Chronic Pain Articles - Dr. Michael A. Castillo, MD

19 Sep 2023

Fix Pain After Back Surgery

Therapies & Treatmentsback pain, chronic pain, intrathecal pain pump management, pain management, pain pump, spine surgery

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 hurting a nerve in their spine which allows them to function. The purpose of back surgery is to fix a problem with the spine and stabilize the spine. Some people have no back pain after surgery, and we don’t talk about these outcomes. A lot…

03 Oct 2023

By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Chronic Pain Conditionsbreast cancer, breast cancer awareness, breast cancer month, cancer

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. Survival rates have also increased, and the number of deaths associated with breast cancer is steadily declining. Largely due to factors such as earlier detection, a new personalized approaches to breast cancer treatment and a better understanding of it. Symptoms & Causes Symptoms of breast…

26 Sep 2023

By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Are Regenerative Therapies Effective?

Platelet Rich Plasma, Regenerative medicine, Therapies & Treatmentsarthritis, platelet rich plasma therapy, regenerative medicine, stem cell therapy

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 be effective regenerative therapies for arthritis and other conditions. Regenerative medicine is considered to be safe because most regenerative therapies use cells collected from the patient (platelet rich plasma, or stem cells from bone marrow or fat tissue), which minimizes adverse reactions. Or use…

30 Sep 2022

By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Healthy Eating for Pain Management

Lifestyle Tips for Chronic Painchronic pain tips, eating for chronic pain, eating healthy, healthy eating

Sticking to foods at the perimeter of the store like fruits and vegetables can help with healthy eating. 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. Some food sensitivities can also cause inflammation and increase pain, so it’s important to know what may cause a flare-up. One of our goals this year is…

27 Sep 2022

By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Chronic Pain Patient: Let’s Talk Pain

Chronic Pain Conditions, Nerve Painchronic pain, pain, pain awareness month, pain management

I was told September is “Pain Awareness Month.” Pain is strictly an individual concept, especially for chronic pain patients. Medicine uses a blank line 10cm long, 0-10/10 scale, smiley faces to crying faces, and other methods. None are really appropriate for all patients, or have been shown to cross reference to another person’s pain. There is no consistent way to deal with an individual’s chronic pain. Pain can break up a family or a family can endure. Friends can remain friends or can be completely lost. Successful lives can be completely lost or never started. Simple activities can become impossible…

09 May 2022

By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Recreation Therapy Into Pain Management

Lifestyle Tips for Chronic Pain, Therapies & Treatmentsalternative therapies, chronic pain, pain management, recreation therapy

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 that also strengthen their core, lighten their mood, and reduce their pain. Deconditioning and immobility are 2 major affects of chronic pain. Therefore, it is important for physicians to encourage patients to participate in a sport or hobby and learn to have fun again. According to the American Therapeutic Recreation Association, recreation therapy is a treatment service designed to restore, remediate, and rehabilitate a person’s level of functioning and independence in life activities.1 The…

30 Mar 2022

By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Pain: Acute vs. Chronic

Chronic Pain Conditionsacute pain, chronic pain, pain management

Broken bones are an example of acute pain 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. Acute pain serves as the body’s alarm system to prevent further trauma. Like a strained muscle, resting the muscle prevents further injury, giving the muscle time to heal. Generally the source of pain is clear, and if the…

15 Jan 2022

By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Platelet Rich Plasma How Does it Work?

Platelet Rich Plasma, Regenerative medicineplatelet rich plasma, platelet rich plasma therapy, PRP therapy, regenerative medicine, regenerative therapy

PRP Therapy How Does it Work? Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy 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 in joints, rotator cuff tears, plantar fasciitis, ACL injuries, and much more. Platelet Rich Plasma is a minimally invasive procedure, that can be performed in office. Platelet rich plasma can help many conditions, including knee pain. How PRP Works The process of platelet rich plasma therapy begins with Dr. Castillo…

03 Mar 2021

By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Talking Pain to a Doctor

Chronic Pain Conditions, Lifestyle Tips for Chronic Pain, Therapies & Treatmentschronic pain, diagnosing pain, pain management, pain physician, talking pain

How to Talk about Pain to a Doctor On a scale of 0 to 10 what is your pain? Patients who are asked to describe the level of their pain to a doctor using a numerical scale or smiley faces. Pain scales are used from diagnosis to recovery and often help guide treatment. While the pain scale helps evaluate the level of pain a patient feels, it’s not the whole story. Here are a few ways of talking to your doctor about pain, to help assess the best treatment options for you. Be Creative Descriptive words can often be helpful…

30 Sep 2019

By webadmin@macmdaz.com

The Physical Exam

Chronic Pain Conditions, Sunday Thoughts for Monday Morning, Therapies & TreatmentsMRI, pain management, pain physician, physical exam

by: Dr. Michael A. Castillo I have a medical pet peeve lately, physicians relying on MRIs and EMG to make diagnoses, without performing a physical exam. Medicine is an honor to have a career in because you get to touch people physically and emotionally. It comes with a great deal of responsibility. I am getting more referrals where a patient hasn’t been physically examined. The patient tells me what is wrong in the history because the MRI says so. The proper order is History, Physical Examination, and then Tests (MRI, X-rays, Nerve Tests, et al) to create a diagnosis. A…