19 Sep 2023
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Fix Pain After Back Surgery

Therapies & Treatments, , , , ,
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…
Read More
27 Sep 2022
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Chronic Pain Patient: Let’s Talk Pain

Chronic Pain Conditions, Nerve Pain, , ,
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…
Read More
09 May 2022
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Recreation Therapy Into Pain Management

Lifestyle Tips for Chronic Pain, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
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…
Read More
30 Mar 2022
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Pain: Acute vs. Chronic

Chronic Pain Conditions, ,
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…
Read More
03 Mar 2021
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Talking Pain to a Doctor

Chronic Pain Conditions, Lifestyle Tips for Chronic Pain, Therapies & Treatments, , , ,
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…
Read More
08 May 2019
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Neuropathy Awareness Week

Peripheral Neuropathy, , ,
May 5th thru the 12th is National Neuropathy Awareness Week. Neuropathy is a chronic condition that affects millions of people in America. While there is no cure for neuropathy, there are ways to manage the pain associated with it. Many groups including the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy and the American Health Council help patients dealing with pain find additional resources such as mental health guides for managing pain. As well as garnering support for research funding to learn more about peripheral neuropathy. So this Neuropathy Awareness week, take time to learn more about this condition and how it can affect…
Read More
14 Jan 2019
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Degenerative Scoliosis Treatments

Chronic Pain Conditions, Exercises to Help Pain, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
Degenerative scoliosis, also known as adult onset scoliosis, describes a side-to-side curvature of the spine caused by degeneration of the facet joints and intervertebral discs which are the moving parts of the spine. The main goal of treating degenerative scoliosis once it becomes symptomatic, is to reduce pain as well as any accompanying neurologic symptoms. Most treatments tend not to focus on correcting the curve because typically it is not the cause of pain. Most cases of degenerative scoliosis can be treated without surgery using self-care or assistance from a physician. Strength and Mobility for Scoliosis Increasing strength and mobility…
Read More
09 Jan 2019
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Myofascial Pain What to Know

Chronic Pain Conditions, Nerve Pain, Peripheral Neuropathy, , ,
myofascial pain trigger points Skeletal muscles primarily function our way of moving by attaching to other muscles and joints. When those muscles get knotted up, like when you sleep on your neck wrong, or have a back spasm, trigger points develop causing the muscle to shorten and become dysfunctional. Myofasical trigger points prevent normal muscle function, not allowing the muscle to contract or relax as it should. These highly sensitive trigger points in the muscle can cause sensory, motor, and autonomic symptoms. When myofascial trigger points are not treated early, they can cause stress in the dysfunctional muscle fibers and…
Read More
07 Jan 2019
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Rotator Cuff Injuries

Chronic Pain Conditions, , , ,
Should pain, stiffness, weakness, and loss of range of motion are all common symptoms of rotator cuff injuries. People with rotator cuff injuries sight pain, especially at night, as a symptom. Movement of the arm over the head, or reaching behind the back could cause pain as well. Patients report feeling the most stiffness in the injured shoulder when getting out of bed. Muscle weakness with lifting the arm, or holding it away from the body may be difficult. A rotator cuff injury may also result in loss of normal range of motion. Shoulders are complex joints that are capable…
Read More
17 Dec 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Heat Therapy for Chronic pain

Lifestyle Tips for Chronic Pain, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
Simple remedies are often the best Those remedies your mom tells you to try, you know the ones.“Put your foot up. Ice it. Use the heating pad.” Can often be the best at relieving lower back pain. Heat therapy is one of those mother approved pain relief therapies. Using heat therapy to relieve lower back pain *apply heat for no longer than 20 minutes at a time. (same goes for icing an injury) Some of the benefits of applying heat therapy to injuries: Blood flow stimulation. Heat dilates blood vessels. When dilated this increases the flow of blood carrying oxygen…
Read More