Pain Treatment Medical Articles & News
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable disease that has affected the doctors at Space City Pain Specialists. Dr. Cannella, who has been diagnosed with MS, and Dr. Garcia talk about their MS150 experience and why they are so passionate about this cause.
They are doctors helping doctors with MS.
When you are injured or in pain, exercising (or physical therapy) may be one of the last things you feel like doing. Ironically, performing strategic exercises under the guidance of a skilled physical therapist is actually one of the most effective ways to achieve long-term pain relief, recover from an injury, or learn to cope with chronic injury or pain.
Unlike narcotics that mask symptoms of pain for a limited period of time, physical therapy achieves long-lasting changes to your body (and, often, to your mood!) When you undergo physical therapy, you gradually build muscle mass and regain strength and mobility. These benefits reduce or eliminate pain. Additionally, exercise (even light exercise) releases endorphins – “feel-good” chemicals that are naturally present in the body that boosts mood and reduces feelings of pain. Physical therapy is an effective part of the treatment protocol for patients suffering from many back pain-causing injuries and conditions.
Physical therapy is exercise, but it is a highly targeted, supervised exercise regimen designed to target the source of your pain – and to be safe so you do not injure or re-injure yourself. Physical therapy sessions are led by a certified physical therapist. Think of this individual as your coach – who will be by your side to demonstrate exercises, ensure you’re performing them correctly, and provide encouragement and positive feedback so you’ll be motivated to work hard.
The causes of pain vary, and your physical therapist will choose exercises based on your unique situation. Examples of exercise you may be assigned include core-strengthening exercises (such as sit-ups, crunches, planks, and leg raises) to strengthen the abdominal and lower back muscles; squats to build muscle strength in your legs and lower body; and stretches to prevent muscle atrophy and improve range of motion.
The length and duration of your physical therapy appointments will depend on the causes and severity of your pain. As your physical therapy program progresses and you become stronger, your therapist will likely modify your program so you’ll continue to improve.
When you are prescribed physical therapy, this is usually in combination with other treatment modalities. More often than not, these treatment modalities work to compliment each other in order to help alleviate chronic pain. As chronic pain is a complex problem, the approach to treatment often requires a multimodal approach. Physical therapy is usually a key factor in this approach and it is essential to incorporate into a well-developed pain treatment plan.
If you are in the Greater Houston area and are experiencing any chronic pain, please contact Space City Pain Specialists. We will have a consultation and will discuss if the incorporation of a physical therapy program would be right specifically for you and your situation.
Written by Sheri New, Patient Advocate at Space City Pain Specialists
Anyone that has experienced chronic pain or a chronic illness, like fibromyalgia, can tell you that finding a balance between what you need to do, what you can do, and what you should do is like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It’s the ever out of reach, constantly shifting idea that we can never quite seem to reach.
I had my first pain flare at 15, and ever since then, I’ve had severe, chronic pain that has gotten worse as I’ve gotten older. At first, the pain was just from time to time, then by the time I had reached my mid 20’s, the pain was daily. At 26, I had a complete hysterectomy due to complications after childbirth. At 33, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic, crippling migraines. Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder that causes widespread pain and tenderness in the muscles, tendons, and ligaments across the body. At the time of my fibromyalgia diagnosis, I had three young children and a full-time career. Back then there wasn’t much information about fibromyalgia; therefore, the average person took five years to be diagnosed. By the time I was 41, I could relate to people in their 70’s.
I learned about my diagnosis, but thought I was tough enough to “push through the pain.” I made small accommodations, like regulating my sleep better, modifying my diet, trying low impact exercising, and took the pain medication my doctor had prescribed, but I never stopped long enough to really fully realize how much of an impact my illness and the pain were having on my life.
I measured myself against what I felt I should be able to do; this was usually based off what I used to be able to do, or felt was required of me as a mom and a spouse- as if it were a measure of my self-worth. As if the sum total of what I accomplished in a day somehow meant the pain and illness had not defeated me. I accepted that I would have pain, but did not stop or allow myself to stop long enough to actually learn to really balance my illness.
I think it is a common pitfall with chronic illness. We struggle not to be defined by the pain and struggle to maintain our daily lives – while working to maintain our relationships, to work, to live our lives as normally as possible. We are stubborn about our pain and health, and often only stop when the pain doesn’t allow us to go anymore. That stubbornness is often critical to psychologically surviving chronic illness. Without that stubbornness, giving up is too easy of an option- so we cling to it. It’s what gets us out of bed in the morning when we know before we get out of bed that today will be miserable and if we are lucky maybe we will get 25% of what we need to get done for the day.
But what I failed to recognize was that it is just important to allow myself to stop sometimes. I failed to stop before the pain made me unable to walk or move. I failed to realize that taking a day off isn’t me being “lazy,” it’s realizing my body’s limitations and taking care of myself. I failed to realize that sometimes I need to let go of stubbornness and take that day on the couch reading a book or napping is necessary. It’s not selfish, and it does not diminish my self-worth.
Sometimes that means canceling lunch dates with friends, sometimes it means the dishes don’t get done, and that’s OK! Friends who truly care about your health will understand, and the dishes will be there tomorrow for you to do. It was also time to start teaching my children that they can help out around the house with the dishes and laundry. These were skills that I should be teaching them anyway, whether I was chronically ill or not.
Self-care means something different to everybody, but what is not different is our need for it. This goes for everyone, not just patients with a chronic illness or chronic pain. The need for self-care often increases when we can least afford to take the time for it. There are times when we feel like we can’t stop to take care of ourselves, and sometimes we get into such a cycle of not stopping, not taking that time, that we forget how to.
