R.I.C.E. For Pain Relief

Treating Your Injury with RICE

So you’ve just sprained your ankle, twisted your knee or slammed your elbow. You’re in pain and need immediate relief. We want you to always remember one thing above all else in situations like these: RICE. No, not the little white or brown grains you eat with grilled salmon, but the mnemonic device known as RICE. (R)est. (I)ce. (C)ompression. (E)levation.

We’re not taking away from the healing power of rice though. Heated up in a sock in the microwave, rice can be a great muscle relaxer and create some serious bloodflow. However, when injured you need to follow this simple technique to make sure your minor injury doesn’t turn into something major.

There’s no need to call the doctor and order advanced treatment just yet, especially if you can quickly get RICE going. So you know, here’s the rundown:

  • Rest. Stop what you’re doing and rest. Stop moving the injured area and keep it still. Slowing it all down to relax the injured area a bit is very important. Also, take deep breaths to calm yourself down if need be.
  • Ice. A cold rag or ice wrapped in a paper towel will help to reduce any pain and swelling. Keep the area cold for at least 20-30 minutes before moving forward. The next day you can switch it up and use a heating pad – or that rice sock – to loosen the muscles if the pain persists.
  • Compression. Keep pressure on the injury (compression) using some sort of bandage wrap to help reduce swelling and apply some stability to the area.
  • Elevation. Keep the injured appendage raised up to, or above, the level of your heart to help further reduce swelling. Stacking pillows usually works the best to help elevate arms and legs.

That’s pretty much the crash course of RICE. It’s not difficult to remember, and it’s certainly not that difficult to perform. We definitely recommend that you follow this procedure for any minor muscle or joint injury you get. That said, if the injury is serious you need to get to the ER as soon as possible. If the pain persists and lingers, then you need to come see us.

At Physician Partners of America, we know a thing or two about pain relief. It’s quite literally our middle name. Contact us today for more information.

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Non-Surgical Pain Relief in Tampa

https://www.physicianpartnersofamerica.com/health-news/pain-management/rice-for-pain-relief/Tampa pain specialist Dr. Rudy Gari recently appeared on WFLA New Channel 8’s program “DayTime” to discuss non-surgical and non-invasive options available to patients with chronic pain.

Dr. Gari is the Medical Director of Florida Pain Relief Group. With three Tampa locations on Habana Ave., Fletcher Ave., and in Carrollwood, Dr. Gari has the latest in non-invasive and non-surgical pain relief techniques available to him in Tampa.

Dr. Rodolfo Gari has practiced interventional pain management in Tampa for more than 20 years and has experience successfully treating any kind of chronic pain.

Watch the video here:

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Chronic Pain Treatment in Tampa

Recently Dr. Rodolfo Gari, a pain specialist in Tampa, FL, appeared on Studio 10 Live! in Tampa to discuss treatment options available to patients in chronic pain.

Dr. Gari has more than 20 years of experience treating chronic pain patients in Tampa.

At Florida Pain Relief Group he has the latest treatments and procedures available to him to treat any kind of chronic pain.

Watch the video here:

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Treatment for Arthritis

Millions of people across the country experience pain from arthritis every day. The pain can range from mild discomfort to debilitating.

Effectively treating arthritis depends in large part on the severity of the condition and any related conditions.

Pain specialist Dr. Alik Saidov of Physician Partners of America in Arlington, TX, treats patients with varied arthritis-related conditions on a regular basis.

Below he provides some insight into treatment options and how best to prevent becoming arthritic.

 

Question: I take over the counter medication for my arthritis, but it’s not effective. What are other treatment options are there?

Dr. Saidov: “First, the pain should be evaluated by a specialist to determine the cause of arthritis. It could be from most common type “wear-and-tear” osteoarthrosis or a part of underlying pathology (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, etc). The treatment options may vary from simple OTC medications to very strong pain and anti-inflammatory medications and injections into joints.”

Q: Are there specific things I can do in my daily life to reduce arthritis pain?

Dr. Saidov: “This depends on the type of arthritis. Recommendations could range from physical therapy to increase range of motion, to cold/warm applications, braces and more.”

Q: Since I know I have arthritis, are there any other conditions I should keep an eye out for?

Dr. Saidov:  “It could be from most common type “wear-and-tear” osteoarthritis or a part of underlying pathology (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Lupus, avascular necrosis, etc). It is important to be evaluated by a specialist first.”

