What are the causes of Arthritis?

Arthritis may be caused by:

• wear and tear of a joint from overuse
• age (OA is most common in adults over age 50)
• injuries
• obesity
• autoimmune disorders
• genes or family history
• muscle weakness

The type of arthritis determines the cause. Osteoarthritis develops as a result of joint wear and tear over time or from overuse. Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and scleroderma are diseases caused by the body’s immune system attacking its own tissues. Gout is caused by crystal buildup in the joints. Some types of arthritis can be traced back to genes. Ankylosing spondylitis is more common in people who have the genetic marker HLA-B27. The cause of some other types of arthritis is unknown.

How is arthritis diagnosed?

Our clinic will take your medical history and perform a physical examination on you. Tests may also be performed. These include blood tests like:

• Antinuclear antibody (ANA) test. This checks antibody levels in the blood.
• Complete blood count (CBC). This checks if your white blood cell, red blood cell, and platelet levels are normal.
• Creatinine. This test checks for kidney disease.
• Sedimentation rate. This test can find inflammation.
• Hematocrit. This test measures the number of red blood cells.
• RF (rheumatoid factor) and CCP (cyclic citrullinated peptide) antibody tests. These can help diagnose rheumatoid arthritis. They can also assess how severe the disease is.
• White blood cell count. This checks the level of white blood cells in your blood.
• Uric acid. This helps diagnose gout

Call us today to schedule a diagnosis for effective arthritis pain relief in our clinic closest to you.

How is arthritis treated?

Treatment options will vary according to your symptoms, age, and overall health. Additionally, it is determined by the type of arthritis and the severity of the condition. With our care expert’s assistance, each individual receives a customized treatment plan.

Our team can provide arthritis treatment services such as:

• Orthopedist/orthopedic surgeon
• Rheumatologist
• Physiatrist
• Primary care doctor (family medicine or internal medicine)
• Rehabilitation nurse
• Dietitian
• Physical therapist
• Occupational therapist
• Social worker
• Psychologist or psychiatrist
• Recreational therapist
• Vocational therapist

When should I call my healthcare provider?

Contact us if your symptoms worsen or if you develop new ones.

Even with today’s technology, pinpointing the exact source of back and neck pain remains a challenge. All or some of the following may be to blame for back and neck pain:

• Incorrect use, such as repetitive or heavy lifting, overuse, or excessive activity
• Bruises, wounds, or sprains
• Stress on the muscles and ligaments that support your spine or the effects of aging can lead to vertebral degeneration.
• Infection
• Tumors and bone spurs are examples of malignant development.
• Increased weight on your spine and disc pressure caused by obesity.
• A lack of muscle mass
• Tension in the muscles
• Strain vs. strain
• Torn ligaments and muscles
• Arthritis and other debilitating joint conditions
• Smoking
• Pinched nerve and protruding or ruptured (slipped) disk
• Compression fractures with osteoporosis
• Your vertebrae and bones may have congenital abnormalities that were present at birth
• Aortic aneurysm, for example, is a type of abdominal ailment

At what point should I contact my doctor?

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• Bladder or bowel control is lost, and both legs are weak. Symptoms like these necessitate prompt intervention.
• Intractable, persistent, and unrelieved back or neck discomfort
• Post-injury or post-fall pain
• Leg or arm ache, tingling, or numbness
• Fever
• Weight reduction without the purpose of shedding pounds

What is the treatment for back and neck pain?

To treat these types of back pain, many doctors will recommend surgery or strong medication. Most people with back pain, on the other hand, do not want to take time off work to recover from surgery or rely on long-term medication prescriptions. Non-surgical, drug-free treatment for back and neck problems is our specialty.

The muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support the spine and its joints are the focus of the clinic’s back and neck pain treatment. Reduce pain and stiffness, strengthen muscles, and restore mobility are the main goals.

Our medical staff will conduct a thorough examination to identify the underlying causes of your back or neck pain. In order to alleviate pain, expand range of motion, strengthen muscles, and ultimately reestablish skilled function, they will design a therapy plan specifically for you.

Each patient’s treatment is tailored to their personal needs based on the results of their first evaluation and subsequent spinal monitoring throughout their course of treatment. The ultimate goal is to get back to your old self.

