Pain Free Patriots Helps Injured Veterans in Brooklyn Park
It can take a long time for veterans to heal. Some come back with injuries that go untreated.
“We forget about our health because we tend to spend much more time worried about other people’s health,” said Tim Burley, an Army veteran.
Burley lived with back pain for years.
“I would go golfing with my wife and actually have tears in my eyes hitting the ball,” said Burley.
It wasn’t until Burley went through treatment with a Minnetonka nonprofit called Pain Free Patriots that he was finally cured.
“Today I am back to running. I haven’t taken a Motrin in two months,” he said.
Burley is one of 600 veterans Pain Free Patriots has helped in the last eight years. The organization offers services throughout the Twin Cities, including the Ultimate Wellness Center in Brooklyn Park.
“Most Rewarding Thing I’ve Ever Done”
When Doug Huseby found out veterans weren’t getting the treatment they needed for pain at the VA he wanted to help. It’s why he started Pain Free Patriots 10 years ago.
“There are 300,000 veterans in Minnesota that are in pain,” said Huseby, founder of Pain Free Patriots. “There are six million nationwide that need help. It seems like we are the only ones that can take them in and get them better.”
Veterans don’t have to pay for the treatments that doctors like Sheldon Osvold provide.
“You know honestly it’s the most rewarding thing I have ever done,” says Dr. Sheldon Osvold. “That’s honestly why I continue working with the program.”
Pain Free Patriots uses tools and techniques that aren’t always available at local VA hospitals.
“In the VA system unfortunately there are certain technologies that they just don’t have access to or they just haven’t chosen to utilize,” said Dr. Osvold. “A lot of the technologies that we bring to the Pain Free Patriots program and helping veterans are things outside of the scope of what they have available there.”
Those technologies and treatments are life changing to veterans.
“Having someone ask you questions and taking the steps necessary to fix the issues is life changing,” said Burley. “At the VA doctors are just like next. Having customized care is huge for me and made the difference.”
How You Can Help
Pain Free Patriots is funded entirely through grants and donations. To learn how you can help visit Pain Free Patriots, you can visit the organization’s website.
