Oh My Aching... - SpineCare Consultants

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Health
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
A NEW OPTION
THE TOPOGRAPHY OF PAIN
OH MY ACHING …
It’s frequently the spine, specifically the disks between the vertebrae, that causes chronic
pain in our arms and legs. When a disk bulges or ruptures and comes in contact with a
nerve, the resulting inflammation can be agonizing. But we feel it far from the source of
the problem, as seen below.
EASE BACK PAIN WITHOUT SURGERY
FOR INFORMATION
By DALE ROBERTSON
P
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
› American Academy of
ITCHERS suffer an inordinate number of arm injuries
in large part because the human body wasn’t designed
to fling baseballs 90 or more
miles per hour. And, for that matter,
the human body may not have been
designed for us to even walk upright,
surmises Houston pain specialist Dr.
Uday Doctor, because of the world of
hurt our spines can cause us.
Doctor is chief of pain management
at the Texas Orthopedic Hospital. He
stays busy because of the inherent design flaws in our backbones vis-à-vis
how we use our bodies in jogging, lifting
heavy objects and whacking golf balls.
Doctor, who is board-certified to
practice interventional spine care, is
hardly alone in his field. There are more
than 150 physicians in the area who
are pain management specialists. And
who knows how many chiropractors,
acupuncturists and physical therapists
also earn a living off our agony?
As we reach a certain age, most of
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us start to hurt, which wreaks havoc on
the quality of our lives, affecting mood,
motor functions and concentration.
Doctor suggests that there are two
kinds of chronic pain, that which is
caused by cancer and that which emanates from diseased and damaged
nerves.
The former, he said, is treated by
throwing the book at it with little regard for the consequences. Side effects
and the risk of addiction are secondary
concerns.
“You’re just trying to relieve suffering,” Doctor said, “and that’s especially
true if the patient is terminal. All you’re
trying to do is make them more comfortable.”
For those coping with nerve pain,
however, it’s trickier because addiction
issues and side effects of the most potent
painkillers do matter. We don’t want to
spend every waking moment groaning
and grimacing, but we certainly don’t
want to turn into junkies, either.
Attacking the problem with surgery
is no black-and-white solution. Spinal operations, in particular, remain
a dicey proposition, and it’s the spine
— particularly the disks separating the
vertebrae — that’s often the source of
pain. For example, while a stabbing
ache in the shoulder could be a torn
rotator cuff, it’s more likely to be the
byproduct of a herniated disk between
the C6 and C7 vertebra, “pinching” the
nerve leading to the shoulder.
Dr. Tom Blair, a retired pulmonary
specialist at St. Joseph’s Hospital, has battled back problems for 40 years. He takes
BR E T T C O O M E R : C H R O N I C L E
ground, uses a fluroscope to demonstrate how a nerve root
ADDRESSING PAIN: Dr. Uday Doctor, with Karen Davin in the backg
block procedure can address chronic back pain.
LYRICA
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› A cautionary note:
FOTOLIA
USE WITH CARE: The anti-seizure medicine Lyrica is being
prescribed in smaller doses for pain relief.
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n-strength antiNaprosyn, a prescription
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hurting inflicts psychollogical damage
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Consultants (www.spineecare1.com) are
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Yes, they will stick a needle or two
ck. But that’s a
— DALE ROBERTSON in your neck or lower bac
far cry from having an epidural, never
mind fusing vertebrae. And most insurance plans cover it even without a
referral from a primary-care physician.
“We find the nerve that’s inflamed
and we put (anti-inflammatory) medication directly on it,” Doctor said. “It’s
critical to isolate the source of the pain.
Say your shoulder hurts. In the old days,
we’d probably scope it. If that didn’t
work, then we’d operate on your neck.”
Michael Cokinos, president of Cokinos Energy Corp., says the nerve block
ended his searing back, arm and hand
pain. But, ever fearful of a stress-induced relapse, Cokinos regularly visits
a chiropractor, Dr. Ron Grabowski,
who Doctor recommended. Grabowski’s mission is to keep Cokinos’ C7 vertebrae from re-settling on the nerve.
“I thought I was going to have to
live with (the pain) the rest of my life,”
Cokinos said. “But I feel like I’m 150
percent of my old self. I’m working out
again and feeling great. What a relief.”
dale.robertson@chron.com
Health
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