How We Were Founded
Specialty Pain Management Services is a physical and occupational therapy practice that is designed to support individuals in learning more about their chronic pain, what factors contribute to their pain experience, and how they can make realistic, tangible, and sustainable changes to improve their quality of life. In 2015, the US government acknowledged the growing opioid epidemic in America, which had resulted in a number of healthcare tragedies including countless deaths from prescription overdoses. Many people taking opioid medications do so to manage their persistent pain, but the powerful and difficult to control side effects have ruined people's lives. Although chronic pain has traditionally been treated with medications alone, modern pain research shows that chronic pain is actually best treated by addressing lifestyle factors via education, training, and support. Additionally, healthcare professionals now recognize the importance of providing more collaborative and comprehensive care for their chronic pain patients. Specialty Pain Management Services was founded in 2021 to address this public health crises and the specific challenges of assisting people to manage their chronic pain with minimal to no opioid use.
About Lydia
Lydia Nemirovsky, MS, OTR/L is the CEO and founder of Specialty Pain Management Services (SPMS). Lydia is an occupational therapist with a master's degree from Towson University. Throughout her career, Lydia has trained at a number of hospitals in the Baltimore area, including the world-renowned University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Institute (formerly Kernan Hospital), which specializes in neurological and sports rehabilitation. She has also worked as a clinician at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore City, and at Howard County General Hospital, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins Medicine, in Columbia, Maryland. Additionally, Lydia has served as an adjunct professor at Towson University where she taught master’s students neurological interventions for the adult population. Her most recent clinical therapist position was providing home-based therapy to adults and older adults with a variety of chronic conditions living in central Maryland.
Throughout her career, Lydia witnessed how pain was a universal barrier to the rehabilitation process and she grew interested in learning more in order to provide better care. While working as a clinician at Sinai Hospital, Lydia became a member of the Emerging Chronic Pain program and conducted independent research on modern pain theory, interventions, and therapies. Lydia has presented her research at training sessions and conferences where she has had the opportunity to educate patients and peers on alternatives to pharmaceutical treatments for pain. Additionally, Lydia is certified in Lifestyle Redesign ® through the American Occupational Therapy Association, which is an occupational therapy based approach to treating chronic conditions (learn more about Lifestyle Redesign® in the What is Occupational vs Physical Therapy? tab). Lydia is passionate about helping people understand their chronic pain and feel empowered to live their life to the fullest.
Recognized by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
Recently the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy awarded Lydia with the 2024 OTR Innovation Award. This award showcases Lydia's creative, impactful, and evidence-based methods to improve her patients' quality of life. When asked about receiving this prestigious award, Lydia had this to day:
"It is a tremendous honor to receive this prestigious award from our governing credentialing body. I am extremely proud of my team and those that have helped Specialty Pain Management Services grow. We are on a mission to help as many people as we can who are living in pain and we want to revolutionize how healthcare services these individuals. I have always felt that what we are doing at SPMS is transforming the world of pain management and rehab, and for this to be recognized on a national level is very meaningful and validating."
Lydia Nemirovsky, MS, OTR/L