Alpenglow Pain & Wellness

As an interventional pain physician, Dr. Nichelle Renk believes the most successful treatment involves identifying the appropriate diagnosis and then implementing a combination of modalities truly tailored to her patient. This multidisciplinary approach to pain management includes the potential use of procedures, limited use of medications, physical therapy, braces and devices, pain psychology, complementary alternative medicine (e.g. acupuncture), and nutrition/lifestyle modification. With a precise diagnosis and multifaceted plan, Dr. Renk achieves dramatic long-lasting results for her patients.

Dr. Renk is passionate about getting to know and educating her patient. She goes over every diagnosis and each component of the plan in detail. Dr. Renk uses anatomical models and reviews the imaging with the patient to make sure the diagnosis is well understood. She provides a personalized handout at the end of the first visit listing the patient's identified diagnoses and the plan for each multidisciplinary modality.

Dr. Renk performs advanced procedures head-to-toe but specializes in procedures for the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine, sacroiliac joint, and other nerves and joints of the body. Dr. Renk is one of a few pain management physicians in Alaska to perform cooled radiofrequency procedures, a cutting-edge technology that creates a unique shaped and larger radiofrequency lesion to interrupt pain in the patient's painful area of the body. Additionally, Dr. Renk performs epidural platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections which can heal joints or diseased discs and nerves in the spine. She plans on adding ultrasound-guided platelet rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell injections for joints, tendons, ligaments, and fluoroscopic-guided intervertebral disc platelet rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell injections to her practice in the near future. Finally, Dr. Renk relieves chronic migraine headaches with Botox injections.

Dr. Renk completed her Medical Doctorate (M.D.) at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, Anesthesiology residency at George Washington University Hospital in Washington DC, and Interventional Pain Medicine fellowship at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, California. She is board-certified in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine by the American Board of Anesthesiology.

For the four years prior to joining a private practice, Dr. Renk served in the United States Air Force as a Major and Director of the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) Pain Management Clinic. She had a great experience taking care of her fellow airmen, troops, retirees, dependents, and VA beneficiaries. She won several awards in her tenure there and consistently achieved 99% or greater patient satisfaction.

Outside of work, Dr. Renk enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, and traveling.