Comprehensive Diagnostic Services

Pain Management Services offers a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic services that are designed to reduce or eliminate pain. All patients receive a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation to determine the underlying cause or causes of their pain, as well as to assess how existing medical conditions can affect pain and be affected by treatment.

Advanced Pain Management Treatments

A variety of pain management treatments are available through Pain Management Services, and patients receive only those necessary for their individualized treatment plan. Many treatments can be administered on an outpatient basis.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs when the body loses too much bone, makes too little bone, or both. As a result, bones become weak and may break from a fall or, in serious cases, from sneezing or minor bumps. Osteoporosis means “porous bone.” Viewed under a microscope, healthy bone looks like a honeycomb. When osteoporosis occurs, the holes and spaces in the honeycomb are much larger than in healthy bone. Osteoporotic bones have lost density or mass and contain abnormal tissue structure. As bones become less dense, they weaken and are more likely to break. If you’re 50 or older and have broken a bone, ask your doctor or healthcare provider about a bone density test.

Facet Joint Syndrome

A joint connects two or more bones in your body and functions to promote motion. In your spine, the joints connecting each of your vertebrae are known as facet joints. Other names for facet joints include zygapophyseal or apophyseal joints, or your doctor may refer to them as simply facets. Like any other joint in your body, each facet joints’ job is to promote healthy movement and—along with the intervertebral disc—provide stability for each motion segment. The disc functions as a spacer and to support motion between the vertebral bodies. This forms a tripod relationship between the intervertebral disc and the facet joint. Degeneration or damage to one affects the other. The effects of aging and/or traumatic injury can damage the facet joints and is the leading cause of back pain known as facet joint syndrome.

Interventional Pain Procedures

The injection of nerve-numbing substances into a specific area of the body is called a nerve block. Several different types of nerve blocks exist, including diagnostic and therapeutic nerve blocks. Diagnostic nerve blocks, which contain a short-term anesthetic, are used to determine sources of pain. Therapeutic nerve blocks, which utilize local anesthetic and steroid, can be used to control acute or chronic pain. Prognostic nerve blocks are performed to determine whether more permanent treatments to block nerve activity, such as surgery, would be successful in treating pain.

Advanced Pain Therapy

When oral medications and/or nerve blocks cannot control pain sufficiently, advanced pain therapies or implantable devices may be effective for pain control. Spinal cord stimulation devices, which are implanted during a surgical procedure, provide low levels of electrical current to a portion of the spinal cord to block the sensation of pain. Spinal cord stimulators can manage pain caused by failed back surgery or sciatica (leg pain). Spinal pumps, which are also implanted during a surgical procedure, deliver pain medication directly to the space surrounding the spinal cord. Medication in the pump is added periodically through an injection via the individual’s skin into the pump reservoir. Spinal pumps can be effective in managing chronic pain due to cancer.

Surgical Procedures

Patients whose severe pain has not responded to other treatments or procedures can be candidates for surgery. Surgery may be performed to provide relief and allow patients to resume normal activities.  Surgical referrals will be made when needed to best help our patients.

Physical and Occupational Therapy

Specifically designed exercises supervised by physical or occupational therapists can be beneficial to help rehabilitate weakened muscles and prevent injury. Therapy is also useful in developing and maintaining flexibility and aerobic conditioning. Through rehabilitation, patients can often return to activities of daily living more quickly and at a higher level of functioning.