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New Concepts in Management of Chronic, Intractable Pain Today's standard of care in interventional pain management goes beyond palliation. We all know that chronic pain can be devastating to one's quality of life; it erodes the will to live and disturbs and prevents sleep and appetite, creating fatigue, depression, and hopelessness. Chronic pain can slow down recovery from illness and injury. These factors can have great consequences for the elderly and chronic pain patients resulting in vocational, social and familial discord. For them, pain intervention can mean the difference between life and death. Many people believe they are destined to live in chronic pain; they need to know that pain management physicians have a myriad of options that can help restore their health. We at Northwest Suburban Pain Center are working hard to make a difference for these patients by creating a standard for interventional chronic pain management. The types of pain services we offer range from pain specific nerve block injections to fully implantable intrathecal opiod pumps and spinal cord stimulators. Spinal cord stimulators are especially effective in patients who have had previous spinal surgeries and have developed scar tissue in the area. Thousands of people find that spinal cord stimulation provides a welcome relief from chronic pain. We are committed to bringing state of the art techniques in pain management to these patients, including minimally invasive percutaneous intradiscal therapies for back pain - which afflicts 10 million people at an estimated cost of over 20 billion dollars per year. We continue to develop outcome measure protocols that will demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of these techniques. In all cases, we emphasize a complete and personal approach to pain management with a focus in getting the patient back to an active and productive lifestyle. The following is an example of one of many success stories in which a grandmother gives us a "snapshot" of her years in chronic pain and the difference effective pain treatments made in her life. After suffering from back pain from the age of fourteen, undergoing several back surgeries, scar tissue removal, wearing a brace, cataract surgery from the steroids she'd taken over the years, numerous side affects from pain medications and still in pain, she was referred to me. At our pain clinic, nerve blocks, epidurals, and even radiofrequency treatments were tried. Radiofrequency is a relatively new treatment that gave a good result, but it didn't last long enough. Although some patients get six months to one year's relief, hers only lasted three weeks. So in February, 2004, she had an intrathecal pain pump implanted for control of severe back pain. By far, it was the best treatment she had ever received. After 43 years of exploring various treatments and suffering with chronic back pain, she is now doing things she never thought she would be able to do, and it has given her a new excitement and hope for the future. With her new implant, her pain is in control, and she feels she has a new lease on life. She is now able to walk around the lake she lives on and is able to baby sit her grandchildren - activities she was not able to do before. She is not taking any pain medication or muscle relaxants - which has also reduced her drugs bill. In this patient's case, it has made a significant difference in her life and is an example of the work that pain management specialists do every day.
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Dr. Bukhalo Neck Pain and Whiplash Specialist I am a board certified pain medicine doctor. I studied medicine in former Soviet Union but when I came to United States I realized that to help my patients I needed learn all the modern technology that did not exist back home. I believe my patients have to benefit from all the "latest and the greatest" the modern medical science has to offer. I specialize in performing cutting edge procedures using the latest techniques and methods that help people with all types of pain. My highest priority is comfort and safety of my patients. In most cases I am able to perform procedure on the day of initial evaluation visit. Among many types of procedures that I perform are:
The most common type of pain I treat in Northwest Suburban Pain Center is back pain and sciatica. A lot is said and written about back pain, however, when you ask someone "what is it exactly in the back that is hurting?" you will hear as many different theories as people you ask. Some will say "bones" are hurting, others "muscles", yet others will point to discs or ligaments, you will also hear of kidney pain and different joints. Regardless of how many theoretical causes of pain you will hear of, don't be surprised to know that all of these theories are true! Back pain may be caused by all of the above! The real question is when you need to be concerned about your discomfort. When is it time to be alarmed? Most of the time back pain does not last more then a few days and does not significantly interfere with daily activities. However, you should be concerned if you have any of the following:
A dedicated approach to diagnosis, minimally invasive pain procedures followed by physical therapy and exercises often will alleviate back pain. In our clinic we evaluate patients with wide range of painful conditions. Using cutting edge knowledge and state of the art technology doctors of Northwest Suburban Pain Center are able to identify the cause of suffering and in a lot of cases drastically reduce or eliminate the pain. We closely work with other specialists to delineate the proper course of treatment that is best suited to patient's lifestyle and beliefs.
After full evaluation by a physician a customized treatment plan will be delineated determined by you, your family, the Center's treatment team and the referring physician. Physicians of Northwest Suburban Pain Center are treating many types of pain, here are some of them:
We offer consultation and same day procedures, eliminating waiting time between appointments. Our goal is to provide a complete and personal approach to pain management. Please contact us at 847-255-0900. |
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