business profiles about local businesses, some of which advertise with The Jewish Voice.

Handel Center for Spine,
Sports and Pain Intervention:
100 Highland Ave, Suite 102
Providence
305-5280, handelcenter.com.

Handel Center for Spine,Sports and Pain Intervention:

100 Highland Ave, Suite 102

Providence305-5280, handelcenter.com.