PAIN MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Pain Management Overview
Pain, whether acute or chronic, can be debilitating and devastating. As a result, patients often feel overwhelmed, depressed, and abandoned. At Miracle Mile Medical Group, our integrative team of compassionate and highly skilled specialists work together to improve our patients’ quality of life, restore function and mobility, and provide effective, lasting relief. We incorporate nutrition, behavioral therapy, acupuncture, physical therapy and exercise, and the most advanced interventional treatments.
What are PRP and Stem Cell injections?
Stem cell and Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP) injections encourage the body’s natural healing process directly at the site of injury. There are a wide variety of conditions that can be treated with the injection of stem cells and PRP, either from the patient’s own blood source or banked cells. This treatment leads to fast recovery times and return to normal routines and hobbies.
Who Benefits from PRP and Stem Cells?
Patients with sports injuries, degenerative arthritis, tendonitis, ligament injuries, persistent muscle spasms, torn muscles, and many other activity-related injuries benefit the most.
How Many Treatments are needed?
Depending on the extent of the injury, patients will typically need one to three injections to achieve optimal results.
What are joint injections?
Joint injections are placed directly in the joint to help reduce pain and chronic inflammation in the hips, knees, and shoulders.
Who benefits from joint injections?
Patients with arthritis, long-standing injuries, stress from poor body mechanics, and ligament or tendon injuries. Joint injections can also be used to diagnose the source of joint and back pain. These can be especially effective when used with physical therapy.
How Many Treatments are needed?
Depending on the extent and nature of the injury, patients can obtain relief with as little as one injection or may require periodic repeat injections to achieve optimal function.
What are epidural injections?
Epidural injections are targeted injections to relieve pain of spinal cord origin. A fundamental non-surgical treatment, epidural injections are performed with real-time x-ray imaging to ensure precise injection at the origin of the pain. Epidural injections are typically a combination of numbing and strong anti-inflammatory medications.
Who benefits from epidural injections?
Patients with nerve pain, injuries of the spine, herniated discs, spinal arthritis, and pinched nerves such as sciatica. Epidural injections can also be used to diagnose the source of joint and back pain. These can be especially effective when used with rehabilitative exercise.
How many treatments are needed?
Patients typically have relief with the first injection. If the pain or symptoms return, epidural injections can be repeated every 3-6 months.
What is Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)?
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a very effective treatment that uses radiofrequency waves to create heat that destroys painful nerves.
Who benefits from RFA?
RFA can successfully provide relief from pain that has not been alleviated by other treatments, including sports injuries, motor vehicle accidents, nerve injuries, nerve pain conditions, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), pinched peripheral nerve, and spinal or joint arthritis.
How Many Treatments are needed?
The relief provided by RFA can be long-lasting, typically for up to 6-12 months at a time. The procedure can safely be repeated if the painful nerves re-grow and pain returns.
What is Ketamine Infusion Therapy?
Ketamine infusion therapy uses ketamine, a potent anesthetic and psychotropic pain reliever, administered by IV to treat certain types of chronic pain and psychiatric conditions not responsive to classic therapies.
Who benefits from Ketamine Infusions?
Properly administered ketamine infusions may offer some benefit to patients suffering from spinal cord injury pain, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), and other nerve-related injuries, severe depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other psychiatric conditions that are not improving from other treatments.
How many treatments are needed?
It can be a single infusion or a series of infusions depending on the patient’s response.
What are IV infusions?
IV infusions treat dehydration, headaches, pain symptoms, and fatigue by administering fluids and supplements directly through the bloodstream to ensure maximum absorption.
Who benefits from IV infusions?
Anyone who feels he or she may need a boost of energy or hydration after feeling ill or fatigued.
How many treatments are needed?
IV infusions can be safely repeated as often as needed.
What are Botox Injections?
Botox injections use botulinum toxin to temporarily paralyze muscles.
Who benefits from Botox injections?
Patients with migraines, muscle spasms, back pain, TMJ pain. Botox may also be used for cosmetic purposes to restore a more youthful appearance.
How many treatments are needed?
Botox injections can safely be repeated every 10-14 weeks.
What is a spinal cord stimulator (SCS)?
