Meet Our Staff
Doug Frye, MD, MPH, RMSK
Dr. Frye graduated from the University of Colorado Medical School. He also holds a Masters degree in Public Health from the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Frye is Board Certified in Occupational Medicine and has over 30 years of experience in the non-surgical treatment of musculoskeletal problems. He has practiced in the Topeka area for over 27 years, and is a member of the American Association of Orthopedic Medicine and has extensive training in Regenerative Medicine, such as Prolotherapy and Platelet Rich Plasma or PRP injections to treat chronic musculoskeletal pain. In 2007 Dr. Frye took his first course in musculoskeletal diagnostic and interventional Ultrasound. In December 2011 Dr. Frye and The Center for Manual Medicine became the first practice in Kansas certified for musculoskeletal ultrasound. Dr. Frye is also one of the first Certified Musculo-Skeletal Sonographers in the United States. Currently his primary interest is using sonography to diagnose and treat with guided injection therapy. He is also a consultant for Kansas State University’s department of molecular and cellular biology regarding the development of Adipose Derived Regenerative Cells. In his free time Dr. Frye enjoys painting and many of his works are displayed throughout the office.
Dan Tangpricha, DC
Dr. Dan Tangpricha is a Doctor of Chiropractic, Licensed by the Kansas Board of Healing arts since the year 2000. He did his undergraduate studies at Louisiana State University and received his doctoral degree from Cleveland Chiropractic College in the year 2000.
He has been in private chiropractic practice since 2000 treating all the many varieties of musculoskeletal conditions associated with pain and injuries to the human body. He comes from a background of working with a team of multidisciplinary professionals to provide patients with the best healthcare services possible. His overall philosophy is to not only relieve pain but to condition the body to stay out of pain and perform better in an Active lifestyle.
Dr. Dan is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana and has resided in Topeka, KS for the past 14 yrs. Dr. Dan is married to his wife Amy and has three children. In his spare time, he enjoys exercising, golf and watching his kid’s activities.
Evan Burdiek, DPT
Seth Harrison, CSCS
Seth Harrison graduated from Washburn University with a degree in Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science, with an emphasis in Exercise Physiology in 1999. In 2003 he became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, CSCS, through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, NSCA. Seth became a Certified Strength Training Specialist, STS, through the International Weight Lifting Association, IWA, in 2007 and a Certified Weight Trainer, CWT, in 2012. He has been with The Center for Manual Medicine since 1999 and has accumulated over 300 hours of post graduate training in musculoskeletal rehabilitation. In 2008 Seth became the office manager of The Center for Manual Medicine. With this change, his focus shifted from direct patient care to running and managing the growing practice. In 2016 The Center continued its growth with the addition of Regenerative Orthopedics. Seth trained extensively on Adipose tissue transfer and Platelet Rich Plasma techniques and is the educator of the office for these procedures. In his free time Seth enjoys spending time with his wife Lesley and their 3 kids. They all enjoy the outdoors, exercise, and athletics. When he is not watching his daughters in dance or theater, he is helping coach his son in wrestling.
Phil Alexander, PTA
Josh McKinsey BSN, ST
Josh McKinsey is a graduate from Emporia State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing. Josh worked in surgery for 14 years where he was also trained to be a surgical technician. He worked on the Cardiothoracic surgery team for 12 years where he was a preceptor for new employees. He came to The Center for Regenerative Orthopedics in 2016, some of his responsibilities here are helping Dr. Frye with Adipose Derived Regenerative Cells, PRP, and other injection therapy. Josh enjoys spending time with his family and friends and attending his children’s sporting events in his free time.
Jennifer English, Receptionist
Jennifer English has been with the CTRMM since 2007. Her responsibilities as the head receptionist consist of customer service, billing and coding, and collections Department. She does an amazing job at keeping patients happy and making sure things run smooth for the physical therapist and chiropractors. Before coming to CTRMM she graduated with her CNA license from Allen County Community College in 2003 and has been in the medical field for the last 15 years.
She is originally from Cheyenne Wyoming and moved here to start her family in 2002. She has 3 amazing kids at home who keep her busy with daily activities. Her favorite thing to do outside the office is watching them play the sports they love to do.
Doctor Emeritus: Mark Penn, DC
Dr. Penn began his health care career in 1976 as an orderly in Physical Therapy at St. Francis. He went on to earn his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and worked for five years as a dialysis technician helping to care for patients with kidney failure. During those years Dr. Penn also enjoyed spending his time as a Karate instructor and competing in triathlons.
Dr. Penn was introduced to Chiropractic treatment after suffering a sports injury. After experiencing excellent results from the Chiropractic adjustments he began to envision a team of Chiropractic, Medical, and Physical Therapy providers. It was with that goal that Dr. Penn started his Chiropractic education in 1983 at Logan Chiropractic College in St. Louis.
Dr. Penn graduated from Logan College in December 1986. He started Penn Chiropractic Office shortly after. His post-graduate education focused on Rehabilitative exercise having completed over 300 hours of training.
In 1993 Dr. Penn was fortunate to meet Dr. Doug Frye who was working at Midwest Occupational Health Services through Cotton O’Neil. They began sharing ideas on patient care and in 2000 formed The Center for Manual Medicine. Dr. Penn continues to focus on Chiropractic care and Rehabilitative exercises and has achieved his goal of working with a highly skilled team of Chiropractors, Physical Therapists, Exercise physiologists, and medical physicians. In his free time, Dr. Penn enjoys spending time with his wife Jeanine and children, as well as riding bicycles and motorcycles.
