Pain Management Special Advertising Section
Living with pain is something that all of us would rather not do. Pain interferes with moving, thinking, and our basic activities of daily living, making it difficult to live life to the fullest. On the other hand, pain often signals the presence a disturbance in the body, and to ignore it is to put your health at risk. Pain is a message to you, from you. It teaches you that there is nothing more important than taking care of you.
Fortunately, the Detroit area has many pain management specialists who offer a wide range of treatment options to alleviate pain. These options include rehabilitation therapy, surgical and nonsurgical procedures, drug-free intervention, spinal manipulation, and cutting-edge technology.
Even chronic pain can be managed and reduced, so there’s no reason to live with constant pain. With the proper evaluation and treatment, you can minimize and limit the pain that holds you back.
Cosmetic Dentistry Institute
Q: How can I get a great new smile without feeling discomfort in the dental chair?
A: If you could fall asleep wrapped in a warm blanket on a Tempur-Pedic cushion and wake up to a younger, healthier, beautiful smile, would you do it? That’s how easy it can be to transform your smile at the award-winning Cosmetic Dentistry Institute.
For people who are apprehensive about going to the dentist, sedation dentistry is a wonderful solution. “You can be completely relaxed and have a series of complex dental problems taken care of in as little as one visit. Sedation is also great if you have pain in areas of your body that make it difficult to sit in a dental chair,” says Dr. Craig Goldin, who has advanced training and certification in IV sedation.
If you’re uncomfortable having your teeth cleaned, be assured that CDI’s hygienists are trained in the use of laughing gas and local anesthesia to give patients a relaxed experience. Dr. Craig Goldin is skilled in advanced numbing techniques and dental pain management, and he’s also trained to help patients with jaw or TMJ pain, chronic headaches and, of course, tooth pain.
“We offer nothing less than excellence in dentistry,” says Dr. Marcy Goldin, an adjunct clinical lecturer at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. “Your visit will be efficient and high-tech, as well as comfortable and painless.”
Pilates Fitness & Physical Therapy Center
Q: How can Pilates-based physical therapy help back pain?
A: Patients with pain stemming from excessive movement and degeneration of the intervertebral discs and joints will likely benefit from a Pilates exercise program.
Pilates improves strength, flexibility, and suppleness of the muscles of the hip and shoulder. With supported movement through these joints, there is better alignment and less chance of back pain.
In addition, the Pilates program teaches awareness of movements and excessive tension that may stress the spine. It also decreases wear and tear resulting from uneven stresses on the interverterbral joints and discs. Pilates helps patients change or modify habits that may be attributing to increased pain.
Pilates-based physical therapy promotes awareness of neutral alignment of the spine, helps strengthen deep postural muscles, and teaches ways to use the body efficiently.
A gentle way to combat back pain, Pilates can be effective in preventing back injury and may also be used as a fitness routine to maintain progress.
Team Rehab
Q: I have arthritis. How can physical therapy help me?
A: Arthritis is caused by the loss of cartilage in our joints. This places stress on bones and joints, leading to inflammation, pain, bone spurs, and stiffness. In turn, these can cause pain during day-to-day activities and overall reduced activity tolerance. Physical therapists are specialists in human movement, and arthritis is one of the most common conditions affecting movement.
Physical therapy for arthritis begins with a detailed assessment of range of motion, strength, flexibility, and movement patterns. This information, along with the client’s goals, will allow the therapist to develop a customized treatment program.
Treatments usually involve manual therapy techniques and specific therapeutic exercises aimed at strengthening weak muscles and stretching tight muscles. To reduce stress on arthritic joints, movement patterns — such as the way a person gets up from a chair or goes down the stairs — are identified and addressed. Modalities for pain relief, such as heat therapy or electric stimulation, may also be incorporated.
Whether your goal is to golf 18 holes without “paying for it” the next day, or to simply get up from a chair without groaning and creaking, physical therapy may help with the pain of arthritis and allow you to lead a more active life.
Oakland MRI
Q: What can Oakland MRI do to help me with my pain issue?
A: Oakland MRI is a full-service imaging facility offering the most up-to-date open MRI imaging equipment, along with a digital X-ray suite.
Our radiologists, who specialize in neurology and musculoskeletal systems, locate and describe the problem quickly and accurately so you and your doctor can be confident in the findings of your complex study.