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Stop Suffering From Neck Pain

Millions of people suffer from mild, moderate or severe neck pain every year. Many of them are enduring chronic, lasting pain and try in vain to combat it with run-of-the-mill OTC medicine like aspirin or ibuprofen. Needless to say, the relief is fleeting, if anything at all. That’s not how to treat neck pain.

Let’s back up and talk about what neck pain is. When the neck muscles are strained from poor posture from leaning over your computer, hunching over your desk at work, sleeping in awkward positions, a car accident, a sports injury or anything that caused stiffness and discomfort – that’s neck pain. Next, let’s take a look at some symptoms up close.

Neck Pain Symptoms

You know you have neck pain when you experience any of the following symptoms:

  • Muscle tightness and spasms in your neck
  • Decreased head range of motion
  • A headache that extends into the neck

Now, these symptoms may be a one-time thing and perhaps an ice pack or heating pad will take care of it. However, if you’re finding that this pain keeps coming back it may be chronic, and in that case, you need to move on to more advanced medical treatments.

Neck Pain Treatment

  • Physical therapy. Posture correction, neck-strengthening exercises, and alignment techniques can help ease your discomfort and potentially stop future pain.
  • Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). This technique employs the use of electric currents produced by a device to stimulate the nerves for therapeutic purposes.
  • Steroid injections. A procedure where steroids are injected into the nerves of the neck to stop their ability to send pain signals to the brain. This is an effective way to gain immediate pain relief through minimally invasive means.

Get Neck Pain Relief Today

Don’t wait another painful day. Contact Physician Partners of America now or schedule an appointment to be connected with a pain expert who can help manage your condition and get you back to living a full, active life.

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How Health and Fitness can Prevent Chronic Pain

For many adults who experience chronic pain on a daily basis, their symptoms are exacerbated by a poor diet and little or no daily exercise.

Being proactive in maintaining a health and wellness routine can pay off

down the road when you are older.

Pain management specialist with Physician Partners of America offers a few tips for getting on the right track to living a healthy life and minimize the risk of pain from poor health.

 

Question: What kind of exercises should I be doing on a regular basis?

Dr. Michels: “It’s important to find fun exercises that get you moving every day. Things like walking a dog, riding a bike or going for a swim. The goal is to progress to strength training two or three times per week. Some great strength training exercises are push-ups, pull-ups, bodyweight squats and planks.”

Question: Eating well is hard to do. What kind of advice can you give me?

Dr. Michels: “Have three moderate-sized meals per day with healthy snacks in between, The goal is to never actually be hungry. Don’t overindulge. Some healthy snacks are raw almonds; vegetables such as carrot sticks, broccoli and celery; and whey protein shakes with almond milk, fresh spinach, and dark berries. When at the grocery store, shop the perimeter of the store. That’s where you will find fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats. Don’t forget about whole grains, too.”

Q: What kinds of foods should I avoid?

Dr. Michels: “Steer clear of processed foods, sugary drinks such as soda, candy, and food containing high fructose corn syrup. Also stay way away from flours and processed grains.”

Q: How much water should I drink every day?

Dr. Michels: “Start every day with an 8-ounce glass of water to re-hydrate. You should drink half your body weight in ounces per day. We often confuse thirst for hunger. Before running to food, drink an 8-ounce glass of water and see how you feel.”

Q: What kinds of goals should I set for myself?

Dr. Michels: “Start small and set easily attainable goals. Build off of the momentum of success. Write your goals down and put them somewhere you can see them daily. Once you have accomplished a goal, set a new one. Remember, show yourself grace. If you fail, pick yourself up and start again.”

Q: I hear people talk about “cheat days” – what are those? Are they OK?

Dr. Michels: “Allow yourself to experience the joy of accomplishing a goal. All yourself to have “cheat days” where you can enjoy something that may not be the best for you (i.e. birthday cake at a party, pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.) Live by the 80-20 principal – 80% of the time eat healthy, 20% of the time eat what you want.”

Q: How can I stay focused on healthy living?

Dr. Michels: “Create a vision board: if you can see it, you can be it. A picture is worth a thousand words. Change the ‘way’ of thinking about diet and exercise – it’s not punishment, it’s reward. Think of how much better you are going to feel, look and be. By committing to a healthy lifestyle, it will enable you to finally start living. Have a “can-do” attitude. Consider healthspan vs. lifespan. It’s not the length of your life, but the quality of your life that matter.”

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Whiplash Treatment in Tampa

Suffering From Whiplash?

You’re headed home in typical Tampa rush hour traffic. People are getting out of work and piling into their cars to get home like everyone else. The light turns red and you stop. Suddenly… another car rear-ends you while sitting at the light. Of course you weren’t expecting this, so your head violently jerks forward and back as your car is pushed several feet into the middle of the intersection.

