5 Back Pain Treatments That Can Avoid Surgery

Back pain is a common complaint. Chronic back pain can make even the most basic tasks challenging, bringing your life to a standstill. That is why the sooner you seek treatment for back pain, the better.

Modern medicine offers several non- and minimally invasive treatments for chronic back pain. These are low risk treatments and performed by a Double Board Certified doctor at leading pain clinics, such as, Colorado Clinic.

EPIDURAL INJECTIONS

Epidural steroid injection (ESI) relieves pain due to spinal stenosis and spinal disc herniation. Corticosteroids and a local anesthetic are injected into the epidural space around the spinal cord and spinal nerves to bring pain relief.

RADIOFREQUENCY ABLATION

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) uses an electrical current produced by a radio wave to heat up a small area of nerve tissue. This decreases pain signals from that specific area.

INTRATHECAL PAIN PUMP MANAGEMENT

Intrathecal pain pump implantation is a targeted drug deliverymechanism used for chronic pain patients. The intrathecal pain pump delivers medication directly to the area surrounding the spinal cord to prevent pain signals reaching the brain.

FACET JOINT INJECTIONS

Facet joints are small joints, located between each vertebra,thatbecome inflamed or irritated in arthritis. Facet joint injections combine a local anesthetic and a corticosteroid anti-inflammatory medication to relieve pain and inflammation.

PHYSICAL THERAPY

Physical therapy involves back pain relief exercises that include stretching and strengthening exercises. Heat and ice therapy, electrical stimulation and ultrasoundare also used to relieve pain.

To seek urgent medical treatment for chronic pain, call Colorado Clinic at 970-221-9451 NOW.

3 Neck Pain Treatments That Work

The neck supports the head and is like a connection between the head and the backbone. Since it is less protected than the rest of the spine, it is more vulnerable to injury and disorders that cause pain and restrict motion. Acute neck pain is temporary and is often caused due to injury. It would go away on its own or with medication and hot and cold therapy. But chronic neck pain is a different story altogether.

Chronic neck pain may result from abnormalities in the soft tissues and in bones and joints of the spine. Most common causes of neck pain are soft tissue trauma or wear and tear. Neck pain can even cause pain in the upper back, shoulders or arms. Here are the leading causes and treatments for chronic neck pain.

Degenerative Disease

Degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis can cause neck pain. Osteoarthritis affects older people. It is often a result of wear of the joints between the bones in the neck. Rheumatoid arthritis can cause destruction of the joints of the neck. Both of these major types of arthritis can cause stiffness and pain.

Cervical disc degeneration also can cause neck pain. The intervertebral discs act as a shock absorber between the bones in the neck. In older people, the center of the disk degenerates and the space between the vertebrae narrows. As the disk space narrows, the joints of the spine experience stress and get worn out and degenerate.

The cervical discs may protrude out and cause pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots. Also known as a herniated cervical disc, this can cause severe pain.

Injury

The neck is quite flexible and that makes it susceptible to injury. Accidents, contact sports, and falls can lead to neck injury. Most common injuries occur in the soft tissues, i.e., muscles and ligaments.

Other Causes

Other, less common causes of neck pain include tumors, infections, or congenital abnormalities of the vertebrae.

Neck Pain Treatment

Neck pain is treated based on the underlying cause of pain. Conservative treatments are usually the first course of action. Medication management and physical therapy may be advised. For patients who do not get any relief with conventional treatments, minimally invasive interventional pain treatments are recommended. These can include –

Nerve Blocks

Nerve Blocks are used to block pain signals to the brain, form a pain causing nerve.

Facet Injections

Facet injections are used to relieve pain caused by degenerating facet joints between the vertebrae. As joints wear out and the cushioning cartilage degenerates, the vertebrae grind against each other causing pain.

Radiofrequency Ablation

This technique uses heated radio waves to block the pain transmitters in the damaged nerve. It can offer relief of pain symptoms for up to 2 years.

To know more about neck pain treatment or schedule an appointment, call Colorado Clinic in Loveland and Boulder, CO at 877-535-9359 and visit coloradoclinic.com. 

5 Minimally Invasive But Highly Effective Back Pain Treatments

Chronic back pain can turn your personal and professional life chaotic. Fortunately, pain medicine offers minimally invasive, interventional pain treatments for lasting back pain relief. Most of these treatments work to treat the underlying cause of pain.

Here is a description of the various pain management procedures – conservative to surgical. Doctors will normally initially treat back pain with conservative procedures first and if these don't work move to medication, then minimally invasive techniques and surgery is usually the last resort when every other treatment has failed to give positive outcomes.

