From left: Chase Black, MD; Jacklyn Smith, CPT; Jerry Dodd; Rene Ervin, LPN; Brenda Hill, RN
“When they got my pain under control, I got my life back!”
–Jerry Dodd
Jerry Dodd will tell you that the treatment he receives at Rhea Medical Center is as good as it gets!
Jerry Dodd (center) makes a living with his hands. On a typical day, this 68-year-old general contractor may be laying tile, hanging a big-screen TV, or framing a wall. So it was a serious matter when Jerry developed arthritis in his hands and wrists. “I could hardly pick up a screw because of the pain,” he says.
Jerry decided to see Dr. Chase Black, an anesthesiologist with special training in pain management, at the Rhea Medical’s Pain Management Center. Dr. Black creates a personalized
treatment program for each patient with chronic or acute nerve, back and arthritis pain. Treatments include epidural steroid injections, facet joint injections and selective nerve root blocks. In Jerry’s case, Dr. Black gave Jerry an injection of cortisone. “I got substantial relief!” Jerry says. “Now I’m back on the job and making a living.”
In addition, Dr. Black helped treat Jerry’s low back pain with radiofrequency ablation, a procedure which uses electrical current from radio waves to heat up a small area of nerve tissue and decrease the pain signals from that area.
Jerry also trusts Rhea Medical Center for pulmonary therapy to help his lungs function better. “I’ve been to many hospitals over the years, including some in Chattanooga,” Jerry says. “And in my opinion, the treatment I receive at Rhea Medical Center is as good as it gets.”