How to Manage Your Pain Without Surgery
Chronic pain is associated with several health conditions. Reports vary, but researchers and experts estimate that chronic pain impacts between 20 and 40% of American adults. The cost for health care for people suffering from persistent pain is exorbitant, a whopping $560 billion each year, much of that linked to the high price of surgical procedures and recovery.
At Vulcan Pain Management, our board-certified pain management specialist, Victor Mendoza, MD, offers a range of nonsurgical treatments to help you manage your pain condition without having to go through surgery. Let’s take a look at a few of your options:
Cervical medial-branch block
Our team uses the cervical medial-branch block procedure to diagnose and treat pain in your neck, back, head, or shoulders. Your facet joints are on both sides of your spine and connect the bones of your spine. Nerves that transmit pain from your facet joints are called medial branch nerves. To stop the pain signal from your facet joint, Dr. Mendoza injects numbing medicine close to the medial branch nerve.
Erchonia laser treatments
Erchonia treatments combine the power of both violet and red cold laser therapy to deliver pain relief without tissue damage or other side effects. The laser energy stimulates your body’s innate healing properties and is especially noted for its ability to:
- Speed up your recovery
- Relax your muscles
- Improve your circulation
- Improve your vascular function
Our team frequently uses Erchonia laser therapy to treat musculoskeletal pain, herniated disc pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, and arthritis.
Facet joint injections
Much like cervical medial-branch block therapy, facet joint injections treat pain that originates from your spinal joints. While medial-branch block therapy interferes with pain signals from your nerves, facet joint injections use medicine that goes directly into the joint to stop the pain.
Intradiscal electrothermal therapy
If your lower back hurts, especially when you sit down for long periods, Dr. Mendoza may recommend intradiscal electrothermal therapy. The technique involves threading a thermal catheter into the troubled disc and heating the damaged area to stimulate natural healing. Intradiscal electrothermal therapy is often reserved for cases that don’t respond to other therapies.
In addition to the above treatments, Dr. Mendoza can prescribe pain medication to help you manage your pain and live well between treatments. At your consultation, he talks with you about your health history and customizes a treatment plan to end your pain so you’ll know what to expect each time you meet with our team.
To learn more about how to relieve chronic pain without surgery, call now to book your appointment or use the online scheduling option to reserve your time.