A spinal cord stimulator is a small implanted device that sends signals directly to the spinal cord to relieve pain directly at the source. Small wires are inserted along the spine and attached to a battery pack under the skin. The SCS blocks the perception of pain from reaching the brain and can be controlled by a small handheld device. This powerful device can significantly improve quality of life and function, and significantly reduce or entirely eliminate the need for pain medications.
Who benefits from SCS?
Patients with persistent pain after spine surgery or patients who do not wish or qualify to have spine surgery.
How many treatments are needed?
In the initial phase of treatment, a 3-7 day temporary trial device is inserted. If the trial is successful, a permanent device is implanted. The implant can be charged remotely and will only be removed if medically necessary or requested by the patient.
What is Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS)?
With PNS, a small electrode is placed along the course of the peripheral nerve and attached to a small battery pack. The electrode is able to deliver rapid electrical impulses in order to allow the patient to control and block the perception of pain.
Who benefits from PNS?
Patients with injury or damage to a peripheral nerve, facial pain syndromes, some headaches, arm and leg pain, pelvic pain, shoulder pain, and abdominal pain.
How many treatments are needed?
The implant is permanent until removed, and can be charged remotely. It will only be removed if absolutely necessary or requested by the patient.
PAIN MANAGEMENT SERVICES
PAIN MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW
Pain, whether acute or chronic, can be quite debilitating and devastating. As a result, patients often feel overwhelmed, depressed, and abandoned. At MMMG, our integrative team of compassionate and highly skilled specialists work together to improve our patients’ quality of life, restore function and mobility, and provide effective, lasting relief.
We believe in treating patients as a whole--tailoring individual therapies to each individual’s needs--allowing each patient to regain the confidence to once again enjoy the life they enjoyed before pain.
Incorporating nutrition, behavioral therapy, acupuncture, physical therapy and exercise, and the newest and most technically advanced interventional treatment modalities, we go the extra miles so our patients can too!
STEM CELL AND PRP INJECTIONS
Stem cell and Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP) injections use the patient’s own immune response to augment, stimulate, and encourage the body’s natural healing process. There are a wide variety of injuries that can be treated with the injection of stem cells and PRP, either from the patient’s own blood source or banked cells. Sports injuries, in particular, have the potential for greatest benefit from these therapeutic injections and patients often see accelerated recovery times and can return to their normal routines and hobbies sooner. Patients who suffer from degenerative arthritis, tendonitis and tendinopathies, ligament injuries, persistent muscle spasms and torn muscles, and many other activity-related injuries are often excellent candidates for this treatment modality. Depending on the extent of injury, patients will typically need between one and three injections to achieve optimal results.
JOIN INJECTIONS
Joint injections are used to treat pain in the hips, knees, and shoulders. These injections can help reduce pain and chronic inflammation due to osteoarthritis, degenerative arthritis, long-standing injury, stress from poor mechanics, and ligamentous and tendinopathic injury. Joint injection can also be used as a powerful diagnostic measure to help determine the cause of an individual’s pain. Along with guided active therapy and physical rehabilitation, joint injection is a highly effective treatment modality for the treatment of joint pain.
EPIDURAL INJECTIONS
Epidural injections are used to treat pain of spinal column origin, most frequently neck pain originating in the cervical spine or low back pain originating in the lumbosacral spine. Epidural injections are fluoroscopically guided—performed with real-time x-ray imaging—to ensure precise delivery of the potent anti-inflammatory medication to the area of injury, typically a nerve of spinal column origin. Nerve pain and symptoms related to injuries of the spinal column and spinal cord such as herniated discs, spinal cord stenosis, and nerve impingements have the potential for greatest benefit from epidural injection therapy. Epidural injections are an integral component of the non-surgical management of sciatica, low back pain, and neck pain. Epidural injections are used in combination with a comprehensive pain management regimen to allow the patient to enjoy a better quality of life and return to an active lifestyle. Epidural injections are particularly helpful in providing sufficient pain relief in the acute phase of injury or pain exacerbation to allow the patient to make substantive progress with a rehabilitative exercise program.
