Pain Relief: Menlo Park center offers coping skills to help people with chronic pain live more productive lives Pain Relief: Menlo Park center offers coping skills to help people with chronic pain live more productive lives (September 12, 2001)

By Ramin Setoodeh

Special to the Almanac

The name of his game?

It's pain.

Dr. Mark Sontag, who lives in Portola Valley, treats professional athletes from teams like the San Francisco Giants, the Oakland Raiders and the San Jose Sharks. He also examines patients with acute, or short-term, pain out of his office in Redwood City.

But Dr. Sontag's most recent project, a new clinic at 705 Oak Grove Ave. in Menlo Park, provides care for patients who suffer from chronic, or long-term, pain.

It's called the Sports Pain Alleviation & Recovery Center (SPARC), but in spite of the name, one doesn't have to be an athlete to be a client.

Dr. Sontag says he opened the center after developing a theory about pain thresholds. A paradox exists, he believes, between injury and perceived pain for both athletes and victims of abuse.

Professional athletes are usually conditioned to "walk off" childhood injuries, and therefore are not as responsive to serious pain in later years of life, he explains. But on the other side of the spectrum, victims of abuse and rape receive no reward for dealing with their pain. Dr. Sontag believes that they become much more sensitive to pain as a result, and later might even suffer for years from what physicians would consider a minor injury, he says.

"It's sort of like evolutionary thinking," says Dr. Sontag.

He notes that many other factors can also cause long-term pain, and says that although the clinic doesn't "cure" the pain, it tries to offer patients relief so they can live more productive lives.

"We want to teach them coping skills," says Dr. Sontag. "You don't have to make a scene [every time you're in pain]."

He adds: "We might set the pain from a level-eight to a level-five, but we're really focusing on the quality of life. We try to educate the patients. Some of them will always have the pain. But they re-establish their goals."

Treatment at the clinic is offered in three different areas: There's general care from a physician, Dr. Franklin Perry of Menlo Park; emotional care from a psychologist, Perry Blackmon of Portola Valley; and rehabilitation from physical therapists or trainers. Dr. Sontag, who works mostly in Redwood City, usually doesn't see patients at the clinic.

"When pain persists," says Dr. Perry, "it doesn't mean you should rest all of the time. If you rest more than two or three days, it could get worse.

"People who have pain, they've gone to many doctors before coming here. And we're finding most of their injuries are not that severe."

Dr. Sontag says that if pain continues for more than six months, physicians label it as maladaptive, and it can lead to other problems like depression. "It's a false signal," he explains. "It's no longer indicative of the injury, and it can progress to the point that it can ruin your life.

"You have the memory of the pain in your nervous system. It [plays back] like a nightmare."

No pain, no gain

Most patients at SPARC, the doctors say, are making substantial gains and working toward their goals.

When they first come to the clinic, they are examined by a physician and _ if treatment is deemed necessary _ placed in a six-week program for two, three or five days a week.

The patients' schedules consist of weekly check-ups by Dr. Perry and Dr. Blackmon, and attending small classes (with four to five other patients) for physical therapy. Typical exercises, according to the doctors, include stretching, aerobic training and strengthening.

Most clients are in their 30s or 40s, and have been injured at work

And their goals? Some want to go back to work, while others want to alleviate their pain because it is straining relationships with spouses or other family members.

"For many people, there's a tremendous relief to find out they really can do things physically," says Dr. Sontag. He says the key to dealing with long-term pain is keeping it under control _ that is why the pain management exercises are so crucial.

After their time at the clinic is completed, the patients return as part of a program that tracks their progress. Dr. Sontag says there haven't been enough patients for him to make conclusions about the long-term effects of the clinic, but Dr. Perry says that in the short run most patients seem to be doing well.

Tracy Sievers of Redwood City has suffered from a "pinched nerve" ski accident for about three years. She was referred to the clinic by Dr. Sontag, and has just about completed her time there.

The verdict? "My pain is the same, but I deal with it better," she concludes. "It's a neat program. The first week was really hard _ you get pushed to the limit. You're not sure you can handle it."

But, says Ms. Sievers, by the end of the day she's usually amazed at all the physical activity she's done.

She also says that she enjoys the relaxation exercises. "We do guided meditation. Sometimes, there's music. Sometimes, there's not. It's the only time when I can be awake and not have pain. It's a good way to wrap up the day."
@infobox:For more information about the SPARC clinic in Menlo Park, call 321-8070.