David E. Gutierrez, MD, is double board certified in Pain Medicine and Physiatry (Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation), which means he treats pain, whether it is musculoskeletal or neurologic in origin, or by nature, chronic pain. He previously served as an Assistant Professor in the Yale Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation and was teaching faculty for the ACGME Pain Medicine Fellowship prior to joining the Hartford Healthcare System. “My treatment focus is on decreasing a patient’s pain and helping them restore physical function while maximizing exercise potential. I want all my patients to be able pursue a healthy and active lifestyle to the best of their functional ability,” Dr. Gutierrez explains. Dr. Gutierrez has expertise in Neuromodulation, an umbrella term used in Pain Medicine to describe stimulation or direct administration of treatment, be it electrical or pharmacological, to the body’s nervous system or painful area. For example, Dr. Gutierrez utilizes spinal cord stimulators as a form of treatment, which are implantable devices that can provide significant pain relief for the right patients. His current research focus is on identifying various neurosensory pathways affected in chronic joint and spine pain. “As an Interventional Pain Specialist, I’m able to provide minimally invasive treatments for addressing pain issues stemming from the spine as well as other musculoskeletal disorders,” Dr. Gutierrez says. “I like to be able to offer continuity of care for my patients, where I can always review what a patient has already tried, but also provide new treatments and recommendations.” Dr. Gutierrez is the Spine Program Director in the Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.