Helmcken Pain Clinic - Victoria, British Columbia

Natasha B.

It’s not often I would review a medical establishment but visiting the Helmcken Pain clinic feels like receiving gold star care. Everyone has been wonderful. Stand outs in my care are Andrea in x-ray, seeing her puts me at ease. I believe she was born for her roll, I cannot put into words how much I appreciate her support, banter and demeanour. Additionally, Dr.Brophy has been great, it’s nice to receive medical treatment and feel that the Doctor listens and cares, I feel very confident with any of his recommendations or treatments. His confidence and competency puts me at ease.

Leon T.

Dr. MacNichol and Andrea, THANK YOU for your patience and caring . I feel so,so fortunate to have folks who have dedicated their professional lives to helping people in pain. This clinic.gets 5 stars all day long for the kindness and understanding. There are many positives in Victoria, this clinic and.staff.are 1 of them.

Mary D.

I was fortunate enough to have been referred to Dr Khattab about 3 years ago to deal with arthritis in my back which had been making me very immobile. It took about a year to get in but I could not be happier!
He has changed my mobility immensely- having given me shots for bursitis and on- going injections that have changed my daily movement.
Dr Khattab is kind, personable knowledgeable and extremely gentle.
I now go back 3-6 months and I cannot thank him enough for his on- going care.
I feel very fortunate to have been under his care.

Nick T.

I saw Dr. Khattab at this clinic through a referral from my family physician. I really can’t speak highly enough of Dr. Khattab, he’s one of the nicest specialists/doctors I have ever met. He was attentive, friendly, knowledgeable and most of all, personable. Even though Dr. Khattab didn’t have any real options available to me, I left the appointment feeling grateful for his time and expertise. I hope Dr. Khattab helps teach residents at some point in his career, they could learn a lot from him!

ronny R.

Had a procedure on my low back and wow l started to walk normal again.

Lauren R.

Dr Macnichol

Dr Brent Mcnichol is a been a beam of hope in my very dark & uncertain future due to severe chronic pain, chronic migraines, nerve pain, and a host of other physical and mental health issues. I’ve mostly seen him for migraine treatments since I was getting 18+ a month along with severe facial, neck and back pain. He treats me very 3 months with Xeomin botox and my migraines have been cut by more than 50% depending on my month. Even when I do get a migraine now it’s not as severe, doesn’t last as long & isnt 100/% debilitating & crippling as they once were.Plus since I metabolize medication by mouth so fast he introduced me to the Rx Zomig which is a nasal spray for treatment & relief of migraines. Most of the time it only takes 30-40 after taking my Zomig for my migraines to either lessen by 75% or are gone completely which is a true miracle & I’m so grateful he thought of this and he actually believes I’m a fast metabolizer with medicine by mouth and I’m extremely sensitive with awful side effects from most. If you’ve ever had a migraine then you know it can be excruciating & debilitating plus it can cause other physical and mental illness to flare up. He’s definitely one the most compassionate drs I’ve been privileged to see as he truly listens, looks you in the eyes and says he understands how hard this must be. Plus he 100% believes my pain is real when other drs haven’t. He knows I take opioid medication ( this clinic has a strict policy and will not prescribe them) as I’ve tried honestly tried every possible rx out there along with all the opiods & the only one that has helped me most , is hydromorphcontin ER. He knows the stigma that goes along with a younger person taking opiods & how shameful drs or ER drs can make you feel when they see I take opiods even though I’ve been on the same dose for over 5 years and was once on 3-4x the dose . I’ve told him how the 2x I’ve had to go to hospital this year for extreme pain flare ups didn’t go well. They treat me as a drug seeker even though I don’t drink, smoke or use anything other than what I’m prescribed. He sees that and said you don’t have an addiction but your body is dependent on them and he says there’s a big difference. He goes above & beyond to help me in any way possible and if there’s a treatment he can’t do then he’s referred me to other drs that might help. Hes also very gentle with his injections ( I love all the staff especially his nurse tech , which I can’t remember her name atm but she’ll hold my hand or rub my back while he does this & her compassion & empathy is truly so helpful). The last thing people need when they’re in chronic pain is a rude dr, and staff. Every single staff member is a true delight who authentically cares. My mom sees his partner dr vincent ( rated #1)who is sadly retiring. He’s helped my moms fibromyalgia & chronic fatigue with prolotherapy injections which have greatly improved her quality of life at 69. I can’t get prolotherapy anymore as it made me worse along with all the treatments I had from Dr khan at the RJH pain clinic. STAY AWAY FROM DR KHAN as he’s heartless, cruel, extremely abrupt, rude and has ZERO bedside manner. It’s like he tries to break your spirit. I left all my appointments in tears and in more pain. It’s truly unfortunate a man like this is in a pain clinic. There’s absolutely no comparison between these pain specialists as Dr McNichol is an angel. I forgot to mention I get 200 units of Botox in my face , jaw, head, neck &shoulders which is painful but it’s only temporary pain & my body is in a constant state of fight or flight & he knows how over sensitive my system is. He’s also tried other injections to try to help me and I feel like he’s always thinking and truly trying to help as much as possible. This office is a true gift & I’m so grateful for everyone there especially dr Mcnichol. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for not giving up on me from my complicated health issues. You’re THE BEST !!

Y E.

Of the three Dr's here (one works once or twice a week), Dr. Vincent is my absolute favourite. He transferred some of his treatments to a new dr, which disappointed me as I am no longer being seen by Dr. Vincent.
Edit: since I wrote my initial review Dr. Vincent has retired.

Tiana P.

Really appreciate their professionalism and caring.