If you are a medical professional, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, psychologist, pain coach, or movement specialist – and if you are interested in working with other pain management specialists in the Garden Route area – click the link to read more.
“Hope is not a substitute for pain. Hope is in spite of pain.“
Jon Foreman
The George Pain Centre in the Garden Route of South Africa, is more than just a medical practice. We are aiming towards a multisite interdisciplinary team of healthcare practitioners who are all dedicated to the management of chronic and complex pain conditions. Numerous studies have shown that pain conditions heal best when they are managed by an integrated team rather than a single provider.
The benefits of having an interdisciplinary team of practitioners on your side include:
- Consistency in the recommendations that you are given, so that confusion and contradictory advice is minimised
- Consistent validation of your symptoms
- Improved pain outcomes with multimodal treatments
- Avoidance of unnecessary duplication of assessments and tests among different practitioners
- Avoidance of unnecessary advanced healthcare utilisation such as surgeries and procedures, by being sure that the grassroots care is optimal
- Save money by having access to specialist medical opinion through interdisciplinary team discussion, without needing to pay to see the specialist
- If you see different team members, the use of your medical aid benefits can be spread out over different baskets, allowing for better use of benefits, rather than one practitioner using up all the benefits of one basket.
- An integrated self-management plan that incorporates & integrates the recommendations of the different team members
Meet the team
Dr Geraldine Borman
General practitioner with diploma in anaesthesiology
MBChB, DA
Dr Borman studied Medicine at the University of Pretoria and obtained a Diploma in Anaesthesiology in 2021.
She loves all aspects of medicine but has two special interests – patient education and pain management. She recognises that pain can prevent people from fully living their lives and that by reducing it, they can regain their quality of life. She aims to provide good education and holistic pain management to her patients.
Dr Borman offers both pain-related and non-pain-related general practitioner services.
Irini Agathagelou-Klopper
Psychologist
MSc (Med)(Masters) Counselling Psychology Degree, Honors degree in Psychology.
Irini is a Psychologist at the George Pain Centre and George Psychiatry group. She is no stranger to working with a multidisciplinary team in patient care. She is passionate about helping her patients find new meaning in life and find joy in the journey to recovery.
Irini completed her undergraduate studies and Honours degree in Psychology at the Northwest University Potchefstroom campus, where she graduated cum laude and was given the Golden Key award for academic excellence. Irini also has a Master of Science in Counselling Psychology from Northwest University Potchefstroom campus. She has worked in the public sector, with trauma-related cases, and in a substance abuse rehabilitation clinic.
Irini uses a biopsychosocial model and solution-focused approach for therapy and patient care. This means that she considers the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to her patients’ pain and mental health. She also focuses on helping her patients develop solutions to their problems and build on their strengths.
Irini is committed to working with her patients in a collaborative and supportive way. She believes that everyone has the potential to heal and grow, and she is here to help them on their journey. Irini can assist with pain management, anxiety, depression, stress, relationship problems, trauma, addiction, life transitions, and more. If you are struggling with any of these issues, reach out to Irini for a confidential consultation.
Elzandré Krüger
Physiotherapist
BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy
Elzandré completed her degree in Physiotherapy at the University of the Free State in 2019. After completing her degree, she moved to Cape Town where she completed her community service at Red Cross Children’s Hospital and moved on to work at Groote Schuur Hospital for a year.
She moved to George in 2021, where she started working in private practice and it is here where her interest in treating patients with chronic pain grew. She is passionate about helping patients to live a good quality of life by reducing their pain and providing patient-centered care using the biopsychosocial model of care.
Elzandré is currently busy completing her MSc Physiotherapy in NMS and chronic pain at the University of Witwatersrand.
Scott Rickard
Physiotherapist
BSc (Med)(Hons) in exercise science & physiology, BSc (Hons) in physiotherapy, MSc in Allied Health Sciences, PgCert MSK diagnostic ultrasound
Scott Rickard completed a Medical Honours degree in Exercise Science at the Sport Science Institute of South Africa (1995) in Cape Town before moving to Stellenbosch to study Physiotherapy. After graduating he worked in a private practice in Johannesburg for 5 years. He then relocated to the UK where he was the Professional Lead of the Physiotherapy Division at the University of Hertfordshire. Scott obtained an additional qualification as a Musculoskeletal Sonographer and completed his MSc degree. During this time, he also worked in the NHS where he scanned patients and performed ultrasound guided injections.
Scott returned to South Africa in 2013 and currently works in private practice in George on the Garden Route. Scott has a passion for helping patients who suffer with persistent pain. He has been part of the faculty of the Train Pain Academy for 7 years and loves teaching other healthcare professionals about tools that can be used to help patients who have pain.
Scott has a wife and three beautiful daughters and loves exercise. He participates in triathlons and duathlons as well as any other outdoor adventures that he can do with his family and friends.
Dr Justine Dreyer
Psychiatrist
MBChB, DMH, MMed (Psych), FCPsych
After graduating from Medicine in 2010 and then obtaining a Diploma in Mental Health, Dr Dreyer went on to earn her Masters in Psychiatry with distinction from the University of Pretoria. She relocated to George in 2019, working first in the public sector for two years, providing consultation and outreach services across the Garden Route and Central Karoo areas. She moved to the private sector in 2021, where she could focus more on direct patient care and have access to more treatment options for her patients.
She works as a generalist psychiatrist and treats adolescents and adults with various psychiatric disorders. She is a member of PainSA. She has interests in how chronic stress, childhood adversity and neurodiversity impact adult mental health and especially addiction and chronic pain. She works within a biopsychosocial-spiritual model, which means that she considers psychiatric illness and its treatment as having biological, psychological, social and spiritual aspects.
Although Dr Dreyer is not currently seeing new patients, she is involved with the George Pain Centre in a consulting and training capacity as part of a multidisciplinary team. This allows more patients to have access to psychiatric expertise without needing a psychiatrist.
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