Michelle Shaw and her fiancé, Thomas Truss, said in interviews that Pain MD clinics turned patients into “human pin cushions,” requiring them to agree to unnecessary injections near their spines each month or be discharged. The unnecessary injections made many patients feel like "human pin cushions.” These unnecessary injections transformed Shaw and others into "human pin cushions," a term frequently used during the trial. Shaw begrudgingly accepted the injections so she would not lose access to her painkiller prescriptions, but Truss said he refused the injections and was “kicked out”. Unnecessary injections left patients feeling like “human pin cushions" and their stories were crucial in the trial. Indeed, experiencing such unnecessary injections and becoming “human pin cushions” was a significant aspect of the clinic’s malpractice. Shaw was a key witness in the trial of Pain MD president Michael Kestner, who was convicted of 13 felonies related to health care fraud in October. Shaw and Truss were photographed at their Tennessee home on Jan. 14, 2025. Brett Kelman/KFF Health News.  Read More