Karen Nelson, M.D.
Dr. Karen Nelson’s background and interest in how the body moves and functions has guided her into pain intervention. Discovering the cause of pain and designing and implementing a treatment plan is key in caring for patients with pain.
Dr. Nelson decided to become a doctor at the tender age of eight years old. With her eyes set on a career in sports medicine and orthopedic surgery, this Oklahoma native set out first to obtain a degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Oklahoma, followed by a masters degree in Biomechanics from the University of North Texas. Practicing as a physical therapist provided a solid foundation that she follows today for treating patients as a whole person and not just a disease or pathologic process. Spending time evaluating patients without the assistance of x-rays, MRI’s or CT scans gave her the chance to develop strong hands-on examination skills.
Following medical school at the University of Texas and motivated by a fascination for how the musculoskeletal and nervous systems work together, she chose to enter the specialty of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) for her postdoctoral training. Medical training in PMR includes spinal cord injuries, brain tumors, strokes, traumatic brain injury, multi-trauma, burns, amputations, as well as neuromuscular disease process, sports medicine and EMG’s. Integrating this type of training with a musculoskeletal and kinesiology background promoted a comprehensive approach to the evaluation of many conditions which create or are accompanied by pain.
In addition to interventional treatment of the spine, other musculoskeletal and neurological conditions, Dr. Nelson encourages and directs early implementation of a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of painful conditions. She brings an extensive background in pain intervention to the Wyoming Neuroscience and Spine Institute including several research collaborations which receive funding from the National Institute of Health as well as operating a successful private practice in Grand Junction, CO, prior to moving to Casper.
Dr. Nelson is board certified in Pain Medicine and is a Diplomat of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She holds memberships from the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pain Medicine, the International Association of the study of pain, and the American Academy of Pain Management. She lends her expertise as a visiting Associate Professor of Neuromuscular Exercise and Physiology at the University of Texas at Tyler.
She was recently chosen to serve on a 3 year appointment for AAPMR research committee.
Specializing in:
- transforaminal lumbar epidurals
- cervical and lumbar intralaminar epidurals
- facet joint injections/medical branch blocks
- trigger point injections
- sacroiliac joint injections
- caudal epidurals
- spinal nerve blocks
- intercostal nerve blocks
- sympathetic nerve blocks
- stellate ganglion blocks
- suprascapular nerve blocks
- occipital nerve blocks
- hip, shoulder, and knee injections
- coccyx injections
- costochondral/xiphisternal joint injections
- Botox
- EMG’s
- nerve conductions studies