Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Our Services >
  • Pain Management >
  • ... >
  • About Us >
  • Patient Stories >
  • Gary Farr
Pain Management
About Us
Awards & Recognition
Patient Stories
Your Care Team
Conditions We Treat
Our Services
For Patients
For Professional & Students
Our Locations
Pain Management
About Us
Awards & Recognition
Patient Stories
Your Care Team
Conditions We Treat
Our Services
For Patients
For Professional & Students
Our Locations

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

Gary Farr: Still Living an Active Lifestyle After Years of Chronic Back Pain 

Image of Gary Farr

For most of his 78 years, Gary Farr has played hard and worked hard — a lifestyle that left him with injuries and a deteriorating spine. Despite multiple surgeries over the course of decades, he still suffered debilitating pain and numbness in his back and legs. Determined to remain active and avoid more surgery, he turned to a pain management specialist at UPMC Cole.

The Challenge: Years of Chronic Back Pain and Surgery

Gary Farr has always been active. After a brief stint in the Navy, he spent the next 40 years working a physical job as a certified welder and master machinist for a major manufacturing company. He also enjoyed racing “anything on wheels — plus snowmobiles.”

Injuries were common. But the most serious was a collision with a tree branch while riding a snowmobile that flipped him backwards, smashing him into the ground. “My whole body went numb. The feeling eventually came back, and everything seemed to be working,” says Gary. “But it got progressively worse.”

The Eldred, Pa., resident eventually had surgeries to repair herniated discs in his back. As his spine continued to deteriorate, he was diagnosed with arthritis and spinal stenosis. Over the next two decades, he endured six surgeries on his neck and back, including a spinal fusion and surgery to relieve pressure on spinal nerves.

Despite his chronic pain, Gary continued to enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle, including fishing, caring for his land, plowing, growing vegetables, and chopping and stacking wood to heat his rural home. Then at age 72, “everything started going haywire,” says Gary.

“My legs felt like jelly, I could barely walk 40 feet to my mailbox, and I couldn’t do my daily chores,” he says. “I had pain up my back, in my groin, and in my legs. I had to do something.”

The Solution: Nonsurgical Intervention

Gary mentioned the increasing pain and numbness during his 2017 annual wellness visit with Amy Sorg, CRNP, a nurse practitioner specializing in family medicine and pain management, at UPMC’s Eldred Health Center.

A follow-up MRI showed his back “was a mess,” says Gary. “But I was determined not to have any more surgery. That was not happening.”

Amy referred Gary to a specialist in interventional pain management and anesthesia at UPMC Cole in Coudersport.

After a thorough evaluation, Dr. Nguyen recommended treating Gary using x-ray guidance and a nonsurgical epidural procedure to inject a long-lasting and potent anti-inflammatory medicine directly into his spine.

“After that first shot, I got dressed, walked out to the parking lot with my wife, and by the time I got into the car, I already felt better,” says Gary. “That injection got me back on my feet and back to normal.”

The Results: Pain Relief and an Active Lifestyle

According to Gary, that first injection lasted about a year. Since then, he has gladly made the hour-long drive to Coudersport for additional injections — each lasting about six months to a year.

The injections have allowed him to continue his active lifestyle. “I’m an outdoor person and I love cutting wood, doing chores, and fishing,” says Gary.

“I can’t thank Amy enough for referring me to Dr. Nguyen,” he adds. “I’d be one hurting son of a gun without the injections. Now everything is working better, and I feel like a million bucks.”

UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login