Dr. Wendy Flapan, a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist has just joined the staff at Eastern Plumas Health Care. She is, in many ways, a perfect fit for EPHC’s patients. As she explains, a PM&R specialist, or Physiatrist, is a nerve, muscle, and bone expert who treats injuries or illnesses that affect how you move. Her goal is to decrease pain and enhance function without surgery. She also helps patients prior to and after surgery to get back the function they may have lost.
Let’s put this into terms those of us who live in this recreational wonderland in the Sierras, including those who may be of retirement age and beyond, can understand. Are you tired of blaming your golf game on that sore shoulder? Would you like to play better and enjoy your game with an increased range of motion and a decrease in pain? Do you remember when you could get off the couch without struggle? Would you like to be able to reach your favorite coffee cup on that high shelf once again? Have you suffered a ski injury that’s kept you from the slopes? All of these are within Dr. Flapan’s scope of practice. “My interests and this area go together,” she said. “I want to help people be as active as possible at any age.” While she doesn’t treat children, she treats anyone 17 years of age or above. And, she said, “I love working with older people.”
Dr. Flapan said she has an intuitive ability to locate the source of a patient’s pain. It’s clear talking with her that she listens, and she answers questions in a way that demonstrates she’s a physician who is not only medically knowledgeable, but caring as well. “I do a retraining of muscles and functional body systems to cause them to work optimally,” she explained. “I look at a person as a whole, and my goal is to help them to enjoy the things they once did, allowing them reduced pain and increased fortitude. There is a close combination between physical and emotional well being and living a productive life. If you’re strong in your body, it helps you be strong in your relationships, work, and social life.”
This broad outlook is part of her profession, but it comes naturally to Dr. Flapan. She appreciates the “complexity of cases” and, as a result, approaches them holistically. She begins with a full evaluation, including a detailed patient history, which includes physical and emotional elements, as well as a complete physical work up. This often includes an MRI, x-rays, electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCS). EMG and NCS procedures help to detect the presence, location, and extent of diseases that damage nerves and muscles.
Once she has put the pieces of the puzzle together, she’ll work with the patient to develop a comprehensive treatment program. This may include medical, social, emotional, and vocational elements. A patient’s treatment plan most often includes physical therapy, and Dr. Flapan emphasized the importance of patient engagement and willingness to do the exercises at home. She also gives trigger point injections, and does some medical acupuncture. In addition, she works with a wide variety of traditional and alternative practitioners—surgeons, primary care physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, and psychologists, as well as pilates, meditation, and spiritual practitioners, to get her patients the full spectrum of care they need. “I’m a good cheerleader,” she said. “I’m able to give hope and let people know they don’t need to resign themselves to living with pain.”
Dr. Flapan’s history clearly dovetails with her choice of profession as well as her choice to relocate permanently to eastern Plumas County and work for EPHC at the Graeagle Clinic. The outdoors is her first love, she said, and she enjoys the mountains, fresh air, and outdoor sports, especially skiing and mountain biking. She grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, so she is used to the winter weather we see here, and she loves snow. In addition, she hails from a family of physicians. Her father is an orthopedic specialist and her sister is an osteopath and OB/GYN.
Dr. Flapan was a “hard core” athlete in college. When she moved to Colorado and discovered a profession that “helped people perform and excel in their athletic and recreational pursuits,” she knew she’d found her calling. Finally, she said she really likes the small medical community atmosphere at EPHC. “It’s a nice family, collegial, happy place,” she said.
Dr. Flapan begins seeing patients at the Graeagle Clinic this week. Interested patients can call the clinic at 836-1122 for more information and appointments.