The scourge of opioid prescription use started in the late '90s and we are still dealing with the consequences of patients prescribed high doses of opioids for their pain treatment. If you are one of them, non-opioid techniques will be utilized, to decrease the pain allowing you to wean off your opioid. Pain leads to activity avoidance and progressive deconditioning which then feeds into more activity avoidance.
If you suffer from chronic pain and are on opiates for years -- get a second opinion!
If you are getting repeated injections without functional improvement -- schedule!
If you have pain and now are on suboxone/ methadone -- get a second opinion!
If you have chronic pain and do not want to use or want to limit the use of opioids -- schedule!

Nitin Bansal, MD

Nitin Bansal, MD, completed his anesthesiology residency and interventional pain fellowship at New York Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medical Center, one of the top academic hospitals in the country. He also trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Hospital for Special Surgery, the top cancer and orthopedic hospitals in the country, respectively.

Aside from clinical practice, he is active in medical research and has published widely in highly regarded medical journals such as Pain Medicine. He has also presented his work at numerous regional and national conferences.

He is excited to bring the state of the art skills and knowledge he learned throughout his training back to the Buffalo area to care for patients in his hometown community. Of note, you will be seen by him at each visit, as mid-level practitioners are not utilized in his practice.

Pratibha Bansal, MD

Dr. Pratibha Bansal, MD was the first Pain Medicine Fellowship trained, Board Certified Interventional Pain Management Specialist in WNY.

Dr. Pratibha Bansal has been in practice for the last 35 years. Her training emphasized a multidisciplinary approach and utilizing non-opioid techniques to treat pain. You will be seen by her at each visit. Mid-level practitioners are not used in her practice.

Pain Rehab of WNY is committed to providing patients with convenient access to high-quality care. We believe in functional improvement as the focus for treating the pain. The patient will be empowered and taught lifelong strategies and techniques to manage their pain and improve function. The goal is to have each patient returning back to work when possible.

Research

Dr. Nitin Bansal was lead author of a recent research article examining the effect of exercise in pain management.

"The addition of a structured stretching exercise program focusing on the resolution of the myofascial pain in the treatment of "legacy pain" patients was shown to significantly reduce and often discontinue opioid use without adversely affecting pain score or functionality."
Bansal et al. Effect of a Structured Stretching Exercise Program on Resolution of Myofascial Pain and Opioid Usage in "Legacy Pain" Patients: A Retrospective Review

Read the full article here: Effect of a Structured Stretching Exercise Program on Resolution of Myofascial Pain and Opioid Usage in "Legacy Pain" Patients: A Retrospective Review

Conditions Treated

We provide relief from pain from various sources including the following.

Arthritis
Back and Neck pain, including Herniated Discs, Spinal Stenosis, Tumors and Fibrositis
Cancer Pain
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (RSD, CRPS)

Disorders of the nervous system, including Shingles and Trigeminal Neuralgia (facial pain)
Failed Back Surgery Syndrome/Post-laminectomy Syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Headache

Treatments Utilized

We provide relief from pain using the following interventional techniques.

Evaluation and Consultation
Caudal Block
Celiac Plexus Block
Diagnostic Discography
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Spinal Injection
Epidural Steroid Injection
Facet Joint Nerve Block
Ganglion of Impar Blocks
Hypogastric Block
Platelet-rich Plasma Injections

Lumbar Sympathetic Blocks
Musculoskeletal and Joint Injection
Peripheral Nerve Block
Radiofrequency Neurolysis
Spinal Cord Stimulation
Stellate Ganglion Blocks
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
Trigger Point Injection
Medical Marijuana
Ketamine Infusion

Stretches for Pain Management

These videos and handouts demonstrate exercises and stretches to relieve pain and improve function.

Reviews

Success stories from Pain Rehab of WNY patients.

I've spent over 20 years of my life on high doses of pain medication. I have been here being treated by Dr. Bansal pain management and physical therapy which she recommended --doing stretches at home day and night, waking every day--has changed my entire life. I stopped seeing all wound doctors and the leg ulcer I had for over 20 years is gone, I am almost done with pain meds. Thank you Dr. Bansal!

Melissa

At first I thought it was nonsense, since then I love her, she has helped tremendously. I was relying on strong medications which I no longer do--thanks to stretches and GYM---BIG DIFFERENCE.

Linda

Dr. Bansal is very inspirational, caring, kind, knowledgeable, always listens--feels like family when you meet with Dr. Bansal. Main thing I believe in my care with this doctor is she is one of a kind and she truly cares.

Kathleen

I first visited Dr. Bansal in late May of 2018. My pain doctor had suddenly died and I was fortunate enough to set up an appointment with Dr. Bansal. My history was a severe groin injury in 1983 followed by dozens of surgeries through the years and in 1994 I was struck by RSD. The combination of the injury and RSD resulted in my going to a pain management physician for the next twelve years. I was treated with a cocktail of acupuncture every two weeks and various opioids. The pain management left me in bed the majority of the time and in a great deal of pain. In May of 2018 I was fortunate enough to get an appointment with Dr. Bansal as my new pain management physician. Dr. Bansal spent several hours with me on my first appointment. The Doctor decided to put an end to the opioid (morphine 300 mg per day), she put me on lyrica and gave me exercises to start immediately. After 3 days of using lyrica my pain disappeared totally for the first time in 23 years. Dr Bansal has given me my life back. I am back to a totally active life. I am doing activity that I was unable to do such as jogging, attending family functions and taking my wife to dinner. I continue to see Dr. Bansal every 3 months. The pain has never returned and I am doing more and more each day. In the few hours I spent with Dr. Bansal (in my first visit) she was able to diagnose a cause for my illness and lead me back to a "normal" life for the first time in 23 years.

Samuel

I have been a patient of Dr. Bansal for a little over a year and have had much success relieving my neck pain to the point that I am taking 70% less of the medications I was before with no neck pain at all! I am now back to work and very happy.

Timothy

Dr. Bansal has changed my life. I was unable to play golf before seeing her. Through injections, stretching, and exercise I am much more mobile. She has also reduced my pain medications.

Walter

In the beginning I was very skeptical of Dr. Bansal and didn't believe that her ways would help me then about 2 years into our therapy I came around to her ways and decided that maybe she was right and now I feel much better and continue with what Dr. Bansal suggests and it goes well and I am grateful.

Suzine

Dr. Bansal is very fair to me. She makes me exercise like I need to. I have come a long way from when I started with her. She is a good doctor.

Deborah