• Tendonitis is the most prevalent cause of acute hip discomfort.
• Arthritis can cause pain, stiff and tender joints, and difficulty walking.
• Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease of the joints caused by the degradation of the cartilage that protects them with age.
• Infectious arthritis is caused by the loss of cartilage in the joint as a result of an infection.
• An attack on the joints by the body’s immune system results in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
• Rheumatoid arthritis is rare compared to osteoarthritis, which affects far more people.
• Bursitis of the trochanter
• Trochanteric bursitis is another possibility for hip pain. When the bursa, a fluid-filled sac located near the hip joint, gets inflamed, this condition is known as bursitis.
• Injuries to the hip, overuse of the joints, or poor posture are all potential causes of trochanteric bursitis.
• Trauma to the hips Older folks and those with osteoporosis, a weakening of the bones owing to aging or other causes, are more likely to have hip fractures than younger people.

What causes chronic knee pain?

There is a difference between short-term and long-term knee discomfort. Knee pain is common after an accident or injury, and it can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Treatment for chronic knee pain is unusual, and it’s not usually traceable to a single event. In most cases, it’s the outcome of a number of factors.

Knee pain can be caused by a variety of medical disorders and diseases. These are only a few examples:

• osteoarthritis: pain, inflammation, and joint destruction caused by degeneration and deterioration of the joint
• tendinitis: pain in the front of the knee that is made worse when climbing, taking stairs, or walking up an incline
• bursitis: inflammation caused by repeated overuse or injury of the knee
• chondromalacia patella: damaged cartilage under the kneecap
• gout: arthritis caused by the buildup of uric acid
• Baker’s cyst: a buildup of synovial fluid (fluid that lubricates the joint) behind the knee
• rheumatoid arthritis (RA): a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disorder that causes painful swelling and can eventually cause joint deformity and bone erosion
• dislocation: dislocation of the kneecap most often the result of trauma
• meniscus tear: a rupture in one or more of the cartilage in the knee
• torn ligament: tear in one of the four ligaments in the knee — the most commonly injured ligament is the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
• bone tumors: osteosarcoma (second most prevalent bone cancer), most commonly occurs in the knee

The treatment at our clinic can alleviate pain and enhance general functional mobility, whether you suffer from hip or knee problems.

When should I seek emergency care?

If you have hip and knee discomfort that persists for more than a few days, you should see your doctor right away. They can devise a strategy to alleviate your discomfort and treat your disease.

Hip and knee discomfort that is accompanied by one or more of the following:

• swelling
• tenderness
• soreness
• warmth
• redness
• severe pain and swelling
• deformity or severe bruising
• symptoms in other parts of the body
• symptoms that persist longer than a few days or get worse instead of better
• other health conditions that could complicate healing
• signs of infection, such as a fever

Septic arthritis, an infection of the joints, is a possible cause of these symptoms. Septic arthritis can lead to malformed joints and osteoarthritis if it is not managed.

How is Hip Pain Or Knee Pain Treated?

Our doctors will work closely with you to develop a treatment plan that reduces pain and increases range of motion and strength. Regaining pre-injury health is the ultimate goal of treatment.

Most of our patient knee pain sufferers prefer natural, non-invasive rehabilitation options. Prolonged painkiller use is also a possibility. But are you willing to risk becoming hooked to these drugs? What if surgery isn’t an option for you? Also available are painkillers that exacerbate rather than alleviate the problem.

We treat persistent knee pain using regenerative medicine and platelet-rich plasma for patients who believe they have no other options (PRP).

PRP therapies involve drawing your own blood, purifying it, and injecting the concentrated platelets and plasma into your knee. Blood molecules including platelets, growth factors, and cytokines help heal wounds. When you suffer knee pain, we use PRP to supply the healing materials you require.

Request a consultation with us today

Knee pain may hold anyone back. Working on your feet might be unpleasant. Simple tasks like mowing the lawn or cleaning the floors can be difficult with knee discomfort. But don’t let it deter you.

Our clinic has the solution for efficient and long-lasting hip and knee pain relief. To request a consultation, call us now at (859) 317-8452.

What is Neuropathy?

Neuropathy can result from any type of pain that compresses or impinges on a nerve. A herniated disc, for example, could press against a nearby nerve, causing pain.

Unlike other types of pain, neuropathic discomfort is distinct. A person’s brain receives pain signals when a bone is broken, which are carried to it by nerves. The nerves themselves are the source of pain signals in neuropathic pain.