Oakland MRI has a C-arm suite where arthrograms, discograms, and myelograms are performed. These procedures use image-guided injections to determine the cause of ongoing pain. Arthrograms and discograms can pinpoint the cause of joint problems and persistent back pain. Myelograms are used to investigate disorders of the spinal canal, cord, and nerve roots. MRI arthrograms can be done immediately after the injection, where other facilities have to mobilize the patient to different locations.
The next time you need excellent and convenient imaging services, remember that you can choose the testing facility. Oakland MRI offers an inviting and comforting atmosphere, quick and easy scheduling, and same-day, next-day, and Saturday appointments for your convenience. Every patient receives a copy of the images on a disc, and the report is faxed the next day to the referring doctor. Choose Oakland MRI and experience the difference!
Michigan Head & Spine Institute
Q: What does a physiatrist do to relieve pain?
A: The physiatrists of Michigan Head & Spine Institute (MHSI) specialize in the nonsurgical evaluation and management of chronic and acute pain. Their goal is to improve a patient’s functional skills and, thus, their quality of life. Central to this is the elimination of pain, which results in minimizing the use of medications. Physiatrists also diagnose various neuromuscular disorders with electrodiagnostics, or tests that provide information on how the nervous system functions.
Using conservative, nonsurgical tools and minimally invasive treatments, pain management, and exercise-based rehabilitation therapy, physiatrists treat various musculoskeletal (muscles and bones) and neurological (nervous system) disorders including arthritis, back pain, work- and sports-related injuries, auto accidents, brain or spinal cord injuries, and post-stroke treatment. They also work with amputees to address their specific challenges and help them to function better in everyday activities.
MHSI is one of the largest neurosurgery/physiatry medical practices in the country, with several locations in southeast Michigan. If you’re seeking conservative and minimally invasive techniques to relieve pain, you owe it to yourself to make an appointment with a physiatrist, or physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) specialist. While the American Medical Association has recognized physiatrists since 1946, their role is often misunderstood, except by those who have benefited from their expertise. At MHSI, the physiatrist makes every effort to find a solution to your pain that considers your lifestyle, your level of activity, and your desired quality of life.
Chiropractic Works PC
Q: How can I lessen or avoid chronic pain years following a car accident?
I advise people not to ignore the stiff neck and pain they experience after a minor traffic accident or fall, as it could indicate serious spinal damage. As one of the few chiropractors in Michigan trained in spinal trauma, I recommend that anyone who is involved in an accident should seek help from a trained chiropractor in spinal trauma.
We are specialists in soft and hard tissue problems that result from the trauma of a car accident or fall. Your chiropractic care will help alleviate the cause of pain through manual manipulation and massage therapy. If you’ve been in an accident, it’s very possible that you’re not functioning at your best due to hidden injuries.
2015-2016: Voted one of the Top Chiropractors in Michigan by Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare; 2015: Voted one of the Best Chiropractors in America.
Jagannathan Neurosurgery
Q: Why are compression fractures so painful?
A: Compression fractures are wedgeshaped fractures of the vertebral bones that often develop in the mid-to-lower portion of the lumbar spine. The pain can be debilitating and interfere with day-to-day function. Osteoporosis is the most common cause of vertebral compression fractures, particularly in women. Fractures can also be caused by trauma and malignancy, which happen in both men and women. Usually X-rays will reveal the fracture, but an MRI may be needed to determine if there is narrowing in the spinal canal (stenosis), or ligamentous injury in the case of trauma. Patients often describe the pain as knife-like, and compression fractures can be treated initially with pain control and bed rest. However, if the pain doesn’t improve with noninvasive measures, a vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty is an outpatient procedure that can be used for pain control. In this procedure, real-time fluoroscopy is used to insert a needle into the fractured vertebrae and cement is injected into the fractured bone to stabilize the it. This can also improve the height of the collapsed vertebrae. A biopsy may be taken at the time of vertebroplasty, if indicated. At our office, kyphoplasty and vertebroplasties are performed with an anesthesiologist providing sedation, and patients usually go home the same day.
Stem Cell Therapeutics
Q: What new treatments are available for hip and knee pain?
A: While all of the current modalities for the treatment of hip and knee pain are viable, one new technique stands out above all the rest. This involves the injection of the patient’s own stem cells into the affected joint, to rejuvenate the lost and damaged cartilage from that joint. Patients can look forward to significant recovery from their arthritic pain without resorting to a major surgical procedure. Stem Cell Therapeutics is the first practice to perform this groundbreaking procedure in Michigan. Our patients have enjoyed universal success and are our best source of continued referrals.
