Patient Bill Graham came to see Dr. Albert Singh after an incident that left him in pain.

After doing some heavy lifting one day, Bill Graham turned to get in his truck and was overcome with pain.

“It hit me all of a sudden. I walked to my truck to get in and went to the ground. That’s how bad the pain was. I have done lifting like that before, but I just never had anything hit me like that before,” he remembered.

The pain continued for several days before he called his primary care provider, Dr. Pranathi Koduru, who referred him to the Interventional Spine and Joint Wellness team of Dr. Albert Singh and Nurse Practitioner Jordan Hogan. By that point, Graham’s condition had gotten worse.

“I was having pain up and down my leg. I couldn’t even lie down and sleep. In fact, the only sleep I did get was in a recliner. It was a pain that wouldn’t go away. It was constant,” Graham shared.

When Dr. Koduru referred Graham to Hogan and Dr. Singh, he hadn’t heard of their services before. Interventional Spine and Joint Wellness care incorporates injections and minimally invasive spine and joint procedures to relieve pain and improve function.

Dr. Singh said in talking to Graham and seeing his condition, it was clear his quality of life had been greatly impacted by his pain.

Dr. Albert Singh is an Interventional Spine and Joint Wellness physician at Quincy Medical Group.

“He presented to our office with sciatica symptoms traveling from the back down the left leg. His pain came on after he did some heavy lifting,” Dr. Singh explained. “His MRI showed that he had a significant amount of arthritis in the low back, with severe narrowing around two nerve roots on the left side which travel from the back down the left leg (L4 and L5 nerve roots). Therefore, the heavy lifting further exacerbated and pinched these nerves that already had severe narrowing around them.’

Dr. Singh performed a left L4 and L5 transforaminal epidural steroid injection under fluoroscopic guidance.

Graham said he appreciated that Dr. Singh took the time to make sure he was at ease with the procedure and understanding of what to expect.

“He was great. I was scared to death, but it was a walk in the park. He explained everything he was going to do before he did it. As he was doing it, he talked me through everything,” Graham said.

The results were immediate. The pain that kept him from walking was gone, and he was able to walk out of QMG pain-free.

“I had no pain. And, that night, for the first time in a long time, I slept all night in my bed with no pain. That’s how much he helped me,” Graham said.

At 76 years old, Graham said he is active and wants to stay active, and he’s grateful to both Dr. Singh and Hogan for the care they provided him.

“Dr. Singh and Jordan are both a blessing to me. They’re wonderful people. If it wouldn’t have been for them, I’m not sure what I would have done. If I start getting pain again, I guarantee I’ll give them a call.”