By Advanced Pain Care; an interview with Dr. Victor Taylor “Pain is a more terrible lord of mankind than even death itself.” This quote by Albert Swietzer is, fortunately not a truth most of us have to deal with on a daily basis. For some people, however, pain becomes an ever-present part of their lives. Everyone has experienced pain. By the time we are old enough to remember anything we have had multiple falls, pinches, scrapes, and dings. By the time we reach adulthood, most people have had a sprained ankle, broken bone, or a cut that required stitches. As we progress through

What is a meniscus tear? Oh no-- you think you've got a meniscus tear? You're in the right place to learn about its causes, effects, identifiers, and cures. Let’s dive right in. Picture a C-shaped piece of cartilage in your knee that sits right under the patella and acts like a shock absorber between your thighbone and shinbone– that’s your meniscus. A meniscus tear is when that little cushiony cartilage in your knee, which acts as a shock absorber between your thigh bone and shinbone, gets torn. When intact and healthy, your meniscus keeps your knee stable, but when it’s not, could cause

By Dr. Jenna Lane, M.D. Back pain during pregnancy is common. In fact, nearly 80% of women experience back pain during pregnancy. You may experience back pain because the weight of your baby is adding more pressure to your pelvic region, and changing your posture. Progesterone is a hormone that maintains pregnancy. Progesterone in combination with the hormone relaxin, relaxes the ligaments around the pelvis, which makes pregnant women more susceptible to back pain. You may have just entered your third trimester, and the weight of the baby adds stress to your lower back. Due to your growing belly and breasts causing a shift in

By Jennifer Falzone, PT Since starting our Advanced Physical Therapy practice in November 2022, our team (of two!) has been excited to welcome new patients into APC for all their physical therapy needs. We service all populations, from pain to orthopedic to neuro to rheumatology, and I have to say, the moment I started working with APC, I felt the integrative, collaborative approach that makes me feel confident that we can all make good decisions for our patients as a collective of pain care specialists working as a team. The Patient Experience at Advanced Pain Care The key that many patients are starting

By Advanced Pain Care Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a condition where you have pain in your upper and lower extremities (arms, legs, hands, and feet). Doctors do not quite know the cause of this condition. Still, most believe it is usually caused by an injury to the peripheral (nerves outside the brain and spinal cord) and central nervous systems (CNS) (consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord nerves).   According to studies, tissue trauma due to injuries may stimulate the immune system to release inflammatory chemicals into the affected area. According to other research, the cause may be to impair

By Ryan Jacobs M.D. Migraines are a type of headache that presents in a series of stages. There is a prodrome stage which is usually characterized by fatigue, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound. During this phase, you could also experience neck stiffness or sleep problems.  In some individuals, you could also experience the aura stage. The aura stage is characterized by numbness and tingling in various parts of the body and vision changes. Most people, if not all, migraine sufferers will experience the headache stage, characterized by throbbing, pulsating, debilitating pain around the head, along with nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity

By Dr. Sam Pegram Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is unlike osteoarthritis, which the latter is a result of mechanical wear and tear on your joints. Instead, Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic auto-immune disease characterized by the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the joint capsules. Those cells release enzymes that reduce the overall cartilage and primarily affect the smaller joints in your body, such as your wrists and hands.  Rheumatoid arthritis can spread to bigger joints in your body, like your elbows, ankles, and knees, but it typically doesn’t attack the largest joints in your body, like the ones in your back, for example.

By Rey Ximenes MD Eastern medicine is simply a term the western world has coined. Still, it typically refers to traditional medicine practices that derive from the rest of the world that look at the totality of the body, mind, and spirit rather than focus on a particular aspect of the body that is ailing.  Even in Australia, the Indigenous population has their own form of traditional medicine they use, which is a combination of healing practices and herbs to heal the body.  The great part about Eastern medicine is its holistic view. Where Western medicine has a reductionist approach to healing, Eastern

By Matt Sage, PharmD  As with most medications, you can take too much acetaminophen (Tylenol) or NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Aspirin or Ibuprofen. With any drugs, taking more does not actually make the drug more effective and may result in severe side effects on your body or even result in death.  Even if they are both over-the-counter drugs, you should still consult your doctor or pharmacist to understand the recommended dosage for each drug. The dosage may vary based on your age, weight, and how much you have already taken throughout the day. You also want to ensure you are

By Advanced Pain Care At every stage of your pregnancy, it is normal to feel some pain or discomfort with hormonal changes and the growth of the baby in your uterus. “Normal” pains usually materialize as back, pelvic, and even ligament pain.  Though these might be considered “normal,” it doesn’t mean that any pain should be overlooked. You should always talk to your OBGYN when you are feeling any type of pain, even if you think that pain is “typical.” Some pains are considered dangerous, even if they appear in “typical” ways or in those three areas.  A lot of home remedies can