May 1, 2019 4 min read

Dave Green of Washington never thought he’d be able to live with his chronic pain without using narcotics.

“Because I depended on the drugs for so long, I didn’t think anything would help me like the drugs did,” he said.

The 36-year-old was diagnosed two years ago with a degenerative spine disorder that’s caused vertebrae in his neck to fuse together. He’s been dealing with the pain for about seven years, and is finally getting relief at the Washington City Mission’s new drug-free pain management clinic.

“It got to the point where I couldn’t function,” Green said.

Green had seen multiple doctors, and was prescribed opiates for his condition. After a few years, those weren’t enough.

“A person’s tolerance to opioids grows and grows,” he said. “From there I turned to street drugs.”

He used heroin for more than two years. For Green, sleeping was a challenge because the pain kept him so uncomfortable. It’s what fueled his addiction.

“Twenty months ago, I couldn’t make it one day,” he said.

But he’s been sober for 20 months. He now resides at the City Mission, where he attends the pain management clinic, which began in September.

The clinic is run by local medical professionals who donate their Wednesdays, equipment and expertise to help the Mission’s residents suffering from chronic pain. Cyndi Urbanowicz, a retired flight nurse, is one of them.

“We started talking about things that were profoundly affecting residents and affecting their ability to gain sobriety,” Urbanowicz said. “There was no way for people to address their pain.”

The clinic consists of four main approaches: physical therapy, positional release therapy, Alpha-Stim therapy and prayer.

Dr. Nathan Romesburg, of Romesburg Physical Therapy and Sports Fitness in Washington, volunteers physical therapy services to the residents. He works with them on stretching, exercising and restoring range of motion, according to the Mission.

Dr. Paula Sammarone Turocy, the director of pre-medical and health professions programs at Duquesne University, provides positional release therapy for residents during the pain clinic. She said in a news release that her treatment includes “moving the body into positions of comfort” to ultimately “turn down the intensity of activity in the pain receptors in the body.”

The Alpha-Stim therapy is administered by Urbanowicz. It applies a very small amount of electricity to the area in pain to “regulate the signals within nerve cells to create lasting and significant pain relief,” she said.

Urbanowicz said the treatment “has a powerful effect on anxiety” and has also helped her clients, including Green, sleep better.

“It’s actually been around for about 30 years, but is only coming into the forefront now because people are looking for nontraditional, nonpharmaceutical options for treating pain,” she said.

Green said that since he’s been getting Alpha-Stim therapy, his pain relief lasts longer into the week, rather than just a couple hours.

“It was amazing how much it did seem to help,” he said.

Lastly, volunteer Cathy Orient meets with the residents, talks with them about their pain and other problems and prays with them and for them.

Urbanowicz said she’s excited with how well the clinic has done so far, with about 15 residents participating. She said that in the future the Mission would like to recreate a similar clinic that’s open to more than just its own residents.

“The waiting room is packed when we get there,” she said. “This is a collaborative effort with four very different things. We understand that people are very complex – they’re much more than just a painful knee.”

Green now works a part-time job at the Mission and trained and will soon be certified to operate an Alpha-Stim device. For Green, the best part about being sober and finding some relief for his pain is “being able to rebuild the relationships in my life.”