Pain Management

There are many different treatments for chronic pain ranging from medication to surgery, and if you suffer from chronic pain you are probably already familiar with many of the options available such as physical and massage therapy, acupuncture and pain injections. Most people have some knowledge of physical therapy and some alternative treatments like acupuncture which are growing in popularity. But general knowledge on some of the other available pain management options such as pain injections seem to be less widespread. In this article, we’ll take a look at trigger point injections and why you may want to consider this option.

What are Trigger Point Injections and Why Should I Consider the Treatment?

A trigger point injection (TPI) is an outpatient procedure used to relieve pain caused by trigger points or knots in muscles. Trigger point injections are administered by a health care professional and involve a small needle being inserted into the trigger point or painful area. Lidocaine which is a numbing agent is commonly the injected substance and used to numb the muscle or muscle group(s) causing the pain. Sometimes an anti-inflammatory is also injected into the trigger point area. 

When you have tight muscles that are bound-up in knots, they can lead to chronic pain or extreme discomfort. The trigger point injections help to reduce pain by releasing the tension caused by the muscles. Of course, the injections are not effective for every patient, but trigger point injections have proven, in many cases, to provide fast relief by helping the tight muscles to relax. Additionally, it’s a fairly quick procedure and can take as little as a few minutes to be administered.

Where Do TPI’s Fall in My Pain Management Plan?

Trigger point injections are not usually the first treatment a physician would recommend for chronic pain, most of the time, a trigger point injection would be recommended after you’ve attempted resting the affected area, prescription medication and/or a physical therapy regimen. Certainly, the type of treatment recommended for you is dependent on your individual circumstance and only your physician could give you specifics about trigger point injections and your pain management plan. For the most part, a physician may recommend other treatments before a trigger point injection.

Contact Your Physician

If you are suffering from chronic pain, or think you need trigger point injections, contact your physician immediately and discuss your options. Your doctor may suggest other treatments before trigger point injections or not recommend them at all.

Your treatment plan is designed to help you manage pain and increase quality of life; at IBJI our physicians take pride in helping our patients live happier and healthier lives. If you would like to speak to an IBJI physician about your condition find a location nearest you or call to learn about our comprehensive pain management program.

Rheumatoid Arthritis or RA is a chronic autoimmune disorder that can be very painful. RA causes inflammation of the joints which can lead to stiffness and swelling in the affected area. The key to slowing the progression of the disease is recognizing the symptoms and getting treatment as early as possible. Unfortunately, recognizing the symptoms can be tricky as RA may have periods of remission and during those periods there will likely be no symptoms. The key is to listen to your body and not ignore the symptoms.

Numbness or tingling in the hands

One of the most common symptoms of RA is numbness or tingling in the hands. The inflammation compresses the nerves which may cause pain in the wrist area or the hands. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a known condition that affects the wrists and hands and also may be an early sign of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Morning Stiffness

Morning stiffness is a common complaint of people with RA. The joints are usually very stiff and may have limited range of motion in the morning and then loosen during the day with movement and activity.

Joint Pain

Rheumatoid Arthritis can affect many areas of the body but pain is often directly related to joints. The numbness and tingling in the hands is a common area affected, but pain may be felt in the knees, elbows, shoulders, jaw or neck.

Fatigue

Fatigue by itself is not enough to classify it as a symptom of Rheumatoid Arthritis. But constant fatigue in combination with some of the other symptoms, like pain in the joints or tingling in the hands, may be a result of inflammation caused by RA.

Foot Pain

Some people with RA find they have pain in the heel or forefront of the foot as a result of the inflammation. The pain can be such that it stops men from wearing dress shoes or women from heels.

Don’t Ignore the Symptoms of RA

Rheumatoid Arthritis may affect your entire body, but more commonly you will have pain in your hands or joint areas like knees or elbows. The pain or stiffness may be worse in the morning and take you a few hours to feel like you have loosened up.

Remember, individually not all of the symptoms will be good indications of RA, but if you have multiple symptoms, that may be a better indication of the possibility of the disorder. Knowing these symptoms may help you recognize the disease early and get the proper treatment. The key is to not ignore the symptoms and to speak with a physician as soon as the symptoms surface.

