Chronic pain is not a single problem with a single solution. It often involves multiple overlapping mechanisms, which is one reason it can persist even after treatment. When only one part of the pain cycle is addressed, patients may experience partial relief,...
Sciatica and a herniated disc are terms that patients and providers sometimes use interchangeably. They are related, but they describe different things, and treating them as identical leads to treatment plans that are less precise than they should be. Understanding...
Whiplash is among the most common injuries in motor vehicle collisions and among the most frequently undertreated. The mechanism is straightforward: a sudden acceleration-deceleration force causes the head and neck to move rapidly beyond their normal range of motion....
Tingling and numbness in the feet are symptoms that patients often describe as minor, intermittent, or something they have learned to live with. They are also symptoms that, when left unaddressed, tend to progress. What begins as occasional pins-and-needles in one...
After a car accident, most people expect to be checked for fractures, head injuries, and spinal trauma. Those are the right priorities in an emergency setting. What emergency departments are not structured to catch are the soft tissue injuries, ligament damage, and...
Primary care physicians do a great deal well. They manage ongoing health conditions, coordinate care across specialties, and are often the first contact when something new develops. For pain that is recent, mild, and tied to a clear cause, a primary care visit is a...
If you have been managing chronic pain with medication for months or years and still have not found lasting relief, you are not alone. Most patients in that position are not unresponsive. The medication itself was never designed to resolve the underlying cause of most...
Tingling in the feet. Burning sensations along one leg. Numbness that comes and goes in the hands. These symptoms are common enough that many patients assume they already know the cause. Some are told they have a pinched nerve. Others are told it is neuropathy. In...
After radiofrequency ablation, most patients are not wondering what the procedure does. They are wondering what the next few days and weeks will actually feel like. The answer is not immediate relief. In fact, the first part of recovery can feel a little confusing if...
Epidural steroid injections are often recommended for back or neck pain that involves irritated nerves. For many patients, one of the first questions is simple: how long will the relief last? The answer varies. Some people experience weeks of improvement, while others...
