Treatment Options:
Many new advances in pain management offer Pain Care of Silicon Valley patients more options than ever. These include, but are not limited to:
Single or Multi-Level Epidural procedures
An epidural injection places anti-inflammatory medicine into the epidural space of the spine to decrease inflammation of the nerve roots, hopefully reducing the pain in the back or legs. An epidural injection may help the injury to heal by reducing inflammation. It may occasionally provide permanent relief, but pain relief for several days, weeks or months while the injury/cause of pain is healing is more common.
Facet injections
An injection of both a long-lasting steroid “cortisone” and an anesthetic numbing agent into a specific facet joint of your spine. The injection “blocks” the pain in much the same way as your dentist would use an anesthetic injection to block pain in your jaw before working on your teeth.
Joint injections - sacroiliac joint, hip, etc.
Similar to facet injections in that long-lasting steroid “cortisone” and an anesthetic numbing agents are injected in the specific joint to assist the patient in pain relief and/or diagnostic verification.
Sympathetic blocks
An injection of local anesthetic in the "sympathetic nerve tissue" – the nerves which are located on the either side of spine, in the back. The injection blocks the Sympathetic Nerves, which may in turn reduce pain, swelling, color, and sweating changes in the lower extremity and may improve mobility.
Nerve blocks
A nerve block involves injecting medicine around the sympathetic nerves, ganglion or chain in a lumbar or cervical area. The system is temporarily blocked in hopes of reducing or eliminating pain. If the initial block is successful, then additional blocks are generally repeated and repeated again until the pain diminishes.
Spinal cord stimulators
A stimulator masks pain by providing an alternative sensation and stimulating the release of pain-killing endorphins found naturally in the body.
Radiofrequency and Pulse Radiofrequency
A procedure which results in the interruption of the nerve supply to a facet joint or sympathetic chain. This interruption known as denervation is accomplished by a radiofrequency probe that heats the two small nerve branches supplying the facet joint known as medial branches or sympathetic ganglion and often and effectively reduces pain.
Specialist Referrals
In order to effectively treat your chronic pain, our evaluation may necessitate the services of another pain specialist, In each of these cases, we will assist the patient in selecting the best provider for this option.
Adjunctive Integrative Therapy Medical and Wellness Services
Integrative Medicine Consultation for Herbs, Supplements, Functional Medicine, Five-Elements Chinese Medicine, Nutritional Assessment, Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Aromatherapy, Manual Therapy, Mind-Body Medicine, and Flower Essence Therapy
Strain-Counterstrain Osteopathic Manipulations
Medical Acupuncture
Clinical Hypnotherapy and Guided Imagery
Heart-Rate Variability Biofeedback
Stress Management and Relaxation Techniques
Electrical Stimulation and Laser Light Therapy for Musculoskeletal Pain.