Acupuncture

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized acupuncture as medically effective in treating over 50 common ailments including: Back pain, morning sickness, sinusitis, migraines, chronic fatigue, eye disorders, stress, insomnia, allergies, asthma, gynecological conditions, digestive disorders, etc. Any condition or complaint, physical and/or mental, may benefit from acupuncture treatment.

Massage Therapy

The massage suite is quiet, warm and comfortable. Soft music, flowing water and peaceful energy will help relax the mind and body.

Chiropractic Therapy

Chiropractic, in Latin, means ‘by the hands’ and involves a skilled intervention called ‘Spinal Manipulation’. The use of spinal manipulation in spine conditions has been well established in both the research literature and clinical practice.

Spinal Cord Stimulation for Failed Back Surgery

Physicians refer to the chronic pain a patient suffers after undergoing unsuccessful surgery to relieve back pain as “failed back surgery syndrome” (FBSS), or post-laminectomy syndrome.

Spinal Cord Stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) devices are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a method of pain control for the treatment of chronic pain of the arms, legs and trunk, or pain resulting from failed back surgery.

Spinal Cord Stimulation FAQs

This document contains many of the most frequently asked questions concerning spinal cord stimulation.

History of Pain

Through the ages, the search for pain relief has taken on many variations – some bizarre and some worthy of further investigation. This timeline summarizes how the desire to relieve pain has existed since the time of earliest civilizations.

What is Chronic Pain

When pain lasts for a long time, it is considered to be chronic pain. Patients should always be encouraged to talk with their physicians or seek out pain management practitioners if they believe they are suffering from chronic pain.

Treating Pain

People in pain often try several remedies looking for relief. Patients with persistent pain may become discouraged and even depressed during this process. At any point in the treatment process, primary care physicians might refer patients to pain management specialists.

Low Back Pain

Approximately 80 percent of Americans will have at least one bout with back pain during their lifetimes. The causes of low back pain are numerous and range from the extreme to the very ordinary.

C2 Dorsal Root Ganglion Block

This procedure is performed to relieve headaches that originate from the C2 level (upper neck). These headaches are located in the occipital area (back of the head), and usually to one side. An area of numbness may also be associated with this headache.

Caudal Block or Caudal Epidural Injection

This procedure is performed on patients with low back pain or pain in the lower extremities (legs). Patients who have had back surgery and developed adhesions, or have pain that is thought to originate in the nerve roots of the spinal column, may benefit from this procedure.

Cervical Transforaminal Block

This procedure is performed on patients with pain that radiates from the neck to the arm(s). Examination and/or test (MRI, EMG) results show evidence of nerve root entrapment or injury. Some diseases that may cause nerve root entrapment include: herniated (ruptured) disc, a bulging disc, arthritis or bony spurs (protrusions) in the neck.

Cryoanalgesia

The procedure is usually performed to relieve pain originating in the greater occipital nerves at the back of the head; the ribs, sacroiliac joints (connect the base of the spine to the pelvis), or vertebra. Cryoanalgesia is a method of relieving pain by freezing the affected nerve, causing an interruption of pain impulses to the brain.

Differential Spinal Block

A differential spinal block is helpful in determining the type of pain that you may be experiencing and where the pain comes from. Your response to the spinal block helps the physician determine the future direction of treatment.

Discography

This procedure is performed on patients with pain in the low back or neck that is worsened when in one position, or the same position for a long period. A discogram is a diagnostic test performed to view and assess one or more intervertebral discs (soft cushion between vertebrae in the spine) to determine the source of a patient’s pain.

Epidural Cortisone Injection or Interlaminar Block

This injection can be helpful to patients with pain in the neck, mid or low back, arm or leg. This procedure is done to help with an abnormal response of a nerve in the arm or leg and is also helpful for patients who have been diagnosed with shingles (inflammation of spinal nerve).

Epidural Lysis of Adhesions

The procedure is performed when scarring is suspected to be the cause of lower back and leg pain. Most patients who undergo this procedure have had prior lumbar (lower) spine surgery. Lysis of adhesions is a procedure to reduce the compressive effects of scar tissue (adhesions) in the spinal canal.