Our clinic’s staff is committed to providing you with natural and non-invasive neuropathy pain relief.

What is Peripheral Neuropathy?

Peripheral neuropathy is a condition in which the nerves in the extremities lose their normal function due to injury or destruction. This interferes with the normal functioning of the nerves. It’s possible that they’ll send a pain signal even if something is hurting you, or that they won’t send a signal at all.

What causes neuropathy?

Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by a variety of conditions, including:

• injury
• systemic illness
• infection
• hormonal imbalance
• certain medications
• vitamin deficiency
• an inherited disorder

There are numerous potential causes of peripheral neuropathy. Some people are born with bipolar disorder. It can also be brought on by an injury or another illness.

Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by a variety of different conditions, including kidney disease or a hormonal imbalance. Diabetic neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes in the United States.

Peripheral neuropathy can’t be cured, but there are a number of things our clinic can do to keep it from worsening. If diabetes or another underlying condition is the cause of your neuropathy symptoms, our doctor at our clinic will begin treating that condition before addressing your pain and other symptoms.

Achieving true pain relief allows you to go on with your day, stop thinking about temperature and continue your favorite hobbies.

Call us today to book a consultation for effective neuropathy relief in our clinic nearest to your location.

What will happen if I do not treat my neuropathy?

Some viruses and bacteria target nerve tissue.

Viruses including herpes simplex, varicella-zoster (chickenpox and shingles) and Epstein-Barr cause sensory nerve damage and acute shooting pain.

Non-treated bacterial illnesses like Lyme disease can cause nerve damage and discomfort. HIV/AIDS patients can develop peripheral neuropathy.

Rheumatoid arthritis and lupus both impact the peripheral nerve system. Chronic inflammation, tissue damage, and inflammation-induced pressure can all produce significant nerve pain in the extremities.

How is Neuropathy treated?

A Breakthrough for Peripheral Neuropathy Survivors

There are new clinical studies showing that adults 55 years of age and older who suffer from peripheral neuropathy can be successfully treated with natural remedies. When it comes to neuropathy therapy, our doctors think that you deserve the best.

Too many doctors want to rush you out of the clinic and offer you yet another drug to cover the symptoms, rather than actually listening to you.

If you have neuropathy, we think it is our responsibility to help you avoid the balance issues, falls, and fractures that neuropathy frequently results in.

NASA-developed infrared light therapy, whole-body vibration therapy to increase peripheral circulation, nutritional therapy focused on specific areas, and mild electrical stimulation regimens to block brain signals associated with sensory pain are some of the most cutting-edge treatments available today.

Specific procedures are used to improve balance and coordination while lowering foot pain and stiffness, both of which are frequently associated with neuropathy.

We can urge your body to rebuild damaged nerve tissue by restoring circulation to your extremities!

As a bonus, you’ll be able to maintain these changes on your own with simple at-home therapies and nutritional regimens.

During our consultation, we will figure out whether or not this groundbreaking procedure is right for you, and go over all of your alternatives with you.

Sciatica can be caused by a number of conditions that involve your spine and affect the nerves that run down your back. It can also be caused by an injury, such as a fall, or by spinal or sciatic nerve tumors.

The following are some of the most common conditions that can cause sciatica.

• Herniated discs – occur when the first layer of the cartilage ribs.
• Spinal stenosis – It’s characterized by the abnormal narrowing of your lower spinal canal.
• Spondylolisthesis – is one of the associated conditions of degenerative disk disorder.
• Piriformis syndrome – is a rare neuromuscular disorder in which your piriformis muscle involuntarily contracts or tightens, causing sciatica.

When should I see a doctor if I’m experiencing Sciatica pain?

Call our clinic if:

• Your pain worsens
• You lose feeling in your affected leg, or notice weakness in your leg
• You develop problems with your bowels or bladder
• Your pain returns after successful treatment of your sciatica

How can sciatica pain be treated?

Our clinic is popular with Integrative medicine. There are a variety of sciatica alternative treatments available here at our clinic.

Treatment includes:

• Acupuncture – this procedure is virtually painless
• Chiropractic – manipulate your spine to achieve maximum spinal mobility
• Induce hypnosis – which is intended to put you in a very relaxed, focused state of mind, allowing you to best receive healthy suggestions and instructions
• Massage therapy – apply motion, pressure, tension, or vibration to your body to relieve pressure and pain.
• Lumbar Therapeutic Injections for Sciatica – may help treat pain stemming from conditions that affect the sciatic nerve.
• Epidural steroid injections – may help relieve sciatic pain stemming from conditions such as spinal stenosis, disc herniation, or degenerative disc disease.
• Selective nerve root blocks – reduces inflammation and numbs the pain transmitted by the nerve.

