About Garden State Medical Center

Welcome to Garden State Medical Center

Garden State Medical Center, or GSMC, is led by Dr. Dharam Mann. Many people know us as Garden State pain management. Some call us Garden State Pain and Orthopedics. Whatever name you found us under, we are the same team. We have spent more than 20 years helping people in Ocean and Monmouth County live with less pain.

GSMC started with a simple idea. Pain is real, and people deserve a doctor who takes the time to find out where it comes from. Too often, patients are told to "just live with it" or are handed a prescription and sent home. We do it differently. We listen, we examine you, and we look for the source. Then we explain your options in plain words, so you can decide what is right for you.

Who leads our team

Dr. Dharam Mann is a board-certified interventional pain specialist. He completed fellowships in pain management, cardiac anesthesia and critical care at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard. Dr. Mann performs the procedures at GSMC himself. The one exception is embolization, which is performed by Dr. Douglas Gibbens, our interventional radiologist.

Dr. Mann has been named a New Jersey Monthly Top Doctor eleven times. We are proud of that, but we are prouder of the patients who tell us they can garden, work or pick up their grandchildren again. Those stories are why we do this work.

What we treat

People come to us with many kinds of pain. The most common are:

• Low back pain and sciatica
• Neck pain and pinched nerves
• Spinal stenosis
• Knee, hip and shoulder arthritis
• Nerve pain, including neuropathy
• Pain after a work injury or car accident
• Pain that continued after an earlier spine operation
• Arthritis and inflammatory joint conditions (through our rheumatology team)
• Sports and overuse injuries

How we care for you

Our care is non-surgical and image-guided wherever possible. That means we use live X-ray or ultrasound to place medicine exactly where it is needed. Depending on your diagnosis, your plan may include:

• Physical therapy and home exercise
• Medicines, used carefully
• Epidural steroid injections
• Facet joint injections and nerve blocks
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Spinal cord stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation
• Basivertebral Nerve Ablation and the MILD procedure for certain back conditions
• PRP and joint injections
• Knee, shoulder and hip embolization (performed by Dr. Gibbens)
• InterStim and Axonics therapy for bladder and bowel control

We always start with the simplest step that makes sense. Not every treatment works for every person, and we will be honest with you about what a treatment can and cannot do. If another kind of specialist would help you more, we will tell you and help with the referral.

One team under one roof

Pain often has more than one cause. A sore knee might be arthritis, an old sports injury or an inflammatory condition. That is why GSMC brings together interventional pain management, rheumatology, and sports and regenerative medicine. Our doctors and providers talk to each other. You don't have to start over with a new practice every time a question comes up.

Seven offices close to home

Pain care often takes more than one visit, so being close to home matters. We have seven offices across Ocean and Monmouth County. Each one is open Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm.

• Toms River (Hooper Ave): 1314 Hooper Ave, 1st Floor, Toms River, NJ 08753. This is our main office. Visit the Toms River office
• Brick: 1608 NJ-88, Suite 102, Brick Township, NJ 08724. Visit the Brick office
• Whiting: 1100 NJ-70, Entrance B, Whiting, NJ 08759. Visit the Whiting office
• Manahawkin: 1109 Beacon Ave, Manahawkin, NJ 08050. Visit the Manahawkin office
• Barnegat: 249 S Main St, Suite 5, Barnegat Township, NJ 08005. Visit the Barnegat office
• Freehold: 322 Professional View Dr, 300 Building, 2nd Floor, Freehold, NJ 07728. Visit the Freehold office
• West Long Branch: 100 NJ-36, Suite 1K, West Long Branch, NJ 07764. Visit the West Long Branch office

Not sure which office is right for you? See all of our locations or find pain management near you.

What to expect at your first visit

Your first visit is about getting to know you. We will ask about your pain, your health history and what you have already tried. We will examine you and review any X-rays or MRIs you bring. Then we will talk through what we think is going on and what the next steps could be. You are always part of the decision. Read more in our first visit guide.

About insurance

We work with many insurance plans, including Medicare. Every plan is different, so our team checks your benefits before we schedule a procedure. Please call or ask at the front desk if you have questions about your plan.

Our promise to you

We will listen to you. We will look for the real cause of your pain. We will explain your choices honestly, without pressure. And we will treat you the way we would want our own families treated.

If pain is keeping you from the life you want, we invite you to come see us. Request an appointment at the GSMC office closest to you.

The Garden State Medical Center team