Facet Block or Medial Branch Block

Facet blocks are performed when a patient has evidence of changes resulting from arthritis in the back or neck, or from defect in the facet joints. Other back and neck pain problems involve pain that originates in the facet joints, including whiplash, and spinal stenosis.

Ilioinguinall or Genitofemoral Injection

The block is performed to diagnose the cause of your pain, or to relieve pain resulting from damage to the nerves in a specific area. Nerve damage may have resulted from prior surgery, hernias or abdominal wall pain syndrome.

Intraspinal Drug Trial

A Spinal drug trial is an injection of a medication into the spine to determine if the medication will relieve symptoms associated with your pain syndrome or spastic condition. This is primarily done if conservative treatment has failed or is causing intolerable side effects.

Intercostal Block

This procedure is performed to relieve rib pain that results from a broken rib, costochrondritis (inflammation of cartilage surrounding the rib), nerve damage (as in shingles), or a surgical incision (thoracotomy).

Interscalene Brachial Plexus Block or Axillary

This procedure is done to reduce pain in your shoulder and upper arm from prior shoulder surgery, injury or complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) or reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD). It may also allow the physical therapist to manipulate the arm more effectively.

Lumbar Transforaminal Block

This procedure is done to relieve pain that radiates from the back to the leg(s). A lumbar transforminal block procedure is an injection performed on the spine.

Percutaneous Discectomy or Percutaneous Disc Decompression

The procedure is done to relieve back or leg pain caused from pressure on surrounding nerves from a bulging disc. Percutaneous Discectomy is a non-surgical procedure to relieve pain in patients with a “contained” disc herniation.

Radiofrequency Denervation

The procedure is performed to relieve pain in the neck or back. Typically, the pain is centrally located and related to degeneration (deterioration) or arthritis. Radiofrequency Denervation is a procedure that helps reduce pain in a specific area by using a heated probe to destroy a nerve or group of nerves.

Sacroiliac Joint Injection

This procedure is done to relieve pain that originates in the sacroiliac joint. Poor posture resulting from degenerative conditions, traumatic injury, problems after spinal surgery, or problems with intravertebral discs (cushions between vertebra in the spinal column) may cause problems with the sacroiliac joint.

Sleep Hygiene

Sleep hygiene, or habits, are essential for healthy living. Follow a few simple guidelines for optimal sleep hygiene.

Sphenopalatine Block

The purpose of this procedure is to treat facial pain, including atypical (unusual) facial pain and TMJ (Inflammation of the temperomandibular joint in the upper jaw). A sphenopalatine block involves placing medication inside the nostrils to block the sympathetic ganglion (group of nerves) that are thought to be contributing to your pain.

Splanchnic Block

This procedure is performed to diagnose or treat pain that originates in the chest and upper abdomen (pancreas, liver, stomach or upper intestine). A splanchnic block is an injection administered into the spine.

Stellate Ganglion Block

A stellate ganglion block may be done for conditions involved with sympathetic pain in the arms or face, such as reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) also called complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). A stellate ganglion block is an injection performed with the aid of fluoroscopy (x-ray machine) that places medication in this area.

Sympathetic Block

Sometimes arm or leg pain is caused by a malfunction of the autonomic nervous system after an injury. A sympathetic block involves injecting local anesthetic (numbing medication) around the sympathetic nerves in the neck or low back.

Sympathetic Epidural

An epidural injection or interlaminar block, is an injection of a local anesthetic that is placed in your spine. A fluoroscope (x-ray machine) assists the physician in locating the nerve roots thought to be inflamed and contributing to your pain. It can be done in the neck, mid back, low back, or near the tail bone.

Third Occipital Nerve Block

The third occipital nerve block is performed to relieve headaches. It originates from the third cervical nerve root in the neck and continues over the back of the head. A third occipital nerve block is an injection performed in this area of the cervical spine (neck area).

Trigger Point Injections

A trigger point is a specific area that is painful when it is touched or pressure is applied. Trigger point injections are performed to relieve pain, minimize spasm, and diminish inflammation that originates in a muscle and/or its attachments. The muscle may be torn, have spastic areas or have tender knots.