The doctor will decide the course of action depending upon the patient's specific condition, the root cause, symptoms, severity of pain and medical history.

Conservative Treatments

Conservative Treatmentsinclude physical therapy, medications such as Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), COX-2 inhibitors and mild opioids under supervision.

Minimally Invasive Techniques

Facet rhizotomy injection

Facet rhizotomy injection provides lasting low back pain relief by disabling the sensory nerve that goes to the facet joint.

Facet joint injections

Facet joint injections are injected with long acting local anesthetic and anti-inflammatory steroids to relieve facet joint pain for long periods.

Facet joint denervation

This procedure involves passing radiofrequency energy through the needles to coagulate and inactivate the nerves to block pain signals from them.

Radiofrequency treatment

Passing alternating radiofrequency waves through tissues selectively can inactivate pain-carrying nerve fibers.

Epidural steroid injection

The word 'epidural' refers to a layer of supporting tissue outside the spinal cord. In an epidural injection, a solution of long acting local anesthetic and steroid medications are injected into the epidural space in the spine to relieve pain.

To know more about back pain treatment in Boulder, CO, call Colorado Clinic at 877-535-9359 or visit coloradoclinic.com. 

5 Surprising Services Sports Medicine Doctors Offers

Sports medicine deals with the conditions related to sports and exercise. The specialty handles issues of physical fitness, treatment and prevention of sports and exercise related injuries, physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Leading specialists, such as sports medicine doctors at Colorado Clinic in Denver, are trained in a variety of treatment options. Conservative as well as surgical options may be considered, depending on the condition or the injury.

Prevention

Sports medicine doctor at Colorado Clinic, Boulder is a firm believer in the adage – Prevention is obviously better than cure. That is why professional teams bring in sports medicine doctors to closely monitor the athletes’ physical state and performance. Sports medicine doctors guide athletes in proper training to prevent injuries and other adverse events.

Conservative Treatments

Conservative treatments are considered before other options. From medications to treat pain due to injuries to physical therapy and rehabilitation, specialists offer comprehensive treatment plans to athletes.

Interventional Treatments

Minimally invasive interventional treatments include steroid injections for pain relief and healing and innovative treatments such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, or cellular grafting with amniotic stem cells.

Other interventions for pain management include nerve blocks and radiofrequency ablation. Sports doctors at Colorado clinic hold expertise in treating acute sports injuries, such as stress fractures and other conditions of the spine and back.

Special Populations

Sports physicians can also help and treat special populations –the athletes, the elderly, and children.

Performance Enhancement

To maximize the physical performance of athletes, the sport doctor can provide programs to improve athletic performance, while avoiding injury.

To know more about sports injuries and treatments offered by the leading sportsmedicine doctor in Boulder at Colorado Clinic, call 970-221-9451 or coloradoclinic.com.  

Say Goodbye To Pain With 4 Interventional Pain Management Procedures

Pain can be a very difficult experience to go through, physically and mentally. It is the second most common reason for medical consults in the United States. Depending on the underlying cause, pain specialists may recommend different treatments. Interventional pain management is a subspecialty of pain medicine that uses minimally invasive procedures, such as nerve blocks and facet joint injections to manage persistent pain.Leading pain management clinics, such as Colorado Clinic in Boulder and Greeley, CO, offer over 50 procedures for pain relief.

Here are the top interventional pain treatments that provide lasting pain relief.

Neurolytic blocks

Neurolytic blocks such as Radiofrequency Ablation block the transmission of pain stimuli by heating or applying chemicals to the nerve. This causes deliberate damage to the nerve, cutting off the any pain stimulus.

Joint Injections

Steroid (cortisone), platelet rich plasma (PRP) or stem cell materials can be injected into painful joints. These injections may provide lasting relief and regenerative medicine injections may even provide years of relief.

Epidural injections

Analgesic/anesthetic drugs can be inserted into the epidural space when nerves are being pinched from a disc herniation or spinal stenosis is present. There are three different types of epidural injections offered by Boulder pain management doctors. These injections may be offered as part of a series if necessary, which can be repeated every few months if necessary.

Spinal cord stimulation

A spinal cord implant can relieve the pain by interfering with the transmission of pain signals. It is surgically inserted under fluoroscopic guidance. Studies prove the efficacy of SCS implants to be over 75%. They relieve back and leg pain along with restoring lost sensation in peripheral neuropathy cases

Many more interventional procedures for pain management exist and the list grows every year. For great pain management solutions in Boulder and Greeley, CO, call 303-444-4141 or visit: coloradoclinic.com.