Chronic pain
Chronic pain persists for extended periods, usually over three to six months, beyond the normal healing time. It can stem from various conditions and affects physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Unlike acute pain, chronic pain may persist long after initial injuries have healed, impacting daily life and functioning.
Subscribe to the BlogBack of Shoulder Pain: Your Neck May Be the Culprit!
Two years ago, I went into work to see patients with a sensation that someone was pushing the back of my shoulder forward. I initially thought that it was a rib moving in a weird way, but it soon morphed into awful back of shoulder pain. For two weeks I was convinced this was a…read more
New Treatment for Neck Pain: Platelet Lysate and Heidi’s Journey
At our annual Regenexx network provider conference in Denver this past week, a network physician who is more focused on interventional spine came up and thanked me for introducing him to a new treatment for neck pain – platelet lysate. This one change had revolutionized his practice as he found it much more effective than…read more Knee and Back Pain and Sleep Problems…
Unlike the days when life was simpler and we slept soundly awakened by the sun, many things contribute to our modern epidemic of poor sleep. That said, I think most of us can agree that pain makes sleep very difficult. Given what the vast majority of our patients present with, this study on knee and back pain and sleep caught my…read more Hip Tear Surgery Didn’t Work? The Problem Isn’t in Your Hip
Hip tear surgery didn’t work? The concept that hip labrum tears cause pain is relatively new in medicine. Despite that, the number of arthroscopic hip surgeries to treat hip labrum tears and impingement have exploded this past 5 years. However, have we as physicians become way too zealous? A patient I evaluated in clinic yesterday is…read more Back Fusion Outcome: Fusion Leads to Dead Multifidus
Decisions in Medicine like most things are based on risk vs. benefit. There are life saving procedures and surgeries where the answer is clear, but in non emergency situations, are we doing greater good than harm? A new study looks at the potential damage done to the multifidus in the common surgery, back fusion. So what is…read more The Dirty Little Secret of Rotator Cuff Surgery
You’re middle aged or older and you do something like reaching out too fast, or lifting, or maybe just bracing yourself to prevent a fall and you tear your shoulder rotator cuff. Surgery seems to be the definitive treatment, but recent research on the efficacy of rotator cuff surgery has a dirty little secret that should…read more CDC Report: Scary Rise in Narcotic Use!
I’ll never forget the pesky Oxycontin rep that invaded my office about 15 years ago. He was armed with a fistful of research papers written by fancy university professors showing just how non-addictive his new drug was and he couldn’t understand why I avoided him like the plague. Fast forward 15 years and we all…read more Are You an NSAID Addict? What Can You Do?
You’re getting older and you can’t hit the gym or get through that ski vacation without popping some Motrin or Aleve. Or maybe your doctor put you on Celebrex or Mobic to help the pain you have in several joints? Did you know that these drugs, called NSAIDs are dangerous to your health? NSAID stands for…read more 