Neuropathy vs Neuralgia 101: Symptoms and Treatments
By Advanced Pain Care, M.D.Neuropathy is a dysfunction usually occurring in the peripheral nervous system or the nerves that are located outside the brain and spinal cord. It can manifest itself as pain, weakness, and numbness. Whereas neuralgia is just nerve pain where the patient may feel a burning, tingling, pins and needles, and electric shock sensation that can occur with the lightest form of stimuli. Neuralgia is a type of neuropathy, but neuropathy tends to affect the motor components, such as causing slow digestion, nausea, or light-headedness. Both denote conditions that affect the nerves and may cause pain wherever the
When All Other Treatments Fail, How APC Found A Solution for Severe Chronic Pain- Check Out Stormey’s Story
By Advanced Pain Care with contributions from Stormey PerrittStormey had a hip replacement with a new ball and socket joint. Unfortunately, there was a complication and the bone cement came out of the confined hip area to the surrounding muscles and nerves. In her case, it was quite severe. The cement had been rubbing against nearby nerves, causing friction, significant pain, and nerve damage in the local area and in the lower spine. She said she was experiencing a significantly reduced quality of life due to the pain and could not live or complete daily tasks without thinking about the pain.
Types of Post-Surgical Pain and How To Manage Each
By Matthew Hellman, M.D.Post-surgical pain is pretty common and has a number of possible causes, including tissue damage. Tissue damage can happen at the point of incision, during the procedure itself, or at the closing of the wound. You may also experience other forms of pain like muscle and joint pain in the nearby extremities that results due to a loss in mobility or overworking, due to surgery in a central area of your body that is either making you not able to move those other extremities or rely more heavily on them. For example, if you had back surgery and
So You Broke Your Hip, Now What?
By Advanced Pain CareThe hip is a common place for injury, and therefore a common place for fractures, especially in elderly patients. Women tend to experience more hip fractures than men post menopause, due to the loss in the female hormone progesterone, which supports bone formation. The hip is a ball and socket joint that connects the upper part of the leg and the pelvis together. It allows for a lot of movement. But due to aging in all patients, bone density and joint elasticity decrease, causing strain on the hip’s mobility. Restricted mobility in the lumbar spine can also contribute
TREATING CHRONIC PAIN CAN BE DONE COMPASSIONATELY – CHECK OUT SHARON’S STORY
By Sharon BlackThe majority of Americans live with some sort of pain, back pain being the most common. When I met Sharon, she was one of the many Americans that suffers daily with pain in her lower back and knees. It affected her mobility and her day-to-day activities significantly. Upon my first assessment, Sharon was suffering from pain due to her facet joints, the joints that run along the back of her spine. I confirmed my first assumption was correct after I did x-ray guided nerve block injections which demonstrated that her facet joints were, in fact, the source of her
Does Stress Cause Chronic Neck Pain? How Relaxation Strategies Can Help You Keep Pain At Bay
By Advanced Pain CareStress can certainly cause or even exacerbate chronic neck pain. When you experience stress, whether a chronic stress disorder, or bouts of anxiety, or depression, your body will trigger the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for your “fight or flight” response. This response, when triggered, will produce and release an increase in cortisol and adrenaline hormones. Elevations in cortisol, particularly, can lead to a loss in muscle mass and an increase in fat accumulation. In moments of threat, your body’s stress response is a helpful reaction because it can help you either fight
What Triggers Migraines and How Can You Manage Them?
By Advanced Pain CareIf you’ve been experiencing migraines more than usual lately, you’re not alone. Seasonal changes (yes, even here in mild and pleasant Texas) are one of the many triggers of this impairing head pain. What makes migraines different from regular headaches is the associated symptoms that go along with them. If other ailments like nausea, sensitivity to lights or noise, or dizziness accompany your throbbing head, there’s a good chance you’re suffering from a migraine. The good news is that there are lifestyle changes you can make to reduce the chances of encountering this unpleasant affair.What Does a
How We at APC Address Mental Health and Chronic Pain Together
By Advanced Pain CareYou might not think that a pain care clinic pays much attention to mental health, but one of the things that I love most about working here is being part of a team that knows the importance of addressing both chronic pain and mental health together.I’d estimate that 50%-70% of the clients here at Advanced Pain Care have some sort of combination of chronic pain and depression or anxiety symptoms. That’s a huge number.Let’s answer some questions about how we at Advanced Pain Care address mental health and chronic pain together.Can chronic pain come from depression or
Have Chronic Back Pain? It Might Be Sciatica
By Paul H Le, M.D.About 35% of the population over 40 will have back pain, many of which is chronic pain.There are all different types of back pain, but one of the more common ones is Sciatica. By learning more about signs and symptoms, it’ll be easier for you to get help early on so you can treat your pain easier.Read on to learn more about a common back pain that radiates all the way down to your legs and what you can do if you think you’re suffering from it.What is Sciatica?Essentially, Sciatica is radiating pain, typically down the
Self-Care Tips for Managing Chronic Pain at Home
Discover how you can begin managing chronic pain with easy at-home self-care tips from Advanced Pain Care’s Dr. Adam Spjute.
