Dr. Scott Stayner, MD, PhD

Scott Stayner, MD, is a dedicated pain management specialist. Dr. Stayner believes that the body has a natural pain control system that tends to become burned out in patients with chronic pain. He uses a combination of passive pain treatments, such as injections and medicines, along with active treatments, such as low-impact movement and even meditation, to help patients activate their body's natural pain control system to safely and effectively manage pain.

Background

Dr. Stayner pursued a wide range of interests before joining the medical profession. The Bountiful, Utah, native spent two years volunteering in Japan, worked part-time as a string bassist, received bachelor’s degrees in materials science and engineering, and Japanese, and completed a doctorate in bioengineering. While working on a National Institutes of Health-sponsored study, he developed a passion for helping patients in a hands-on setting, rather than just through research.This led him to pursue his medical …degree, which he received at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Dr. Stayner’s experience helping care for his grandmother, who suffered from debilitating back pain despite various surgeries and high doses of opioids, instilled in him an interest in pain management. During his pain rotation as an anesthesiology resident at the University of Minnesota – and later as a pain management fellow at the University of California in Davis – he learned that there are more effective ways to treat pain than simply increasing oral opioids.

From 2012 – 2016, he established a pain management practice in Billings, Montana that focused on opioid-sparing treatments for chronic pain. He has since used a similar philosophy in his practice in other locations throughout the Midwest.