This information is not intended to provide advise or treatment for a specific situation. Consult your physician and medical team for information and treatment plans on your specific condition(s).

If you have been living with pain in any area of your body for an extended period of time, you are probably familiar with the phrase “pain management”. Many people suffer from conditions like arthritis, tendonitis, and other conditions that may gradually progress without the help of a pain management treatment plan. An effective pain management treatment program will usually involve multiple physicians and therapist that will work together to help reduce or eliminate your pain. 

What is Pain Management?

Chronic pain conditions can stop you from playing your favorite sports, working or conducting normal day-to-day activities. The main purpose of pain management is to reduce your pain and increase your function to improve quality of life. Pain management usually involves a team effort, for instance, you may start off seeing a doctor because you have low back pain. That physician may prescribe you medication and recommend you see a physical therapist. If the physical therapist and the physician are able to eliminate your pain, your pain management treatment would stop.

However, if the physical therapist put you through an entire program and you were still in pain, she may recommend non-steroidal injections. All of these health practitioners will work together to help you reduce and eliminate your pain.

Do you have pain in your wrist or hands? Do you have stiffness in your fingers that seems to be worst in the mornings? What about numbness in your fingers? All of these symptoms are common with arthritis in the hands. Arthritis in the hands can dramatically reduce the quality of life as not having full usage of your hands can really alter how you do things or stop normal day-to-day activities completely.

What is arthritis of the hand?

Arthritis is a condition that describes inflammation of the joints. The most common form of arthritis is degenerative arthritis, also called osteoarthritis. This form of arthritis in your hands can limit functionality and cause much pain due to the loss of cartilage as it wears over time. Osteoarthritis of the hands is usually experienced later in life as it is a degenerative disease.

What are some of the symptoms?

While there are many types of arthritis many of them have common symptoms. Here are some of the most common symptoms:

• Pain in hands or fingers
• Stiffness in hands, especially early in the morning and may improve with day.
• Swollen joints in hands
• Hand or wrist may have limited range of motion
• Affected hand joint may be tender to the touch

If you’ve had chronic pain in your hands you know how discomforting and inconvenient the pain can make simple every day task. Holding a cup of coffee or typing on a keyboard can cause considerable pain. But how do you know when it’s time for surgery and what exactly is hand surgery anyway? Of course only you and your orthopedic physician can decide when surgery is appropriate as the need for surgery will greatly vary from case to case. In this article will talk about hand surgery and some of the conditions that may lead to a surgery.

What is hand surgery?

Hand Surgery is a field in orthopedic surgery that diagnosis treats and corrects problem of the hand. The title “hand surgeon” is a little misleading as a hand surgeon is a doctor with specialized training for upper extremities including hands, arms, and shoulders. Hand surgeons also do more than surgery. Hand Surgeons also treat fractures, nerve problems, and tendonitis.

How do I know if I need hand Surgery?

If you have been visiting your physician you will have tried other methods to reduce or eliminate the pain and surgery will typically be used as a last resort. It’s important that you have good open communication with your orthopedic physician as most people know when they need surgery as the pain has made it impossible to do normal day- to- day activities. If you are experiencing this type of pain and it continually gets worst, your physician needs to know and together you can take the best course of action.

When you wake up in the morning do you feel a stiffness or pain in your joints? Does the pain and stiffness get better as they day goes on. These are common symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA). Osteoarthritis is the most common form and is often called “wear and tear” arthritis.  Osteoarthritis can occur from an acute injury like a slip and fall but typically it is the result of repetitive motion.  Symptoms can range from pain in the affected area, to loss of flexibility. Most people suffering from osteoarthritis will also commonly complain of joint stiffness as well. The most common areas affected by OA are the knees hips and spine.  Both the low are upper back are subject to the symptoms of osteoarthritis. 

Osteoarthritis Of The Knees

Osteoarthritis in the knees is very common and stiffness and pain will often make it uncomfortable to stand for long periods of time or even walk in more severe cases.  The knees joints are subject to a lot of wear and tear over the years making them a common area for osteoarthritis. All the running, walking and getting up and down accumulates over time casing the wear and tear in the knees. Weight is also often a factor as many people are overweight which subjects the knees to added pressure.