Dazed. Confused. You slowly get out of your vehicle and look back at the other driver who’s already panicking. Surprisingly, you’re not in any pain right now, but once the shock and adrenaline wear off, you may begin to feel severe neck pain, stiffness, and headaches. That’s called whiplash and it’s serious.

How to Tell If You Have Whiplash

As we said, the warning signs for whiplash probably won’t show themselves right away. The adrenaline rush and shock must first subside before the pain of the injury can show itself. Some of this warning signs – or symptoms – can be:

  • Neck pain and stiffness
  • Painful neck movement
  • Range of motion decreases in the neck
  • Headaches
  • Shoulder pain and/or tenderness
  • Tingling down the arms

Our Pain Experts in Tampa Can Treat Whiplash

Of course our example was a car wreck, but a person can get whiplash from a variety of events such as a sports injury or traumatic accident. You should contact the pain experts at Physician Partners of America if you begin to experience any of the listed symptoms above in addition to any other neck pain after any injury you may have received. Getting a prompt diagnosis – and treatment if whiplash is the case – is vitally important to restoring full mobility of your neck and to eliminate the pain.

Remember, you may not feel the pain right away. Don’t dismiss the fact that the injury occurred and the effects are on the horizon. Better safe than sorry, right? With that in mind, even if you’ve been injured, but don’t think it’s whiplash, let our pain management team here at Physician Partners of America take a look.

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Florida Pain Relief Group Patient Story

For many people suffering from chronic pain, the prospect of finding real and lasting relief can be a complete life-changer. Throughout his years of practicing pain management, Dr. Gari has had an immeasurable impact on people’s quality of life.

We often get brief notes of appreciation from patients. Few offer as much detail about their life with chronic pain as this patient. He has asked to remain anonymous, but he granted us permission to share his message and experience here on our website.

 

Though I’m a relatively new patient of Dr. Gari’s I do like his approach to pain management. A lot of doctors are simply there to be paid and write prescriptions; Dr. Gari actually wants to solve the problem, and to make sure that it doesn’t come back.

He isn’t afraid to try aggressive therapies that, while safe for the patient, avoid the risk of addiction or surgery for surgery’s sake. I would complain that it’s a time-consuming process; just in the next two weeks I’ve got four appointments with him, two of those being surgical procedures, but comparing that to the amount of time spent complaining about pain, the loss of ability to focus and the trouble that comes with chronic pain, it really isn’t much.

Wouldn’t you rather trade eight hours of your month for the stress of medication management, finding the right doctor, balancing the limitations in your life? I’m relatively young for a client of Dr. Gari’s and I’m not sure if it’s sports related or if it’s simply bad luck, but he’s been nothing but professional with me.

The first time I tried to “solve” my back pain problem I was referred to a doctor who simply started with narcotics. After a month or so of taking these, that doctor wanted to introduce the epidural injection procedures with a $1,200 co-pay (cash only, of course). If I wasn’t willing to pay for these procedures out-of-pocket and out-of-network, he simply wouldn’t write me any more prescriptions.

I was somewhat taken hostage by a new-found addiction to over-prescribed medication that was increased frequently to match my tolerance. Eventually, it got to the point where I simply wasn’t willing to continue down that path, but I, unfortunately, turned to heavy drinking to deal with my ever-increasing back pain.

I’ve met a few doctors as it’s important to find someone you trust. It’s almost like a therapist in this way; you need someone who’s going to believe you when you say you can’t enjoy your life anymore.

This can be difficult when you’re young(er); I’m 34 and doctors often brush me off before they’ve even bothered to look at my MRIs. Again, it’s like mental illness – you can’t see it, it doesn’t show up on a test and it’s impossible to measure in any quantitative way. P

Personally, my two favorite things in the world were running and scuba diving; with a herniated disc, as you can imagine, there are restrictions on participation for either with back pain. Dealing with pain by avoiding doctors and simply drinking it away makes you too stupid and too fat to enjoy either and you find yourself depressed, eating more, drinking more, weighing more.

Dr. Gari gives you another option – get rid of the problem that’s driving you to such measures. That’s worth more than gold. I want my life back, Dr. Gari can give it to me. If these epidurals don’t work, I’ve been asked if I’d consider medication. Normally, I wouldn’t; under Dr. Gari’s supervision, I would.

