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Dr. Castillo’s thoughts about intrathecal pain pump management for treating back pain after surgeries. Intrathecal pain pump management is a proven safe and effective therapy for chronic pain control after back surgery. I send a lot of patients for back surgery, when they have chronic back or neck pain. There are patients in danger of […]
PRP Therapy How Does it Work? Platelet Rich Plasma therapy (PRP) is a growing area in pain management. It is a regenerative medicine that uses a patient’s own blood cells to treat pain. According to the American Association of Orthopedic Medicine, PRP shows promise for treating ailments such as osteoarthritis. As well as treating conditions
Can Chronic Pain Increase with Depression? What is the link between chronic pain and mental health? The two are more closely related then you would imagine. In fact, up to 85% of people with a chronic pain condition develop clinical depression. The reverse is also true, up to 65% of those with depression can develop
Identifying the causes of peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients can be difficult. There are many common causes of peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients. Neuropathic pain is defined as pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system. Peripheral neuropathies arise from disorders associated specifically within the peripheral nervous system. Symptoms of peripheral
A recent study demonstrates how the chronic inflammation that characterizes rheumatoid arthritis affects the brain. The results of the study may explain the cognitive symptoms described as “brain fog.” More than 1.3 million people in the United States live with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder. In which the body’s immune system does not recognize the
Breast cancer develops when cancer cells from in the breast. For women, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in the United States. It can also occur in men, but it’s far more common in women. Support for breast cancer awareness and research funding has helped advance the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
It’s an age-old question in medicine, is this safe? Is it effective? With the rise of regenerative medicine and stem cell therapies, people wonder if therapies such as Platelet Rich Plasma, Exosomes/Stem Cells, and Ozone Therapies are safe and effective for chronic pain conditions such as arthritis. Platelet Rich Plasma and Stem Cell treatments can
What we eat is a huge part of our health. If all we consume is junk, we won’t be very healthy. Healthy eating is about variety and moderation. And in the case of chronic pain patients, what you eat can affect pain symptoms; processed foods, non-healthy fats, and greasy food can actually exacerbate pain symptoms.
I was told September is “Pain Awareness Month.” Pain is strictly an individual concept, especially for chronic pain patients. Medicine uses a blank line that is 10 centimeters long, numbered 0 to 10 with smiley faces to crying faces, as well as other methods to measure pain. None of these methods are really appropriate for
Improving strength and flexibility does not have to be all work and no play. Learn how to get patients to pick up fun sports and hobbies. Especially sports and hobbies that also strengthen their core, lighten their mood, and reduce their pain. Deconditioning and immobility are 2 major affects of chronic pain. Therefore, it’s important
Acute and chronic pain have important differences that can give physicians important clues for diagnosing and treating pain. And the types of pain are different, in some cases acute pain can develop into chronic pain. Acute Pain By definition it is temporary, and it may occur suddenly usually associated with an injury or illness. However