Constant pain in the hands can make normal day to day activities difficult or even impossible.  Almost everything we do involves our hands in some way and common activities such as turning the cap on a water bottle, typing on a computer keyboard, or gripping a tooth brush can shoot pain through the joints at any moment leaving you unable to complete a simple task.  For many people that pain is caused by arthritis in one form or the other.

Arthritis means inflammation of the joints and depending on what type of arthritis you are suffering from, the cause of your pain could vary.    

Causes of Arthritis in Hands

Generally arthritis of the hands is caused by overuse. People who have to use their hands and fingers constantly, like cashiers and hairdressers are at risk due to the repetition. On some occasions arthritis of the hands can be caused by an acute trauma like a fall, where the person uses their hands to break the impact.

Fibromyalgia causes chronic pain that can become debilitating at times. The pain usually travels from one area of the body to another, sometimes moving multiple times a day. This condition affects about 1 in 50 people in the U.S.  and more women than men. In fact about 80-90% of fibromyalgia patients are women. People who live with Fibromyalgia usually experience chronic and wide-spread pain that can affect the entire body. Managing this painful and debilitating condition takes a proactive and thoughtful approach that starts with understanding the symptoms of fibromyalgia.

The Most Common Symptoms Of Fibromyalgia

Aside of chronic pain and fatigue, people with Fibromyalgia can experience a wide variety of other symptoms including:

• Headaches and even migraines
• A poor quality of sleep or sleep disturbances
• Memory problems that are sometimes call “fibro fog”
• Stiffness in the morning
• RLS or restless legs syndrome
• Numbness or tingling of the arms and legs
• Sensitivity to bright lights, loud noises, and changes in temperature
• IBS or irritable bowel syndrome

Many toddlers love to get swung by their arms. The feeling of flying through the air while safely protected by mom or dad is almost irresistible to them. Their laughter while they zoom in circles and their begging to “fly” makes it pretty irresistible to parents. Unfortunately this fun activity can result in one of the most common injuries that toddlers receive called nursemaids elbow.

What Is Nursemaids Elbow

Inside the elbow are ligaments that hold the bones to the elbow joint. In small children the ligaments tend to be fairly thin, stretchy, and loose. These nice and flexible elbow joints make it much more likely that the elbow will partially dislocate or move out of place. Thankfully as kids get older these ligaments get thicker, less flexible, and tighten up making it much less likely that the elbow can slip out of place. Physicians may refer to this as a partially dislocated elbow, pulled elbow, or the medical term radial head subluxation.

As a toddler’s arm is pulled by the hand or lower arm it can cause the elbow to slip. Only slight pressure is needed to cause the elbow to slip, especially when the arm is twisted. Some common causes of this injury are:

• Picking up a toddler by the hands or lower arms
• Swinging the child around in a circle by their hands
• A falling kid stopping themselves with extended arms
• Pulling on the their arms to make them walk or run

Thanks to the American Academy of Pain (AAPM) we know some of the facts about how pain affects the lives of people. According to their research, in the United States health care for pain management is provided for a variety of diseases and conditions including cancer, heart diseases, strokes, and diabetes. All of these conditions combined total about 59 million sufferers in the United States but are nothing compared to number of people afflicted with chronic pain. Chronic pain alone almost doubles the number of sufferers from the other conditions, with 100 million people affected. This brings up the question about how pain affects you and your loved ones.

What Kind Of Pain Is Chronic Pain?

According to the study from AAPM, chronic pain can be broken down by the type of pain that people experience. By far, back pain is the most common type of pain, affecting 27% of chronic pain sufferers. The next two most common are migraine and neck pain at 15%. The last and least common is pain to the face at 4%.

Who Is Affected By Chronic Pain?

About 60% of people say they experience a surge in pain at least once a day and 51% replied that they have almost no control over their chronic pain. 30% of people over the age of 45 reports they have had pain that lasts more than a day. Between the ages of 20 to 44, 25% of people experience pain that lasts over 24 hours. Only about 21% of people in retirement experience long term pain.