Ian C. Malburg, MD - Pain Management in Manhattan, Kansas

“Dr. Malburg's personality takes some getting used to, BUT give him time - in one appt he resolved my back pain that I'd been suffering with for nearly a year! After seeing other Dr's who tried epidurals that didn't work, I went to Dr Malburg in hopes he could help me before my daughter's wedding. At the first appt I wasn't sure about him, but he agreed to try to help me. His staff fit me in within a few days (prior to the wedding) and whatever Dr. Malburg did differently than other Dr's WORKED and I was able to enjoy the wedding and reception with no pain!!! Exceeded my expectations! I even gave him a big hug at my followup and highly recommend him.”

— Lucky Mary

“In 2020, I went to see Dr Malburg in Manhattan, Kansas and told him how I had been suffering with intense back pain for a few years, but lately it had gotten worse. Without hesitation and without sending me for a single xray or mri, he said "you just need to lose weight, you're morbidly obese," and sent me home. He treated me like an animal. Like I was subhuman. To be fair, he wasn't wrong, I did need to lose weight. And while in some ways, I'm grateful for his harsh comment, his medical "advice" never helped improve my back pain or mental anguish I had been dealing with for years leading up to that appointment. Not long after this appt, we moved to South Carolina. For the course of the next four years, I lost a lot weight (nearly 130lbs - no thanks to this doctor, this was all me and my own personal motivation to get healthy), yet the back pain did not improve. In fact, it had gotten much worse. I couldn't lift objects over 10lbs, stand for longer than 15 minutes at a time, lay down for longer than an hour, etc. However, since my experience with the less than helpful Dr. Malburg, I had been too embarrassed to see another spinal specialist again until March of this year 2024. The pain got so bad again, I could barely hold my baby niece when she came to visit me. That really broke my heart. I knew I needed to find another doctor, even though I was petrified to be humiliated again (even after losing 130lbs). Luckily, I found a spinal surgeon in South Carolina who took my back pain very seriously. We tried a series of conservative approaches for 6 months before ultimately deciding surgery was the best option. On Tuesday (8/6), I had a total disc arthroplasty at my L5/S1, which involves removing the bad disc and replacing it with a titanium disc. The surgeon said my disc was worse than the MRI could have shown. He described it as a blown tire. Some of it remained in place with no "air" (fluid), while the rest broke away and was pushing into my spinal cord. This explains so much of my pain in my legs and total numbness if I walked too far or stood too long. He couldn't believe I had lived in this intense pain for nearly a decade. This could've been taken care of years ago, had Dr Malburg taken my symptoms seriously. Thank God I didn't turn to drugs or alcohol to deal with the chronic pain like so many people do. Sorry this was so long, but I want to make sure people realize that advocating for your own body until you find the right doctor is so important. Should I have lost weight? Yes, absolutely. And had the doctor asked me, I would've shared with him that I had already begun a weight loss program and was losing weight prior to that appt. Did I need medical intervention to prevent nerve damage in my back, also yes. I hope he learns something from this post and treats all his patients like they deserve care. Not only if they're physically fit.”

— Rian

“I highly recommend Dr. Malburg and his staff at the Pain Clinic on the 3rd floor of Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan, KS. I was referred to him for a steroid shot in my neck. I was scared and stressed because of hearing horror stories about these kind of shots being so painful. I had a meeting with him and was impressed with his calming manner and his reassuring explanation of what my experience would be like. I had the procedure the next week on March 20, 2022. I was greeted and prepped by his head nurse, Linda, who was so kind and made me feel at ease. She has the mannerisms every nurse should have. Dr. Malburg visited with me explaining everything he was going to do making sure I understood. During the actual procedure I was face down on a table and could not see anything. Dr. Malburg talked to me constantly, told me what was happening and kept asking me if I was okay. He said if I felt any pain to let him know and he would numb the area some more. The numbing shot was just a a quick sting and a burn and I only felt a slight pressure and a momentary ache during the actual steroid injection. I couldn't believe it when he said they were done. I want to thank Dr. Malburg, Linda and the rest of the staff for their excellent care and friendly atmosphere. And for making what I thought was going to be a painful nightmare a pleasant surprise. I highly recommend Dr. Malburg”

— Diane Heptig

“I have seen Dr. Malburg multiple times in the past two years for ongoing right low back pain. He has been professional, informative and helpful. My most recent visit, Sept 2020 he spent a good deal of time with me explaining options for treatment and allowing me time to make decisions on how I would like to move forward. Overall I am very please with Dr. Malburg.”

— Missy Tener