Patricia Delzell, M.D.’s Advanced Musculoskeletal Medicine Consultants has expanded to new offices in Chagrin Falls to better serve her patients

By Mitch Allen

If you’ve been experiencing chronic pain for months, years or even decades, now may be the time to try an integrative approach to pain relief. No matter how many doctors you’ve seen, how many steroid injections you’ve undergone, how many narcotics or anti-inflammatories you’ve been prescribed, or how many times you’ve been told, “It’s all in your head”—there is still hope.

Dr. Patricia Delzell, M.D., founder of Advanced Musculoskeletal Medicine Consultants, specializes in integrative medicine, which treats the whole person rather than a disease process. She looks at body systems instead of body parts.

Advanced MMC employs conventional medicine along with alternative therapies like acupressure and infrared light, and focuses on lifestyle issues that affect the pain sensation, from exercise and sleep to nutrition and stress.

“Our goal is to optimize your body for healing,” Dr. Delzell says. “Chronic pain is extremely stressful mentally, physically and spiritually, so we may also recommend yoga, meditation, aromatherapy or breathing techniques. And proper nutrition is essential, so we often suggest botanicals, supplements or whole foods-based nutrition. But first we begin by finding out the true source of your pain.”

Advanced Ultrasound Technology
With traditional MRIs, CT scans and X-rays, patients are asked to lie perfectly still, but as a nationally renowned expert in musculoskeletal ultrasound, Dr. Delzell employs state-of-the-art ultrasound technology with higher spatial resolution to actually see tissue in motion. This enables her to capture how the multiple contributors to pain are intertwined to develop a more successful treatment plan.

“It’s frustrating when you have an MRI done and the doctor says nothing is wrong, but you are still in pain,” she says. “We see things that are happening in the fascia, the nerves, the muscles that cannot be seen on an MRI, but are very well defined on ultrasound. For example, ultrasound can be used to see muscles and structures as they are moving and interacting in real time. “How are your muscles functioning? Are they contracting? If so, are they coordinated and effective?”

Dr. Delzell also uses ultrasound to evaluate pain from tissue other than muscles, such as scar and entrapped nerves.

“Chronic pain can cause nerve pathways to be programmed incorrectly for so long that it affects how the body interprets manipulation,” she adds. “And that can make you hypersensitive to touch. We can often help by altering pain sensation pathways.”

A Growing Practice
Dr. Delzell has been so successful at treating patients with chronic pain that this month her practice moved into a new, modern location in Chagrin Falls, tripling her square footage. “We have much more room to treat patients now, including dedicated infrared laser and acupressure rooms,” she says. “Of course, our environment is still calm and peaceful. It doesn’t feel like a cold, traditional medical office.”

Dr. Delzell grew up in Cleveland Heights, attended Laurel School, earned her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University, and did her residency at the Cleveland Clinic, where she served as the director of musculoskeletal ultrasound from 2009 until 2019, when she started her new practice. She also has specialized training in ultrasound through her fellowship at Brown University and has completed a two-year fellowship in integrative medicine at University of Arizona.

She is supported at Advanced MMC by practice manager Sarah Stevens-Smith and administrative assistant Jack Flynn.

Causes of Chronic Pain
With Dr. Delzell’s years of experience and expertise in ultrasound technology, she is adept at uncovering the true causes of many different types of chronic pain. Here are a few examples:

1. When you lie flat on your stomach, can you bend your knees to 90 degrees without pain in your upper thigh and buttocks? If not, you likely have an old hamstring injury causing discomfort.

2. Do you experience persistent radiating pain, numbness, tingling, or heaviness in your limbs? If so, you may have nerve injury or nerve entrapment.

3. Do you have perpetual knots in your muscles? There are layers of multiple muscles and other supporting soft tissues, especially in the hips, shoulder and back. An ultrasound can easily distinguish among these layers to identify scarring.

4. Do you have persistent pain after joint replacement? Soft tissue scar in the muscles and fascia can be the cause of pain that mimics joint pain. Ultrasound, Dr. Delzell says, is the test of choice for evaluating these soft tissues.

More Time With The Doctor
Advanced Musculoskeletal Medicine Consultants treats pain related to the musculoskeletal system, including the shoulder, elbow, hand, wrist, chest wall, neck, back, hip, foot, knee, ankle, nerve pain, and more.

In a growing trend among leading-edge healthcare providers, the practice does not accept insurance, but the staff will provide you with a superbill that may be submitted to private insurance companies for potential out-of-network reimbursement. Dr. Delzell chose a cash-based service to prioritize time with the patients over seeing many patients each day, which is required in an insurance-based practice.

Your initial consult with Dr Delzell will not be 10 minutes, but about two to three hours, divided into two sessions. Similarly, follow-up appointments are also not “in and out,” where the doctor is rushed to get to the next patient. Instead, she schedules 45 minute to 1-hour slots to ensure all patient questions are answered and you are on the right track toward healing.

“At Advanced MMC, our mission is to help people to maintain a state of inner balance, moving away from illness and disease and focusing on wellness of mind, body and soul,” Dr. Delzell concludes. “We would be honored to partner with you on your own journey toward healing.

Advanced Musculoskeletal Medicine Consultants’ new offices are at 8401 Chagrin Rd., Suite 20A, in Chagrin Falls. To schedule a complimentary Chronic Pain Phone Consultation, call 440-557-5011. Visit AdvancedMMC.com for more information, including blogs and videos.