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 BlogWhy It’s Time to Rethink Arthroscopy Shoulder Surgery
Dr. Centeno breaks down arthroscopy shoulder surgery, why it might be performed, and why you might want to rethink this surgery.
Your Back Problem May Be Destroying Back Muscles
An issue in your spine could be destroying your back muscles. Keeping the back muscles active, even in the presence of aging and a spinal disorder, may keep the back stronger and, therefore, decrease the risk of muscle loss. Do You Need to Burn Neck Nerves to Help Chronic Pain?
Neck pain caused by an injury or car accident can be life-changing. Just ask Sarah, who sent Dr. Markle a thank you note this week because he was able to use precisely guided orthobiologic injections to get her life back instead of damaging radiofrequency procedures. Let’s dive in to see what happened. Cervical Radiofrequency: How…read more Your Insomnia Might Be Causing Your Chronic Muscle Pain
In today’s computer screen and connected environment, many of us don’t sleep well. Add in too much Starbucks or a Red Bull, and it’s a wonder any of can get some z’s. However, few of us connect that poor sleep with pain, despite research showing that one may cause the other. This morning let’s look…read more Why Can’t I Lift My Arms Overhead?
On this page: Muscles and ligaments involved in neck instability Irritated neck nerves A patient story I love when patients walk in and I can easily show them how their body works. This past week, I was able to do that with a patient who couldn’t lift his arms over his head. In seconds, I…read more
Why You Don’t Need Shoulder Separation Surgery
On this page: What is the AC joint? What happens in an AC joint separation? What does an AC joint separation feel like? Is shoulder separation surgery necessary? New research on surgery for AC joint dislocation When I was in medical school, I crashed a motorcycle and separated my shoulder. I was told back then…read more Don’t Expect to Toss the Opioids After Spinal Fusion
Most patients I speak to who are contemplating a spinal fusion for low back pain believe that their pain will be solved and that they will be able to stop using narcotics. However, what if that wasn’t remotely true? Would they still sign up for this invasive and potentially dangerous surgical procedure? New research suggests…read more Opioids No Better than Tylenol for Pain?
I’ve never been a fan of narcotic/opioid medications. Fifteen years ago, when sales reps for pharma companies descended on our office to extoll the virtues of prescribing high-dose narcotics to our pain patients, I thought these folks were crazy. Obviously, the whole thing turned into a mess of gargantuan proportions, with opioids killing many patients…read more 