At 51, I received a complex regional pain syndrome diagnosis. This syndrome made fibromyalgia seem like “a walk in the park.” This syndrome has signs and symptoms that could actually be seen and felt, such as chronic arm and leg pain, swelling, changes in skin color and temperature, and muscle spasms and tremors. I remember actually being grateful that people could now see some of my symptoms. I had never heard of this syndrome before, and I had a lot to learn.
At 52, I was subsequently told by my heart specialist that my chronic, uncontrolled pain levels are causing high blood pressure and are the culprit behind my increased, rapid heart rate, which left to continue will become a heart problem. I consequently had a TIA stroke (transient ischemic attack), or mini stroke, and I spent a few days in the hospital. This was my wake-up call. My father died of a heart attack at age 30; I should have known better.
The combination of being told these things, left my mind reeling, and I developed anxiety. So, I went to my pain management doctor and asked for anxiety medication. Unfortunately, we live in a society where we think that a pill can “fix” anything. He gave me the best advice that I think I have ever received from a doctor. He said, “there is no pill that can fix this.” He pointed to his head and said, “95% of this is how you deal with it in your head.” He was right.
I was told repeatedly upon my fibromyalgia diagnosis, “It’s not terminal, but it is degenerative.” What nobody told me was that if I didn’t allow myself that time to rest when I needed, and learn to balance out my pain and other symptoms, I was propelling myself towards more and more painful health issues.
We can only “fake it till we make it” for so long, before we break. I taught myself that emotional pain would only worsen my physical pain. So, if I felt like crying, I would allow myself a good cry just to get it out. Then, I’d pick myself up and I continue to fight.
However, now I fight now to learn my balances better, to be better at taking care of myself, (which in turn enables me to take care of my loved ones better.), to not hold myself up to unrealistically high standards in order to be “useful” or “normal,” and to recognize the value of what I bring to those in my life, my family, friends, and the people that I advocate for, without feeling the need to constantly be pushing myself beyond what is practical.
Be stubborn. Be strong. Don’t ever give up. Always do your best to listen to your body. Be kind to yourself.
Chronic spine pain – back pain that persists for three months or longer – is debilitating and significantly affects individuals’ quality of life and ability to perform daily tasks. In severe cases, spine and back pain can leave patients bedridden. The key to achieving relief from chronic spine pain is identifying its cause. Following are three common reasons why you may be experiencing spine pain.
Dr. Nemish Dave, Dr. Sunil Thomas, Dr. Eduardo Garcia and Dr. Jeffrey Cannella are pain specialists, Board Certified in Interventional Pain Medicine. Each of these doctors specializes in pain management and bringing cutting edge, high tech therapies for the specialized treatment of chronic pain. These four Space City Pain Specialists will continue to lead pain medicine in the Baytown office, which was formerly staffed by Dr. Susan Orillosa. (more…)
If you suffer from chronic back pain, you know how important it is to find back pain relief, but pain management might be easier than you thought. Your answer to pain relief could be exercise!
Exercise has shown many benefits for heart health, emotional health, and chronic back pain relief. Even light exercise can save people from enduring chronic back pain. When looking for ways to relieve back pain and lose weight, try a new exercise plan. There are several forms of light exercise that can relieve chronic pain — including: (more…)
Migraine headaches affect 29.5 million Americans, approximately 12% of the U.S. population. Migraines are three times more common in women than men – about 18% of women suffer from migraines vs. 6% of men.
Women are believed to have a higher occurrence of migraines due to the hormonal milestones that occur over a woman’s lifetime: menarche (menstruation), pregnancy, the postpartum and breastfeeding states, perimenopause, and menopause. Also, the use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy used by women can increase the frequency and severity of migraines. (more…)
January 10, 2018 – Houston, TX – Space City Pain Specialists is pleased to announce the addition of Board-Certified Interventional Pain Specialist, Sunil Thomas, MD, who uses a multimodal approach to treat patients experiencing chronic pain. His clinical interests include neuromodulation and the use of cutting-edge technology and regenerative medicine to help with chronic pain.
He attended an accelerated a seven-year B.S./M.D program and obtained a degree in Engineering Science degree with a concentration in Biomedical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, NJ. He went on to graduate with his Medical Degree from St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies. He completed residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and went on to further specialize in Interventional Pain Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/ Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, NY.
Dr. Thomas is Board-Certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, as well as Interventional Pain Medicine. Since completing his training, Dr. Thomas has been practicing in the Houston area before coming to Space City Pain Specialists.
“I am excited to be part of a team whose practice is centered around excellent patient care as well as being focused on new innovations in pain medicine. Space City Pain Specialists has a been a staple in the community for over 20 years and it is an honor to be able to work with such a well-respected group of physicians” stated Dr. Thomas. You can learn more about Dr. Thomas here.
If you would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Thomas at one of our South Houston locations, he is now seeing patients at our Lake Jackson and Webster offices. Please call 281-338-4443 or complete our online appointment request form to request an appointment.
Houston, Texas- Space City Pain Specialists, along with University of Texas Medical Branch, is contributing to the next Journal of Pain Medicine publication. SCPS and UTMB conducted research for over six years to find the success rate of morphine microdosing in noncancer patients who visited SCPS or UTMB for pain treatments. Dr. Susan J. Orillosa, MD and Dr. Eduardo A. Garcia, MD of SCPS are both listed as authors of the original research article. (more…)
Chronic pain syndrome (CPS) Is very common. In the US, there are more than 3 million people living with chronic pain syndrome each year. There are numerous treatments available to help with chronic pain symptoms. Unfortunately, there are many cases where people seek multiple treatments for their pain. It is better to find a single treatment that heals your pain once and for all. So, before seeking treatment to cure your CPS, let’s learn more about this condition. There are various causes, symptoms and treatments for chronic pain syndrome. (more…)
