Diagnosing and Treating Pain

Pain Management Center

The Pain Management Center at Northern Nevada Medical Center offers a multidisciplinary approach to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of acute or chronic pain. The physicians are dedicated to caring for patients ages 18 and older who have spine or back pain, as well as pain in other areas of the body.

At the Pain Management Center, patients undergo a thorough evaluation that may include X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging scans or nerve studies to find the specific disc, nerve root, joint or tendon causing pain. After a physician identifies the source of pain, they may use image-guided techniques to deliver steroids, burn nerve endings or perform other targeted therapies at the precise area causing pain.

For more information, call the Pain Management Center at 775-356-4944.

Common Pain-Triggering Conditions

  • Disorders of the spine including cervical, thoracic, lumbar problems and disc disease, including herniated discs, scoliosis and spinal stenosis.
  • Headaches
  • Failed back surgery
  • Sports injuries
  • Myofascial pain syndrome, including fibromyalgia
  • Interstitial cystitis and pelvic pain
  • Complex regional pain syndrome and reflex sympathetic dystrophy
  • Cancer pain
  • Compression fractures
  • Whiplash and auto injuries
  • Cervical, thoracic and lumbar spondylosis (facet joint syndrome — arthritis)

Specialty Procedures

  • Trigger point injections with local anesthetics
  • Epidural steroid injections
  • Facet joint injections
  • Transforaminal epidural injections or selective nerve root blocks
  • Spinal cord stimulator trials and permanent implants
  • Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
  • Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression (MILD®)
  • Medial branch block
  • Electrodiagnostic testing
  • Percutaneous disc decompression
  • Discography
  • Radio frequency neurotomies

Gold Seal of Approval

Northern Nevada Medical Center’s pain management program recently earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™ in Back Pain. The program is the first in the nation to receive this certification, which recognizes NNMC’s dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards.

To achieve this prestigious certification, the hospital underwent a rigorous on-site evaluation by The Joint Commission. NNMC earned certification by proving compliance with nationally developed standards including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.


Meet the Physicians

Learn more about the physicians at the Pain Management Center:

Denis Patterson, DO

Board Certified: Pain Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Education: Michigan State University
Residency: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Fellowship: Interventional Pain Management, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Ross Jenson, MD

Education: Medical College of Wisconsin
Residency: Anesthesiology, University of Kentucky 
Fellowship: Pain Management, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Contact Information

For more information, call the Pain Management Center at 775-356-4944.

Sparks Medical Building
2385 E. Prater Way, Suite 102
Sparks, NV 89434