Tanja Weber
Tanja joined The Center For Manual Medicine and Regenerative Orthopedics in November of 2022 as a receptionist. She has been a Certified Medical Assistant since 2007. She is a German native and has been in Topeka since 2019. She enjoys hiking in national parks in her free time.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Manual Medicine?
Manual Medicine, just as the name says, is manual or hands-on treatment. The Center has multiple specialists, all highly trained in hands-on Treatment. Our Chiropractor Blaine Tharman, DC utilizes manipulations, or adjustments, as well as other manual techniques to relieve patients’ pain. Dr. Tharman, a musculoskeletal specialist, will not only help you get out of pain but stay out of pain. The Center is also fortunate to have fellowship-trained Physical Therapist Matt Elniff, PT, FAAOMPT who trained at MTI, the Manual Therapy Institute. Courtney Simon, DPT is currently completing her Fellowship training. This in-depth training allows them to better evaluate and treat a wide variety of problems and help patients reach their goals faster.
What is Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative Medicine is an exciting new area of medicine utilizing your body’s own platelets to help heal the underlying cause of your pain or dysfunction, and not just mask it. Regeneration involves delivering specific types of cells or cell products to diseased tissues or organs, where they will ultimately restore tissue and organ function. This can be done through cell-based therapy or by using cell products, such as growth factors.
What the Mayo Clinic has to say about Regenerative Medicine:
Regenerative medicine is a game-changing area of medicine with the potential to fully heal damaged tissues and organs, offering solutions and hope for people who have conditions that are today beyond repair.
Doug Frye, MD has been training in Regenerative techniques since the early 2000s and has continued to refine his practice to offer the most cutting edge service for non-surgical orthopedic pain.
What is Musculo-skeletal Ultrasound:
Musculoskeletal ultrasound is a relatively new technique to evaluate muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons in real-time. Just like ultrasound used in pregnancy, or vascular studies, it can be used in orthopedic studies at a fraction of the cost of an MRI. Some benefits of Musculoskeletal ultrasound; more comfortable evaluation, can move the joint or tissue through a range of motion, and the doctor can immediately diagnose the issue while you are there. Another major benefit is the ability to guide the injection into the correct spot. Using this technology leads to better patient outcomes because the physician is putting the medication or orthobiologic directly into the damaged tissue. The Center For Manual Medicine and Regenerative Orthopedics is the only Musculoskeletal Certified practice in Kansas by the AIUM, American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.
Do you need a referral?
No, you do not need a referral to be seen at The Center.
Do you take insurance?
Yes, we accept all major insurances with the exception of Medicaid.
Are Regenerative injections covered by insurance?
No, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Adipose-Derived Regenerative Cells injections are not covered by insurance and are patient pay as they are still considered experimental.
Do Adjustments Hurt?
Under normal circumstances, adjustments do not hurt. The patient may experience a minor amount of discomfort during the adjustment which only lasts seconds. If adjustments or manipulations are not right for you, the doctors have many other options for treatment.
Is Chiropractic or Manual Medicine Safe?
Chiropractic and Manual Medicine are extremely safe. These types of treatment tend to have much lower risks than medications and surgery both carry a variety of potential side effects.
What other services are offered besides Manual and Regenerative medicine?
Physical Therapy:
Physical Therapy is a form of manual treatment, but can also involve strength, flexibility, and conditioning. Physical Therapy is often used in conjunction with other treatments here at The Center. Adjustments from the Chiropractors can loosen restricted joints so the Physical Therapist can focus on the Muscle-Joint connection. If a patient receives an injection of any type, Physical Therapy can help the underlying cause. This combination approach has a higher success rate than either intervention alone. It also allows the patient a window of opportunity to rehabilitate the underlying problem with less pain. We not only work with back, neck, and extremity problems but pre and post-surgical Physical Therapy as well. Patients can be referred to Physical Therapy at CMM by any doctor or surgeon. It is the patient’s choice where to do Physical Therapy.
Imaging:
The Center for Manual Medicine and Regenerative Orthopedics is one of the first practices in the state of Kansas to be certified by the American Institute of Ultrasound Medicine, (AIUM) in Musculoskeletal Ultrasound. Dr. Frye utilizes Ultrasound to evaluate many Joint and Muscle problems. With Ultrasound you can look at ligaments and tendons through a range of motion instead of just a static picture. This technology is rapidly spreading throughout the United States because of its safety and accuracy. It is also a fraction of the cost of an MRI. Dr. Frye is also one of the first doctors in the United States to be Certified in Musculoskeletal Sonography, (RMSK). When appropriate we refer patients for x-rays or MRIs at any of our local Imaging Centers or the Hospitals.
Injections:
Dr. Frye utilizes a number of injection techniques to help patients reduce pain and expedite healing. One thing that sets us apart is we utilize Ultrasound to guide our injections into the correct spot. Giving shots “blind” or without imaging can result in the medication not going to the site of injury. With Ultrasound the doctor can guide the needle to the exact spot and watch the medication be administered. This results in a much higher success rate for injections.
The Center has multiple injection options based on your specific problem. Dr. Frye’s primary focus is Regenerative Orthopedics utilizing PRP and Adipose tissue transfer. Other options include cortisone, Orthovisc, Prolotherapy, and nerve blocks.
Why The Center For Manual Medicine and Regenerative Orthopedics?
We are the only non-hospital-based multi-disciplinary practice of this kind in the region. It is virtually a one-stop shop for any type of musculoskeletal problem. We utilize a team approach in helping patients get over their pain and discomfort as quickly as possible. Our motto is “WE HELP YOU HELP YOURSELF”. We want to not only get you over your pain but show you the proper techniques and exercises or stretches to keep the issue from returning. We offer Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Imaging, and Regenerative Orthopedics all under one roof!