RADIOFREQUENCY ABLATION
Radiofrequency ablation is a very effective treatment modality that uses radio waves to create heat that is used to destroy painful nerves. Radiofrequency ablation procedures can successfully provide relief from pain that has not been alleviated by other treatment modalities. Relief provided by Radiofrequency ablation can be long lasting, typically providing relief for 6-12 months at a time. Many types of chronic pain respond well to radiofrequency ablation, including pain due to sports injuries, motor vehicle accidents, neuropathic nerve injuries and neuropathic pain conditions, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), peripheral nerve entrapment syndromes, spinal arthritis, and pain related to degeneration of the major joints. The procedure can safely be repeated if the painful nerves regenerate and pain returns, allowing the patient effective, sustained relief.
KETAMINE INFUSION THERAPY
Ketamine infusion therapy involves the administration of a single infusion or a series of infusions for the management of some chronic pain states and psychiatric diagnoses after failure of standard treatments. Intravenous Ketamine Infusions may be used in some specific patients with chronic pain refractory to other treatment modalities. There is some evidence to suggest that properly administered ketamine infusion may offer some benefit to patients suffering from spinal cord injury pain, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), and other nerve related injuries. There is also some evidence to support the use of ketamine infusions in a percentage of patients suffering from severe depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other psychiatric conditions refractory to typical treatment modalities.
INTRAVENOUS INFUSION THERAPIES
Intravenous infusion therapies can be used to effectively treat conditions such as dehydration, headaches, chronic pain, fibromyalgia symptoms, and chronic fatigue. At Miracle Mile Medical Group we offer infusion therapies for a wide range of symptoms at an affordable rate.
BOTOX INJECTIONS
Botox injections are a minimally invasive treatment option for patients suffering from a number of different painful conditions. In addition to being used for cosmetic purposes, Botox injections are extremely effective in alleviating headaches and migraines in adults who have 15 or more days each month with headaches lasting for 4 or more hours each day. Botox can also be effectively used to treat muscle spasms, conditions with spasticity, some forms of neck and low back pain, TMJ pain, and muscle contractures. Botox injections are repeated every 10-14 weeks to provide long-lasting, sustained relief.
SPINAL CORD STIMULATIONS
A spinal cord stimulator is a small implanted device that sends low levels of electricity directly to the spinal cord to relieve pain. Similar to a pacemaker, spinal cord stimulators consist of thin wires and a small battery pack. The wires are inserted along the spinal column in the epidural space and the battery pack is placed under the skin, usually in the abdomen or buttocks. The spinal cord stimulator allows patients to control the perception of pain by sending signals that block the painful impulses from reaching the brain. Spinal cord stimulation is often used in patients with persistent pain after spine surgery, or for patients who do not wish to have surgery. This powerful small device can significantly improve quality of life and sleep, and significantly reduce the need for pain medications.
PERIPHERAL NERVE STIMULATION
Peripheral Nerve Stimulation is a commonly used approach to treat chronic pain originating from a peripheral nerve. In patients with pain due to injury or damage to a peripheral nerve, a small electrode is placed along the course of the peripheral nerve and attached to a small battery pack. The electrode is then able to deliver rapid electrical impulses in order to allow the patient to control and block the perception of pain and discomfort. Peripheral nerve stimulation can be used to effectively treat facial pain syndromes, occipital neuralgia and some headaches, extremity pain, pelvic pain, shoulder pain, and abdominal pain.
ACUPUNCTURE
Acupuncture stems from a branch of traditional medicine practiced in ancient China--dating back over 3,000 years! Over the years, it has advanced in its theory, technology, and treatment methods. Western medical acupuncturists practicing today use the best and most reliable aspects of holistic integrative medicine, while abiding the ancient principles of finding balance and achieving optimal wellness. Every patient is viewed and treated not merely through a narrow lens, but respectfully, and personally as a complex and multifaceted individual.
Acupuncture is safe, regulated, clinically researched, and used all over the world in renowned medical institutions to treat a multitude of health conditions. It shines specifically in its ability to treat pain and musculoskeletal dysfunction. Treatment with acupuncture can be used in strengthening tendons and ligaments, deactivating pain-signaling pathways, and reducing chronic muscle tension and spasms in areas of the body that have reduced oxygen and nutrient supply.
Acupuncture helps treat common conditions such as back and neck pain, tension headaches, and joint pain, such as osteoarthritis of the knee. Acupuncture has shown promising results in treating shoulder pain, fibromyalgia, postoperative pain, and TMJ.