When you are first diagnosed with sciatica, our clinic will most likely give you advice on how to treat your sciatica pain. You should try to carry on with your daily activities as much as possible. Lying in bed or avoiding activity can aggravate your symptoms.

To request an appointment, please get in touch with our office.

What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain, which lasts more than three to six months, is a disabling condition that adversely affects wellbeing and can interfere with working, sleeping, and participating in physical activities, ultimately affecting quality of life. At least 100 million American adults—more than those affected by heart disease, cancer, and diabetes combined—are affected by chronic pain.² It is estimated that the cost to treat chronic pain the U.S., as well as related lost productivity, is as high as $635 billion annually.³

What is Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS)?
SCS is one of many therapy options available to treat chronic pain. It involves implanting a neurostimulator under the patients’ skin which delivers mild electrical impulses to the spine to block pain signals from going to the brain. The therapy has been proven to provide effective pain relief and improve quality of life, and multiple studies have provided clinical evidence to suggest some patients treated with SCS may be able to reduce oral opioid consumption.^4-9

How is DTM™ SCS Different than Conventional SCS?
DTM™ SCS therapy has shown statistically significant and superior back pain relief in a randomized controlled trial compared to conventional SCS in patients with chronic pain.¹   DTM™ SCS therapy is a proprietary algorithm that uniquely incorporates multiple tailored therapy options based on patient response. The programming is inspired by science and was rooted in preclinical research prior to being proven in a clinical study.

The Science Behind DTM™ SCS Therapy
The DTM™ waveform may engage a novel mechanism that modulates both neurons and glial cells, expanding the understanding of SCS mechanisms of action. The DTM™ waveform has been studied in animal models, showing statistically significant reversal of pain behaviors compared to either low frequency or high frequency alone.^{10, 11} In addition, preclinical studies investigating the genome of nerve-injured animals suggests that the DTM™ waveform has a greater impact in the neural-glial interaction than other frequencies alone. Decades of basic science research have expanded the understanding of the role of glial cells in the nervous system, which outnumber neurons 12:1 in the spinal cord.^12-15 Glial cells are no longer thought to be only “glue” in the brain and spinal cord, but active contributors to neural processing and various disease states including chronic pain.¹⁶

What Evidence is there to Support the Efficacy of DTM™ SCS?
Twelve-month results from a large, multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) showed statistically significant and superior back pain relief with DTM™ SCS compared to conventional SCS.¹ The following results reported are from 128  patients who were randomized to either the treatment or control arm and 79 subjects who completed 12-month follow-up.

• 84% of patients with chronic back pain treated with DTM™ SCS reported at least 50% pain relief, compared with 51% of patients treated with conventional SCS.¹ Fifty-percent pain relief, as measured by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), is a recognized industry standard to define minimum therapy success
• 69% of patients with back pain treated with DTM™ SCS reported profound pain relief of 80% or greater compared to 35.1% treated with conventional SCS.
• Patients treated with DTM™ SCS reported an average VAS score reduction of 75% in back pain compared to 50% with conventional SCS at 12 months.¹

What is the Medtronic Intellis™ SCS Platform?
The Medtronic Intellis™ SCS platform, indicated to aid in the management of chronic, intractable pain, offers the world’s smallest implantable neurostimulator. It is powered by proprietary Overdrive^™ battery technology and was designed to overcome limitations with other SCS systems, optimized for a wide range of energy demands and provides effective long-term pain relief for patients. The neurostimulator also features SureScan^™ full-body MRI technology, allowing access to MRI anywhere in the body under certain conditions, and AdaptiveStim^™ technology, which automatically adjusts stimulation based on the patient’s needs and preferences in different body positions to ensure the patient receives the right dose of stimulation at the right location. For additional information on the Intellis™ platform, please visit http://www.intellispainstim.com.

What are the Possible Risks and Side Effects Associated with DTM™ SCS?
Possible risks and side effects of DTM™ SCS are the same as those associated with conventional SCS. There are general surgical risks that should be discussed with your doctor. Adverse events related to the therapy, device, or procedure can include undesirable change in stimulation, hematoma, epidural hemorrhage, paralysis, seroma, infection, and loss of pain relief.

