In the photo to the right, Dr. Williams stands with mentor and partner A Lee Dellon, MD, PhD (CENTER), and colleague Dr. Tim Tolstrup (RIGHT), at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN). This particular picture was taken in the surgical skills lab after completing the first conference dedicated to teaching techniques for surgical denervation—removing the nerves generating pain, specifically to help those with chronic joint pain in the upper and lower extremities.
The first-of-its-kind workshop on partial joint denervation was held August 24-25, 2017.
Dr. Dellon, one of the workshop directors, has been a major pioneer in the field of helping solve some of the most difficult problems regarding chronic refractory joint pain by focusing on the nerves that actually go into the joints that transmit the pain signals to the brain.
Dr. Williams was privileged to assist Dr. Dellon in the “hands on” portion of the conference. This portion was held in the lab where the surgical techniques were taught firsthand to the physicians who attended the conference. It is incredibly gratifying to pass these techniques on to the medical community as physicians from four countries and seventeen states begin to explore this rewarding work.
We would like to extend a special thanks to the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Robert Spinner in the Department of Neurosurgery, and Dr. Richard Berger and his staff in the Division of Hand Surgery for playing a pivotal role and generously supporting Dr. Dellon’s work with their time, resources, and finances.
The ultimate goal of this work is to improve the lives of patients who have already failed other orthopedic procedures and treatments, up to and including total joint replacement or fusion. These techniques can also benefit those who are still in pain and looking for alternatives to reduce pain levels in and around the knee, shoulder, wrist, and ankle joints, and improve function.
