Glenn Kunkel, MD - Pain Management in Rolla, Missouri

“Dr Kunkel has a very stiff, no nonsense (lack of) personality. He's quick to the point, doesn't mince words or waste time. He comes in looking a bit like a butcher with that x-ray proof apron on, tells you exactly what he's going to do, does it, then swiftly moves on to his next patient. Some people might find this a bit off-putting because he's so rigid that it makes you feel like he doesn't care about you. But when I'm looking for someone to do what basically comes down to minor surgical procedures on my spine I'm not trying to find a friend or judge their ability to do their job on how much they make me smile. In this situation I think it's a good thing to have a physician who is extremely technical and hyperfocused on his work and not just a people pleaser. From my experience I deduced that giving injections and doing nerve ablations to a large number of people is the bulk of his job. I have never interacted with Dr Kunkel outside of the outpatient procedure center; I never met him at his pain management office, other physicians always handled my appointments there, so I believe the only decisions that he made about my care revolved around my injections and nerve ablations. Both my Dad and I had procedures done by Dr Kunkel on a regular basis for a couple of years and we always found him to be quite professional. He takes his job very seriously! Sometimes our injections helped, sometimes they didn't, but I don't think that had anything to do with what he did or didn't do. There are a series of steps that have to be followed for a doctor to figure out exactly what area is causing the problem and get to the point of doing something more permanent to help relieve the pain. It can be frustrating and time consuming - when a person is in pain they are seeking immediate relief and what he does doesn't usually give that. I will say that the extremely long waits in the procedure center got REALLY old, but I don't know how much of that was his fault directly. Almost every time (for both my father and I) the wait past when our appointment was scheduled was HOURS. It sucked extra bad because we weren't able to eat or drink anything past midnight, and of course it's hard to sit there for so long when you're in pain. But all the nurses were always really kind and fast at doing what they do. The ladies who assist Dr Kunkel in the actual procedure room constantly cracked me up - they were funny, super upbeat and jamming out to music. Everyone was as gentle as they could be - of course I experienced pain while that needle was being jammed in my spine, but they tried hard to be careful when it came to everything else and I was usually offered some sort of pain relief prior whenever possible. I can understand why some people have given him such low reviews, but I've had far worse doctors and think he deserves some respect for having such a difficult job and doing the technical aspects of it so well. Pain management is hard, especially back pain. It's a long road with lots of hits & misses that sometimes ends in surgery or never gets resolved at all. I can't say that I ever got anything more than some temporary relief from the procedures that were done, and sometimes they even caused me more agony. But I didn't continue with them so I'm not sure what sort of outcome I would of had in the end, if there was ever an end. I have major issues throughout my entire spine because of a degenerative disease, but somebody who had an injury or damage at one level might have better outcomes than those of us who are in chronic, widespread pain.”

— Omni Owl

“Attempted nerve blocks on both sides of my neck left me hemorrhaging into my chest. I couldn't turn my head for a month. I was strapped to a table, sobbing and begging him to stop due to the pain. He still carried out all 4 injections. No means assault. He clearly has no problem assaulting his patients.”

— Samantha Harris

“Dr Kunkel & Dr Knox does a excellent job treating your problems and finding the best solution to each problem. Pain management in Phelps Health is set on finding the perfect solution to your pain that doesn't involve taking medications(pills) for life!”

— R P

“I'm only putting 4 because I've only been twice. They've accommodated me nicely. I only go for shots for now. Dr. Kunkel is nice but very professional. I don't take sedation when I get my procedures and right now it's on both sides of my neck., he's that gentle and good sedation isn't needed. The pain I experience isn't even a hair compared to that. I think he's great and so are the nurses.”

— Chrissy White