OXFORD – Chronic pain is an unfortunate hindrance in many people’s lives, but the staff at the MidSouth Pain Treatment Center offers an interventional approach to relieving that burden.

“I saw a real need to bring quality, pain-treatment care to this area,” said Medical Director and CEO Dr. Michael Steuer. “Our staff is here to listen, to bring a compassionate and caring approach to improving the lives of those who live with pain.”

A Chicago native, Steuer, 58, received his medical degree from the University of Michigan, followed by a residency and fellowship in anesthesia at Harvard Massachusetts General Hospital as well as at Cornell Medical Center. The practice that Steuer shares with colleagues with Dr. Steven Richey and Dr. Bradley Wargo opened in Oxford in 2011. The motto they follow is simple: “You don’t have to live with your pain.”

Pain-management has been under scrutiny lately as Americans learn more about the growing epidemic of opioid pain medication abuse. Pain pills have their place in a well-balanced approach to pain-management, Steuer said, but he and his staff use a broader approach, focused on rehabilitating lives. “It’s a multi-pronged approach,” said Steuer, one that begins with thorough investigative work to understand the source of a person’s pain. “We use techniques like nerve blocks and epidural blocks to provide relief,” he said. The new, innovative techniques the staff uses, Steuer explained, change the way a painful nerve conducts electricity so that the pain is blocked or greatly reduced. The staff sometimes employs the expertise of psychologists, Steuer said, to ensure that patients receive the most thorough treatment possible. “We use a variety of modalities to provide the highest quality care,” Steuer said. “Pain can be psychologically debilitating in

addition to interfering physically with people’s lives.” The staff also understands the urgency pain sufferers feel, Steuer explained, so they make every effort to see patients promptly and begin treatment. “People too often have their lives destroyed by pain,” Steuer said. “We want to help give people their lives back.”

MidSouth Pain Treatment Center also has locations in Southaven, as well as three locations in Tennessee, including Germantown, Jackson and Cordova. The Oxford office, located at 101 Ricky D Britt Sr. Blvd., is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday.