Blog Archive

No drugs. No major surgery. Just relief: Diabetic Neuropathy Diabetic neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that can occur if you have diabetes. High blood sugar (glucose) can injure nerves throughout the body. Diabetic neuropathy most often damages nerves in the legs and feet first.Depending on the affected nerves,...

Transforaminal Epidural Injections Treat Leg and Back Pain What is a transforaminal injection? A transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) is an injection of corticosteroids into the space just outside the covering (the dura) of the spinal cord in your lower back. Because the injection is outside (epi) the dura, it...

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. Like any other joint in your body, each facet joints’ job is to promote healthy movement and—along...

Spinal Stenosis: Diagnosis & Test | Management & Treatment How is spinal stenosis diagnosed? Your provider at Pain Care will review your medical history, ask about your symptoms and conduct a physical exam. During your physical exam, your healthcare provider may feel your spine, pressing on different area to see...

Spinal Stenosis: Symptoms & Causes What is spinal stenosis? Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of one or more spaces within your spine. Less space within your spine reduces the amount of space available for your spinal cord and nerves that branch off your spinal cord. A tightened space can cause...

SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES What causes sciatica? Sciatica can be caused by several different medical conditions including: A herniated or slipped disk that causes pressure on a nerve root. This is the most common cause of sciatica. About 1% to 5% of all people in the U.S. will have a slipped...

Sciatica Part 1: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Prevention, Management & Treatment Sciatica pain is caused by an irritation, inflammation, pinching or compression of a nerve in the lower back. The most common cause is a herniated or slipped disk that causes pressure on the nerve root. Most people with sciatica get...

Back Pain & Leg Pain... OH MY What can Pain Care do to help with back and leg pain? Most patients with back and radiating leg pain typically benefit from a lumbar transforaminal. What is a lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injection? A transforaminal epidural steroid injection is an outpatient procedure...

        Managing Chronic Pain Alternative to Opioids ─ Many people rely on pain medication to manage chronic pain, but it can cause drowsiness, hallucinations or lead to addiction “Evidence of long-term efficacy of opioids for chronic pain is limited. Opioid use is associated with serious risks, including...

Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month August is Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness month (also known as SMA). SMA affects roughly 4 people in every 100,000 throughout the USA. SMA also highly affects some seniors who deal with inactivity due to physical, balance, cognitive, or any other challenges that prevent a person...

What is pain? Pain occurs when something hurts, causing an uncomfortable or unpleasant feeling. The presence of pain often means that something is wrong or has happened.   When it comes to pain, there are two different types of pain: Acute vs Chronic Pain. All pain is unwanted, unpleasant and...

What are the differences and the similarities between a Spinal Cord Stimulator and a Peripheral Nerve Stimulator?    Let's define what each device is SCS: “Spinal cord stimulation is a procedure that delivers low-level electrical signals to the spinal cord or to specific nerves to block pain signals from reaching...

Most people do not know the difference between a physician assistant and a nurse practitioner. You may visit either type of healthcare provider in one of our offices or your primary care office, more often than you visit with a doctor. But what’s the difference?    PA stands for Physician...

Pain Care has some exciting news! We have been keeping a little secret but now the secret is out! Pain Care has its own open MRI machine. We can now order and offer our patients MRIs within our own facility! Our MRI machine will be located at our brand new...

Copays, deductibles, and coinsurance, OH MY!  Trying to understand insurance benefits can be very difficult and overwhelming at times.  In an endeavor to help you better understand the commonly used terms and abbreviations, we have put together the following so you can spend more time focusing on your health and...