Guilford Woman Magazine for the Women of Guilford County NC

by Alica Garcia Photos by Tim Talley Photography

Like many physicians, Dr. Shawn Dalton-Bethea doesn’t like to see her patients in pain. In fact, it is her mission, as an interventional physiatrist (a medical doctor who specializes in pain management) with Vanguard Brain and Spine Specialists, to help them find a way to live a pain free life with the least invasive measures.

Dr. Bethea’s desire to help people manage pain stems partly from experiences with her own family. While originally from Thomasville, Dr. Bethea spent most of her formative years in West Virginia. She is the second of eight children. One of her brothers was diagnosed with epilepsy as a child, and two of her siblings were both diagnosed with asthma at young ages. Consequently, she became quite familiar with how quickly pain can affect one’s quality of life. Understandably, there were frequent visits to the hospital and doctors’ offices. This exposure and awareness bred in her a desire to go into medicine, and after graduating at the top of her class (she was one of four valedictorians at her high school), she was awarded an academic scholarship to Guilford College.

After graduating with her Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and minor in German, she went on to attend East Carolina University School of Medicine in 1997. She completed her general surgery internship at SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital in Syracuse, New York. Although she enjoyed her time in the operating room, she did not believe that the field of general surgery was meant for her. In order for Dr. Bethea to be the mother she wanted to be to her kids, she knew deep in her soul that she would not be able to maintain the general surgeon’s demanding, many times unpredictable, and hectic work schedule. At the same time, she didn’t want to sacrifice her procedural skills. “I wanted to find a balance between motherhood and physician-hood,” she explains. Unfortunately, this meant laying aside the vision of being a surgeon, but it did not mean that she would have to give up the skill set she had developed.

Along the way, friends and colleagues, already familiar with Dr. Bethea’s compassionate bedside manner and her dedication to patients, began to direct her towards physiatry. This particular field intrigued Dr. Bethea because not only would it give her the ability to help people manage their pain, but it would also enable her to still be there for her family. She completed her Physiatry residency (otherwise known as Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation residency) in Baltimore, MD at Sinai Hospital, which is affiliated with the University of Maryland. Dr. Bethea finished her senior year as co-chief resident. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Collegeville, PA, where she completed her one year fellowship in Interventional Spine & Pain Management with Performance Spine & Sports Physicians in Pottstown, PA. It was during this time that Dr. Bethea perfected her interventional spine procedure skills, and became board certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (ABPMR). In August 2007, Dr. Bethea became Greensboro’s only female interventional physiatrist when she joined Vanguard Brain and Spine Specialists, and in March 2009 Dr. Bethea be came board certified in Pain Medicine (ABPM).

Since coming to Vanguard, Dr. Bethea has seen her practice grow immensely. Many of her patients are referred to her, but a growing number are coming to her through self-referrals. For too long, too many people have held the belief that pain is simply something that you have to learn to live with, or, that surgery is the only option. However, through her experience as an interventional physiatrist, Dr. Bethea feels confident in saying that, for many patients, surgery is their last option---not their first.

In her role as the first interventional physiatrist at Vanguard, Dr. Bethea can provide her patients access to a variety of pain management options; including: physical therapy, chiropractic treatments, acupuncture, yoga, medications (primarily nonnarcotics), trigger point injections, and x-ray guided (fluoroscopic) injections (e.g. epidural steroid injections). When she meets a new patient she sits down with them, reviews their history, performs a physical examination, and reviews pertinent X-rays, MRI’s, and CT Scans. She then explains to her patients their treatment options. Her ultimate goal is try to find a way for her patients to return to a comfortable level of functionality.

The majority of Dr. Bethea’s patients are dealing with the kind of pain that interferes with their basic daily activities; pain associated with such activities as: lying in bed, sitting in a hard chair, walking to the mailbox, standing in church, or reaching for food out of the pantry. This pain may have come about from a work injury, fall, motor vehicle accident, or the patient might not have done anything to precipitate the beginning of the pain cycle. Some of her patients are dealing with pain that is common after spine surgery, joint replacements, strokes, or head injuries. Dr. Bethea has also helped amputees, and those who have had pain after spinal cord injuries. Unfortunately, as if being in pain wasn’t enough; some patients come to her after running the gamut of bad experiences with other medical professionals.

“I’m a stickler for being on time,” she tells me, “I don’t like being late.” As someone scheduled appointment time to see her doctor, I personally can understand how unique and admirable of a quality this is in a doctor. Dr. Bethea goes on to explain, “So many of them [her patients] have had negative experiences.” It’s not unusual for her to hear that she is the first doctor to explain a patient’s X-rays or MRI to him/her, or to see a patient come to an appointment for a procedure shaking and in tears. She tries to ease some of this apprehension by talking them through the actual procedure. Dr. Bethea knows things have gone well when she says, “It’s done,” and the patient replies, “You’re kidding… already?” For Dr. Bethea, it’s important to build a relationship with a patient, to follow-up and to track his/her progress throughout the treatment. “This isn’t a drive thru injections clinic,” she says sincerely.

Lately, Dr. Bethea has been working on getting the word out about interventional pain management. She hopes to find more opportunities to educate people about their options, and to perhaps catch them before they undergo unnecessary, or ineffective treatments. Recently, she has given lectures regarding the conservative treatment of low back pain in our community. She is eager to continue spreading the word in local civic clubs, churches, etc.

For the time being, it would appear that Dr. Bethea has been able to find a way to balance her professional life with her personal life. When she is not at the office she is spending time with her husband and two daughters. When asked about time for herself, she laughed, and then explained how she is usually up by 6:15AM. For her, this morning devotional time is important and the best way to start her work -day. Dr. Bethea attributes a lot of who she is and how she approaches things to her strong faith. On Sundays, she and her family can be spotted sitting in the back row at Westover Church. On other days, when a spare hour or two can be found, she and her husband like to go to jazz concerts, plays, or movies. She also enjoys reading; although, these days she’s usually busy reading to her children. Then, because she knows the importance of consistent exercise, she regularly finds time to work out, even if it cuts into primetime.

For more information about Dr. Bethea or to
schedule an appointment visit: http://www.vanguardbrainandspine
com or call 336-272-4578
(extension 225, new patient coordinator)