Suffering for years with spinal degeneration, Keith Smith of Mobile, Ala., said the chronic pain he experienced began to significantly affect his sleep, his work and even his family life.

After working with another pain management group for three years and taking as many as 15 medications, Smith still had not seen any improvement in his condition.

“The medications were making me sick,” Smith said. “I finally reached a point where I asked my internist to please recommend another pain management group to me.”

With support and encouragement from his wife, Smith made an appointment with Dr. Barfield at Comprehensive Pain & Rehabilitation and was accepted into a treatment program.

“I was pulled off all the medicines that the previous doctor had me on. Dr. Barfield put me on three medications, and after about a week, I actually was feeling pretty good. I’m able to get around now, and I get a good night’s sleep.”

Smith says he would recommend Comprehensive Pain & Rehabilitation to anyone seeking help for pain management.

“Comprehensive Pain & Rehabilitation does a fantastic job. I just can’t say too much about them,” Smith said. “I feel like they turned my life around. I’m just very happy to say some kind words about them.”

- Keith Smith

At 28 years old, Jeremy Seaux of Mobile, Ala., never imagined he would find himself in a situation where he was forced to deal with debilitating chronic pain. Jeremy suffered greatly from debilitating neck pain, numbness and multiple migraine headaches each week – so much that he was unable to work and maintain his regular daily activities. 

“I was taking off work quite often just to lay around the house and not do anything but rest,” Seaux said.

To anyone else suffering from chronic pain, Seaux says that being proactive in seeking treatment is the first step to recovery. Dr. Barfield and the CPR team made a difference in the outcome of his treatment. 

“Just by ignoring it, it’s not going to go away.” 

- Jeremy Seaux

After three previous surgeries, Connie Graham was referred to Comprehensive Pain and Rehabilitation by her doctor to see if she was an eligible candidate to participate in a clinical trial for back pain sufferers.

Spending most of her life on her feet working in a school cafeteria had exacerbated the problem to the point that Graham was forced to retire. “I had no life. I would come home from work and go straight to bed. And I knew I didn’t want to medicate myself to be able to function.”

Graham was accepted into the clinical trial at Comprehensive Pain and Rehabilitation and began to see significant improvement. In 2012, Dr. Hapworth recommended a spinal stimulation device for Graham.

“The stimulator has worked great in relieving the back pain. Now I’m able to get in the floor and play with my 8-month-old grandson. That’s something I would never have been able to do before.”

Graham said the entire team of professionals at Comprehensive Pain and Rehabilitation is top notch. “Every time I leave an appointment, I am blown away by this fantastic group. They handle everything in a timely and thorough manner. They are all so friendly. Dr. Hapworth takes great care of his patients and makes you feel so comfortable. I’ve made such a personal connection here that these people are almost like family to me.”

Graham said she feels blessed to have been chosen to receive treatment from Comprehensive Pain and Rehabilitation. “Thank God they chose me for the clinical trial. And if they can fix me, they can fix anybody. They gave me back my life.”

Elaine Whitehead had suffered for years from the effects of spinal stenosis which caused severe neck and back pain, making even simple tasks such as walking difficult for her.

“The pain became so bad that I was forced to retire early,” said Whitehead, who had worked as a cosmetologist in her family-owned salon alongside her mother and sister for 25 years. “I just couldn’t stand being on my feet any longer.”

When she came to Comprehensive Pain and Rehabilitation, she consulted with Dr. Barfield and Dr. Yearwood to set up a treatment plan.

“They were very attentive,” she said. “Very down to earth and easy to open up to. They struck me as an extremely knowledgeable, trustworthy group. The entire staff is always courteous and professional.”

Dr. Barfield recommended a spinal cord stimulation device for Whitehead.

“It worked tremendously to relieve the pain,” she said. “I still have a little weakness from nerve damage, but it blocks out the pain. I can exercise again and resume most of my daily activities.”

Because of the successful treatment she received at Comprehensive Pain and Rehabilitation, Whitehead also referred her mother and sister, both of whom suffer from the same condition.

“I would not be able to function as well as I do today if it had not been for Comprehensive Pain and Rehab,” she said. “I was able to walk down the aisle at my daughter’s wedding wearing high heels for the first time in years. That meant so much to me.”