What Patients are Candidates for DTM™ SCS therapy using the Medtronic Intellis™ platform?
Patients with chronic, intractable back and leg pain who have not had success with other treatment options or who experience intolerable side effects with oral medications may be candidates for DTM™ SCS Therapy with the Medtronic Intellis™ platform.

References

1. Fishman M, Cordner H, et al. DTM™ SCS RCT 12-month Data Results. Presented at a Medtronic webinar, jointly supported by the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS), World Institute of Pain (WIP), and the American Society for Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN). October 19, 2020. Webinar available on society websites.
2. Institute of Medicine. Relieving pain in America: a blueprint for transforming prevention, care, education, and research. Washington DC, United States: The National Academies Press; 2011
3. Gaskin DJ, Richard P. The economic costs of pain in the United States. J Pain. 2012;13(8):715-724.
4. Harke H, Gretenkort P, Ladleif HU, Rahman S. Spinal cord stimulation in sympathetically maintained complex regional pain syndrome type I with severe disability. A prospective clinical Eur J Pain. 2005;9(4):363-373.
5. Kemler MA, de Vet HC, Barendse GA, van den Wildenberg FA, van Kleef M. Effect of spinal cord stimulation for chronic complex regional pain syndrome type I: five-year final follow-up of patients in a randomized controlled trial. J Neurosurg. 2008;108(2):292-298.
6. Kumar K, Taylor RS, Jacques L, et al. The effects of spinal cord stimulation in neuropathic pain are sustained: a 24-month follow-up of the prospective randomized controlled multicenter trial of the effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation. Neurosurgery. 2008;63(4):762-770.
7. Sharan AD, Riley J, Falowski S, et al. Association of opioid usage with spinal cord stimulation outcomes. Pain Med. 2018;19(4):699-707. A non-randomized analysis of Truven Health Marketscan databases from January 2010 to December 2014 based on the first occurrence of an SCS implant (N= 5,476).
8. Gee L, Smith HC, Ghulam-Jelani Z, et al. Spinal Cord Stimulation for the Treatment of Chronic Pain Reduces Opioid Use and Results in Superior Clinical Outcomes When Used Without Neurosurgery. 2019;84(1):217-226. A non-randomized prospective cohort study of SCS patients between September 2012 and August 2015 (N=86 [n=53 on opioids]).
9. Pollard EM, Lamer TJ, Moeschler SM, et al. The effect of spinal cord stimulation on pain medication reduction in intractable spine and limb pain: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials and meta-analysis. J Pain Res. 2019;12:1311-1324. A research review summarising SCS studies with respect to opioid use and a further meta-analysis of comparative SCS RCTs of 1 year or greater duration (N=489).
10. Vallejo R, Kelley CA, Gupta A, et al.  Modulation of neuroglial interactions using differential target multiplexed spinal cord stimulation in an animal model of neuropathic pain. Mol Pain. 2020 Jan-Dec;16:1744806920918057.
11. Cedeño DL, Smith WJ, Kelley CA, Vallejo R. Spinal cord stimulation using differential target multiplexed programming modulates neural cell-specific transcriptomes in an animal model of neuropathic pain. Mol Pain. 2020 Jan-Dec;16:1744806920964360.
12. Milligan ED, Watkins LR. Pathological and protective roles of glia in chronic pain. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2009 Jan; 10(1):23-36.
13. Vallejo R., Tilley D.M., Vogel L., Benyamin R. The role of glia and the immune system in the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain. Pain Pract. 2010 May-Jun;10(3):167-84.
14. De Leo JA, Tawfik VL, LaCroix-Fralish ML. The tetrapartite synapse: Path to CNS centralization and chronic pain. Pain. 2006; 122: 17-21.
15. Ruiz-Sauri A., Orduna-Valls J.M., Blasco-Serra A. et al. Glia to neuron ratio in the posterior aspect of the human spinal cord at thoracic segments relevant to spinal cord stimulation. Journal of Anatomy, vol. 235, no. 5, 2019, pp. 997-1006.
16. Allen NJ, Barres BA. Neuroscience: Glia – more than just brain glue. Nature. 2009 Feb 5;457(7230):675-7.