Constantine Raphtis, D.O., F.A.C.O.O.G.
Q: How can I relieve painful intercourse and vaginal dryness associated with hormonal changes?
Vaginal health issues that affect women of menopausal age, as well as breast cancer survivors, include vaginal dryness, painful intercourse, painful urination, and recurrent vaginal infections. When a woman cannot or will not take estrogen replacement therapy, or it has not given the relief sought, the MonaLisa Touch Laser provides a safe, effective, and nonsurgical therapy that revitalizes the vagina by stimulating collagen and revascularization within the vaginal wall. This helps to restore the ph balance and stimulate lubrication to premenopausal levels, which helps to alleviate the painful symptoms.
This procedure restores vaginal health quickly and painlessly. The recommended treatment includes three sessions spaced at six-week intervals; each treatment takes less than five minutes. Most women will report noticeable changes after just one session. There is no anesthesia required and no documented adverse side effects. What women do report is a new lease on life after having addressed vaginal pain using the MonaLisa Touch Laser.
Chiropractic Orthopedics
Q: Some people say I have bad posture. Is that a problem?
A: After spending years taking care of patients with degenerative spine disease, it has become ever more obvious that chronic spinal pain is driven by postural faulting. In our practice, we work with patients to identify activities and body habits that cause constant stress to joints and muscles. This has become an integral part of our practice, as has education we give our patients regarding the long-term cause and effect of poor posture. Chiropractic care, along with active care involving counteractive exercises, can help correct, maintain, and improve your posture, and help with chronic pain syndromes. When the body isn’t in alignment, nerves can’t communicate effectively, which can lead to pain. With proper care, your body can once again function at its highest, most pain-free level.
Chiropractic Orthopedics
Dr. James Herman
6431 Inkster Rd., Suite. 220
Bloomfield Twp., MI 48301
P: 248-539-0100
bloomfield-chiropractor.com
Integrated Health Systems & Miletic Institute of Brain Science
Q: How does the brain play a role in chronic pain, and who can benefit from integrated treatment plans?
A: Apart from stopping people from being able to perform well mentally, chronic pain presents many challenges to mood and even brain functioning and structure. Chronic pain leads to chronic stress, which in turn leads to chronic inflammation. This increases our cortisol levels significantly. Cortisol is known to be associated strongly with the development of depression, and even neurodegenerative conditions on the basis of neuro inflammation, when chronic.
In order to properly manage pain conditions, all aspects in the brain and body that are affected by pain must be addressed. At IHS, we use an integrated approach to understanding the effects of chronic pain and then customize treatment plans in three key areas, to be able to deal with anyone suffering from chronic pain.
1. Nutritional IVs (now offered at IHS) and supplements help to reduce inflammation and reduce cortisol levels.
2. Soft tissue treatments and dry needling help to reduce the body’s chronic spasms and tension brought about from the pain.
3. Proper diet and nutritional counseling becomes essential in order to replace lost minerals from the stress produced by the pain.
We have practitioners in all areas who are able to identify, and then manage, the body and brain’s responses to pain. This allows a reduction in the experience of the pain as well as a reduction in the things that can actually feed the perception of pain.
David P. Jankowski, D.O.
Q: What are ways to manage and treat pain?
A: The first modality is physical therapy in conjunction with pain medication, then injection to the site — such as an epidural steroid injection. This is a therapeutic injection to the site of inflammation that allows the direct effects of anti-inflammatory agents to be utilized without being absorbed by the stomach. If these methods do not provide the pain relief needed, there are other modalities of pain relief by way of radiofrequency ablation (RFA), a safe and effective radio wave procedure used to manage chronic and acute long-term pain. RFA can provide relief from arthritis or lumbar spine pain for six to 24 months in many cases. This procedure can be performed in our surgical suite using the most up-to-date equipment. Still another pain relief method utilizes Pulse Stimulation Treatment (PSTIM), an FDA-approved treatment for chronic and acute pain. This technology allows for non-narcotic treatment of pain with electrical pulse stimulation that can provide months of relief. Our office is one of a few in Michigan trained to provide PSTIM to patients. When other treatments haven’t helped with pain, the spinal cord stimulation can help reduce chronic leg or arm pain, pain resulting from failed back surgery syndrome, spinal cord injury, phantom limb pain, and many other types of pain. It is a standard procedure for patients with chronic pain who have tried other, more conservative treatments. There are many ways to combat chronic pain, but the first thing you must do is make an appointment to discuss what options are best for you.
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