Dr. Ray and Judy Lyle were looking forward to an active life after retirement.

They both love to travel. Ray loves golf. And with seven children and 14 grandchildren, they hoped to spend a lot more time with family.

But struggles with pain threatened to make the Ridgeland couple’s retirement a sedentary one.

“We adore our grandchildren,” Judy said. “I couldn’t get on the floor to play with them. Pain from my back caused so many other pains, any time I tried to exercise or do anything it hurt.”

“I had a lot of aches and pains I was dealing with too,” said Ray, who was a longtime Starkville pediatrician.

They both tried numerous avenues for relief, but found an answer in an unlikely place—Judy’s book club.

It was there she got to know her neighbor Dr. Carmela Osborne, who was at the time a staff physician at Methodist Pain & Spine Center in Flowood. Judy agreed to come in for an evaluation in 2012, not knowing what to expect. 

Today, thanks to Methodist, Judy has been free from the vise grip of her back pain for over a year.

“I just simply am a new person,” Judy said. “I have no pain.”

After an initial consultation, Osborne found Judy was experiencing some balance issues. Osborne referred Judy to Susan Geiger, a physical therapist who specializes in that area at Methodist Rehabilitation Center Outpatient Services, located downstairs from the Pain & Spine Center.

“Judy had experienced some falls that led to some nasty bruises and even broken bones, so I helped her work on her balance,” Geiger said. “Since we’re all under the same roof here we call on each other often if our particular area of expertise can benefit the patient.”

Judy was then referred to Dr. Bruce Hirshman, pain management specialist at Methodist Pain & Spine, who quickly discovered the source of her pain. 

“She had a long history of low back discomfort,” Hirshman said. “But I felt that her low back pain was secondary to a type of treatable back pain called lumbar facet syndrome. It is a type of low back pain that comes from the joints of the low back, which are what allow us to bend and move.

“We don’t really know exactly what inflames these joints—as you get older, arthritis is the more likely culprit—but we do know how to treat the pain. The only way to diagnose this type of pain is to numb up the nerves that go to these joints. That’s what we did with Judy, and she had profound relief in her discomfort.”

Having pinpointed the cause of her pain, Hirshman recommended performing a radio frequency ablation, a medical procedure that burns the nerves surrounding the joints using heat generated from a high frequency energy source. It’s a non-invasive procedure that often yields significant results.

“It takes about a half-hour, and you’re discharged that day,” Hirshman said. “Patients may have a little discomfort for a day or two after that, but then should notice profound improvement—as did Judy —in their low back pain.”

Judy was also referred to Joe Jacobson, a physical therapist at Outpatient Services who helped Judy strengthen her spine.

“We almost always combine our surgical options with physical therapy,” Hirshman said. “Many people with low back pain benefit. It’s all part of our comprehensive approach.”

Now a year after having the radiofrequency ablation procedure done, Judy is still without pain.

“It literally has changed my life,” Judy said. “Now if Dr. Hirshman told me to go jump off a bridge, I would do it. So many doctors have the tools to fix you, but he has the tools and the personality. He is the most passionate, caring person.”

Seeing Judy’s amazing results, Ray soon visited Methodist Pain & Spine for help with his own pain issues.

“We found he had pain from his sacroiliac joint, which is the large joint connecting the bottom portion of the spine to the pelvis,” Hirshman said.

Ray, like Judy, was referred to Jacobson to help stabilize and align the joint. Then, Hirshman performed a series of injections to alleviate the inflamed joint.

“His pain went from severe down to a one to two on a 10-point scale,” Hirshman said. “He had profound improvement immediately.”

Hirshman says that is fairly common for one of his patients to refer a friend or family member.

“There’s no higher compliment than having a patient’s family members or friends come see you because they think you did a good job,” he said.

“They are very compassionate and interesting people and above all, patient,” Ray said.

“They make you feel like you’re their favorite patient,” Judy added. “We’ve taken them cookies sometimes, so maybe we are.”

Today, the Lyles are enjoying their retirement pain-free. They’re planning to travel more now that nothing is holding them back.

“I can sit in a car or an airplane for a long period of time now without excruciating pain,” Judy said.

“I’m looking to get back into playing golf, and get back into swimming as well,” Ray said.

They’re also spending much more time with their grandchildren—ranging in age from 2 to college age—and Judy says she now exercises regularly.

“I have so much more energy now,” Judy said. “It’s enabled me to get healthy. It’s really given me my life back.”

To schedule an appointment at Methodist Pain & Spine Center, call 601-936-8801. To learn more about the center, visit www.methodistonline.org/pain-spine-center.