A year ago, David Guerrero fell victim to an attack by his neighbor\u2019s dog while he was walking down the road from the bus stop. He was rushed to the emergency department at St. Luke\u2019s University Hospital in Bethlehem where he underwent surgery on his left hand and was treated for wounds on his right wrist and left calf.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know the circumstances of the injury to my left hand,\u201d Guerrero said. \u201cI thought I\u2019d go in, get stitched up and leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
It turns out, the dog did severe damage to Guerrero\u2019s left hand. He and his health care team say he has permanent disability. I\u2019m a righty, thank God,\u201d he said. For the past several months, Guerrero has been working with Scott Loev, DO, medical director for St. Luke\u2019s Spine and Pain Associates, to manage his chronic pain.<\/p>\n
Guerrero recently completed occupational therapy at Physical Therapy at St. Luke\u2019s North location In Bethlehem. It was a huge milestone that has helped him regain movement and some function in his left hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI worked with David extensively for about 10 months,\u201d says occupational therapist Osmund Moyer, MOT, OTR\/L. \u201cI told him on day one that he would have a long road to recovery based on the extent of his injury and the amount of pain, stiffness and scarring he presented with. We used various types of massage techniques, splinting, and lots of exercising to help get his hand back to an adequate level of function. At first, he had difficulty making a fist and could barely move his ring and small finger. By the end of his care, he could make a full fist and carry between 15 and 20 pounds without discomfort. This was a milestone for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, pain set in, later identified by Dr. Loev as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no specific tests to diagnose CRPS,\u201d Loev said. \u201cDiagnosis is made during a physical examination based on a list of common signs and symptoms such as color change, swelling, and nerve pain.\u201d<\/p>\n
CRPS can occur, Loev said, after a forceful trauma to an arm or leg, including a crushing injury or a fracture. Guerrero sustained both from the attack.<\/p>\n
Since Guerrero started working with Dr. Loev earlier this year, he has received four sympathetic nerve blocks, called Stellate ganglion blocks. These injections consist of anesthetic medication and are administered to a collection of nerves called the stellate ganglion, Dr. Loev explained. This group of nerves is part of the fight-or-flight nervous system.<\/p>\n
The blocks \u201ccan also help increase circulation and blood flow to your arm,\u201d he said, noting other courses of treatment can include neuropathic medications, which target nerve pain.<\/p>\n
Guerrero said the first shot \u201cdid nothing.\u201d He was still experiencing pain, about a seven on a scale of 1 to 10. After the second shot several weeks later, he noticed improvement, and then even more improvement after his third and fourth shots.<\/p>\n
The goal, he said, is to get to zero pain. He is currently between zero and one on the pain scale.<\/p>\n
Guerrero, who works for Mack trucks, has been on disability since his attack. He understands he may not be able to return to the same line of work. Despite his incredible progress and improvement of his pain, he is still disabled in his hand.\u00a0 \u201cIt might be a big career change,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He credits his progress to his St. Luke\u2019s team.\u00a0 \u201cFrom the time I went to the ER, the whole St. Luke\u2019s team has been nothing but the best.\u201d<\/p>\n
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About St. Luke\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n Founded in 1872,\u00a0St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 20,000 employees providing services at 15 campuses and 350+ outpatient sites.\u00a0 With annual net revenue of $3.4 billion, the Network\u2019s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke\u2019s hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke\u2019s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania.\u00a0 In partnership with Temple University, the Network established the Lehigh Valley\u2019s first and only four-year medical school campus.\u00a0 It also operates the nation\u2019s oldest School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 52 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with more than 500 residents and fellows. In 2022, St. Luke\u2019s, a member of the Children\u2019s Hospital Association, opened the Lehigh Valley\u2019s first and only free-standing facility dedicated entirely to kids.<\/p>\n SLUHN is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare\u2019s\u00a0five-star<\/em>\u00a0ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction.\u00a0 It is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades\u00a0Top Hospital<\/em>\u00a0and a Newsweek World\u2019s\u00a0Best Hospital<\/em>.\u00a0 The Network\u2019s flagship University Hospital has earned the\u00a0100 Top Major Teaching Hospital<\/em>\u00a0designation from Fortune\/PINC AI 10 years in a row, including in 2023 when it was identified as THE #4 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY.\u00a0 In 2021, St. Luke\u2019s was identified as one of the\u00a015 Top Health Systems<\/em>\u00a0nationally.\u00a0 Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the\u00a0Most Wired<\/em>\u00a0award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN\u2019s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information. \u00a0The Network is also recognized as one of the state\u2019s lowest-cost providers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Information provided to TVL by: <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A year ago, David Guerrero fell victim to an attack by his neighbor\u2019s dog while he was walking down the road from the bus stop. He was rushed to the … Continue reading Pain Relief for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is \u2018at Hand\u2019 for Hellertown Man<\/span>
\nSam Kennedy
\nhttps:\/\/www.slhn.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n
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