“I always felt the pain…” I lived with

“I always felt the pain…”

I lived with extreme upper and lower back pain for three years. I had been a weight lifter but had to stop. Whether it was standing, sitting, walking, or even while I was sleeping, I always felt the pain (which caused mood swings). In that time period I tried many things from someone walking on my back to heating pads.

I was finally introduced to Dr Marcus and after two weeks of treatment I am pain free. I can enjoy my activities without pain (which will take getting used to). I can thank Dr. Marcus for that.

Clifford C.

“I am running again…”

Injuries are a fact of life for runners. Does that mean I have to learn how to run and live with pain? Not with Dr. Marcus’ treatment.

None of the previous doctors understood that I was suffering from pain, but gave me medication and therapy sessions. How could a doctor treat any patient without knowing the problem? Dr. Marcus pinpointed the problem and treated it. He does not teach how to live with pain, instead he eliminates the pain.

I am now back on the road and find myself running and competing again, thanks to Dr. Marcus.

Yayoi S.

“I have a much brighter outlook…”

On April 3, 1999 I was involved in a near fatal car crash while working in South Africa. Until that time I was known around the world as a very successful performer, teacher and choreographer.

After four days in a coma, I was left with brain damage as well as damage to my foot, ankle, wrist, arm, back, shoulder, ear and neck, that have presently required nine surgeries, including plates in my foot and arm and a spinal fusion . Not too fun.

After seeing many doctors and trying many therapies I was referred to the Norman Marcus Pain Institute. Following a very pleasant consultation with Dr Marcus, I began a series of treatments including injections, various forms of electrical stimulation, physical therapy and medication.

Dr.  Norman Marcus never made any guarantees or spoke down to me but was confident the treatments would be beneficial. I’m glad to report his confidence was well founded. The treatments have resulted in much increased range of motion as well as lessening, and in some cases cessation, of pain.

Thanks to Dr. Marcus I have a much brighter outlook, and look forward to more improvements to come.

Alan O.

“He is an oasis in a sea of white coats…”

To say that Dr. Marcus and his institute changed my life is an understatement- they “saved my life.” I am a chronic pain patient who suffers from Marfan’s Syndrome. The day I met Dr. Marcus, I was writhing in agony after having my left knee replaced (this was my twenty-first operation in my 40 years of life). At the time, I was experiencing so much pain that I felt life itself was no longer worth it. The doctors that surrounded me didn’t understand why I was in so much pain. I yearned for someone in a white coat to listen.

I will never forget the night he walked into my hospital room. Instead of looking at me as a “clinical oddity” or a “drug addict” looking for more pills, he listened to me. Since that night three years ago, he and his staff have helped me handle three subsequent operations. If there is anything he has done for me, it is to treat me like a human being. As a chronic pain patient, one needs to feel that they are not alone; they can overcome their disability and regain the essence of life. For me, this is what Dr. Marcus symbolizes. He is an oasis in a sea of white coats who are yet to understand how to treat people like me.

Since receiving treatment from Dr. Marcus, I have been able to regain life as a professor, researcher and writer. When I look back and ask myself how this was able to come about, I realize that it was because of Dr. Marcus’s belief in the human spirit to survive pain if given the right tools, treatments and resources. The Marcus Pain Institute has the ability to provide hope, when hope seems beyond the realm of reality. Although Dr. Marcus does not have the capacity to “walk on water” yet (although many of his patients would not be surprised if it happened one day), he has the wonderful gifts of compassion, honesty and integrity. These same qualities he has passed down to his staff. Although I still live with some pain, he has taught me how to manage it and live with it.

For this, I will always be grateful.

Christopher H.