Michael Wheeler, DO

Interventional Physiatrist, The Spine Center

About The Spine Center

The Spine Center, Lansing Neurosurgery's sister facility, is an "all in one" option for pain treatment. Board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians collaborate with physical therapists and massage and acupuncture providers to offer rehabilitation, sports medicine, physical therapy, pain management, spinal injections, massage and acupuncture.

The Spine Center features 10,000 square feet of physical therapy space, a large heated pool for aquatic therapy and an on-site pain treatment facility where our physicians perform injections to alleviate pain and conduct EMG tests to diagnose nerve injuries and disorders.

Learn more about The Spine Center.

Biography

Dr. Wheeler is an interventional physiatrist. He joins us from his position as Medical Director of a pain management and rehabilitation facility in Flint, Mich. He is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the subspecialty of Pain Medicine. He is also certified in Osteopathic Medicine by the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination Board.

Originally from Williamston, Dr. Wheeler is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed an interventional pain fellowship with a national leader in the pain management field; Spine Technology and Rehabilitation in Fort Wayne, Ind. His focus is on interventional pain medicine for the spine and associated limbs. He is a published author with several articles about the spine to his credit, and belongs to many professional organizations and medical associations. Some of his memberships include the American Osteopathic Association, the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine.

Dr. Wheeler shares The Spine Center's philosophy of non-narcotic pain treatment, preferring to treat a patient's underlying disease rather than prescribing narcotics long-term. He views his role as a "pain detective;" discovering the cause of a patient's back or neck pain and then working with the patient to determine the best course of treatment. This treatment may involve a course of physical therapy or acupuncture at The Spine Center, or Dr. Wheeler may perform a spinal injection under X-ray guidance. Such injections are often instrumental in the diagnosis and treatment of many spine-related disorders. Accurate placement of an anesthetic and/or steroid medication at a specific site in the spine can indicate whether the area is the source of pain. If symptoms improve significantly, then the injection becomes not only diagnostic, but therapeutic as well. The Spine Center's injection suite provides state-of-the-art equipment for such injections, while providing convenience and comfort for our patients and helping to control costs since a hospital visit is not required.

Dr. Wheeler and his wife have three children; two girls and a boy.

Experience

Pain Management and Rehabilitation Facility in Flint, Michigan

Medical Director

Spine Technology and Rehabilitation in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Interventional Pain Fellowship

Education

American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Board Certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and the Subspecialty of Pain Medicine, 2006

Michigan State University

• Residency, 2003
  
• Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) from the College of Osteopathic Medicine, 1999
  
• Bachelor of Science (BS) with High Honor, 1992