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What a pain.
Maybe you usually say, “What a pain in the neck.” Or perhaps you use “backside” or some other more colorful word. Any way you say it, whether you’re speaking figuratively about the pain of a long drive for health care or literally about the pain in your body, Mercy Jefferson has a new team to alleviate it.
Neurosurgeon Dr. Mark Rivkin and pain management specialist Dr. Loc Thang have joined Mercy Jefferson to lead a team providing a collaborative approach to treating patients’ pain, particularly back, joint and spine pain along with other conditions such as nerve pain and cancer pain. They tailor their approach to meet each patient’s needs, ranging from physical therapy to complicated spinal surgery.
“Jefferson County and the surrounding areas are underserved with little pain management,” Dr. Thang said. “What I wanted to do is build a pain clinic, and Mercy Jefferson is perfect for that. With my childhood experiences, I know what it’s like living in an underserved area. Coming here is getting back to my roots, allowing me to serve where I’m needed.”
Bringing care where it’s needed is a legacy of the Sisters of Mercy. For patients dealing with severe or chronic pain, a longer drive to get care is more than an inconvenience, it can be a barrier to treatment.
“I’m excited to join the Mercy Jefferson family, providing a service that’s overdue, building a comprehensive spine and pain management program that works with the primary care physicians in this community,” Dr. Rivkin said.
That collaborative approach includes working with patients, who are in control of which treatment path to follow.
“My most important job during a patient visit is to be honest and up front about their options. I want to educate them about their care – which may not always lead to surgery,” Dr. Rivkin said. “How can we expect patients to make the best decision for their own care if they don’t understand everything involved?”
Pain Management with Dr. Thang
For Dr. Thang, who grew up in Vietnam, preventive health care access was limited, which meant he was frequently sick and saw many doctors.
“Those doctors are who inspired me to want to take care of the sick and suffering,” Dr. Thang said.
In addition to earning his medical degree, Dr. Thang earned a doctorate (Ph.D.) in pharmacology, putting him on track for an academic career in teaching and research. He initially focused his energy on anesthesiology and how medicine works with pain receptors. Just last year, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis named him outstanding faculty member of the year. But he felt called to provide direct patient care.
“I enjoy being able to apply what I learned and use my hands to help the patient through interventional care,” Dr. Thang said. “I saw how medical management and interventional management could work together to help people manage or overcome their pain.”
What Dr. Thang did not expect when he moved from Michigan for his training was making this region his home.
“I thought we would move back to Michigan where the rest of my family lives,” Dr. Thang said. “I had job offers all over the country, but we loved it here and wanted to stay here.”
Dr. Thang, his wife and their two sons spend time together enjoying the region’s various outdoor activities and different cultures.
Neurosurgery with Dr. Rivkin
For Dr. Rivkin, who grew up in St. Louis, inspiration came from inside his childhood home.
“My mom is a primary care physician,” Dr. Rivkin said. “I see her dedication to her patients, which really made me want to do something similar where you can make a real difference in someone’s life quickly. After 25 years, she’s still making a difference and seeing patients in St. Louis.”
Dr. Rivkin, his wife and their three young children spend time with family in the area, including Dr. Rivkin’s parents and grandparents. They enjoy the family atmosphere – and cheering on St. Louis sports teams.
While still in medicine, Dr. Rivkin chose a slightly different path than his mother by focusing on neurosurgery. He treats a wide range of conditions in the brain and spine. The most common conditions a neurosurgeon sees include degenerative conditions with neck and arm pain or with lower back and leg pain.
“I believe in a personalized approach to patients, in tailoring the treatment plan to the individual and not to the procedures I can perform,” Dr. Rivkin said. “By far, not every spine problem is surgical. Sometimes, I need to point the patient in a nonsurgical direction to seek help for the right care.”
Working Together to Ease the Pain
The collaboration between neurosurgery, pain management and the patient’s primary care team is important. They can work together to devise a treatment plan that may include physical or occupational therapy or an outpatient treatment such as injections. To Dr. Rivkin, the key is to treat the cause of the pain.
“I’m excited to provide a service that’s not readily available at every hospital, especially outside an urban setting,” Dr. Rivkin said. “It’s taking a significant investment in adding the right people and equipment needed to add this service here in Jefferson County.”
In addition to performing surgery at Mercy Hospital Jefferson, Dr. Rivkin sees patients at Mercy Clinic Neurosurgery – Jefferson Suite N1500 on the hospital campus and at Mercy Clinic Neurosurgery – Richardson Square in Arnold.
Dr. Thang sees patients at Mercy Clinic Spine and Pain Management – Jefferson, which shares an office with the neurosurgery clinic on the hospital campus.