He’s meticulous, careful to the extreme, and knows what options there are. I’ve tried physical therapy on its own, medication on its own, epidurals on their own – but my treatment is being tailored to my life and lifestyle. With any luck, this time next year I’ll have lost another fifty pounds and I’ll be watching orca hunt off the west coast of Costa Rica from a private charter.

Chronic pain can take your life away. You’re willing to do anything to make it stop. Dr. Gari knows how to do this properly and how to do this safely. He’ll have saved my life.

Drinking? Done with it.

Depression from the seemingly endless pain to which there’s no solution? Gone.

Psychiatric medicine that puts you in a haze so you don’t know what’s going on? No thank you.

Spending days in bed curled into a ball screaming into a pillow? Not anymore.

Considering suicide just to make it go away?

Poor job performance because you can’t think about anything but the feeling that you’re on fire from the waist down all day and night?

Not on Gari’s watch.

I have faith this time around, and I can only hope it will be rewarded. I think it will.

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Pain Experts

Experts In Pain Relief

You’re either suffering from pain right now or you just were which has led you to this website article. Not that we’re looking through a crystal ball or anything, but you’ve probably also been suffering from this pain for longer than you’d like to admit – and nothing has worked so far to relieve it.

Sure, popping two or three Tylenol may numb the pain for a few hours, but just when you’re able to move around relatively pain-free, the medication stops and the hurting restarts. This is a vicious circle of chronic pain you have found yourself in and the only way out is with the pain experts at Physician Partners of America.

Pain Isn’t One-Dimensional

Let us drop a little nugget of wisdom here: Pain is physical and emotional. That’s right. While there is no denying that you have lower back pain or neck pain or any other type of chronic pain, that very pain begins to take a psychological and emotional toll on your body. This causes stress levels to rise, and stress is where many bad things can begin to take place. In this instance, the pain leads to more stress which can lead to more pain which can lead to more stress…you get the picture.

The pain experts have the right treatments and therapies to end this cycle and get you out of the pain loop. If this was a more mild, acute type of pain we were discussing then perhaps you could handle this on your own. However, since this is persistent, constant, limiting pain you need the professional pain management that Physician Partners of America brings to the table.

Contact Us Today, Live Pain-Free Tomorrow

Since we offer same-day appointments, it is possible that if you walk into our clinic today, you’ll be living a pain-free or at least a much more painless, life starting tomorrow. Our doctors are experts in pain and our methods are unparalleled. We specialize in helping our patients live without pain. How does that sound to you?

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The Importance of EMG and Nerve Tests

During the course of a patient’s treatment for chronic pain, their physician may suggest the need for additional testing.

The reasoning for needing more testing is to get a better handle on a patient’s specific pain management needs. Among the testing that a physician may recommend is a study of how a patient’s nerves and muscles are working.

Dr. Prasad, a pain specialist in Dallas-Fort Worth, performs this test on his patients during the course of treating their chronic pain. Below he answers a few basic questions about what an EMG and NCS test means.

 

Question: What is an EMG/NCS test?

Dr. Prasad: “EMG stands for Electromyogram and NCS stands for Nerve Conduction Study. These are diagnostic tests to check on how a patient’s muscles and nerves are functioning. The results from this test will help a pain specialist to diagnose the severity of a patient’s condition and accurately map put appropriate treatment options.”

Question: Why am I being referred by my doctor to get an EMG/NCS test done?

Dr. Prasad: “You may be referred for this test if you experience numbness, tingling or a burning sensation; muscle weakness such as foot drop, wrist drop, difficulty opening jars; back pain shooting down your leg, or neck pain shooting down the arm.

Q: What will happen during the test?

Dr. Prasad:  “During nerve testing, small electrode patches are applied to the skin over certain muscles and/or nerves. Then the overlying skin is gently electrically stimulated to see the nerve response. During EMG testing a small, thin needle is used very briefly to test how well the nerve and muscle are working together. There is no electric stimulation involved during EMG testing.”

Q: Is there anything that I should do before having the test?

Dr. Prasad: “Avoid wearing skin lotions, oils or creams on the day of the test. Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing that allows access to muscles and nerves to be tested. Generally speaking, patients can take their usual medications for blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid, and others as prescribed by their physician. However, if you are taking a blood thinner, please notify the doctor in advance.”

Q: Are there any restrictions before or after completing the EMG/NCS test?

Dr. Prasad: “There are no restrictions on activity before or after the test, and there are no lasting after-effects.”

Q: When can I expect the results of this test?

Dr. Prasad: “After completing the EMG/NCS test, the doctor has to look at all the findings before making the interpretation. The test results will be sent to your doctor that referred you for the test. They will discuss the results during your follow up visit.”

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