Is Fibromyalgia Causing your Inability to Sleep?

Is muscle pain, weakness, or stiffness keeping you tossing and turning each night? If you struggle to find a reason behind this frustration, here’s a possibility that you may not have considered—fibromyalgia. This disorder not only affects memory, concentration, and energy levels, but its associated chronic pain can leave you unable to achieve a restful night of sleep.

The Relationship of Fibromyalgia and Sleep Problems

Fibromyalgia and sleep disturbances go hand in hand: the painful symptoms of fibromyalgia can make it difficult – if not impossible – to achieve the deep and restful sleep that you need to lead a healthy life. Unfortunately, many other common symptoms of fibromyalgia are heightened by a lack of sleep. For a fibromyalgia sufferer, this lack of sleep becomes both a symptom and a trigger, making the management of fibromyalgia sleep problems crucial.

Trigger Point Injections for Fibromyalgia Pain Relief

While there is no one fibromyalgia treatment that works for everyone, the pain management physicians at Physician Partners of America have found that many patients respond well to trigger point injections. In fibromyalgia sufferers, trigger points are areas of acute musculoskeletal pain and spasm; pain often begins in these areas as a result of tension in the muscles and radiates outwards, contributing to the full-body chronic pain that is common to fibromyalgia. Though some trigger points arise as a result of physical trauma, such as bruising or hairline fractures, they can also occur spontaneously when a muscle spasms. These trigger points are a major cause of having difficulty sleeping—not only are they painful on their own, but pressure from the trigger point can cause pain to radiate outwards to the rest of the body.

Trigger point injections, or TPIs, combat the painful effects of trigger points by injecting a small amount of anesthetic, corticosteroid, or muscle relaxant directly into the trigger point itself. This extremely localized treatment provides near-instant relief for trigger point pain and can help fibromyalgia sufferers avoid dependence on painkillers. Even better, our pain relief physicians have found that once treated, individual trigger points rarely reoccur, making TPIs among the longest-lasting relief for fibromyalgia sufferers!

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The Dangers of Pain Patches and Cure-All Treatments

Tampa pain specialist Dr. Rodolfo Gari of Physician Partners of America recently appeared on the NBC program DayTime to talk about the benefits and draw-backs of over-the-counter pain relievers.

There are many companies who claim to have created a patch or pill that will significantly ease or completely eliminate chronic pain. In many cases these results are inflated or completely untrue.

While every patient’s chronic pain is different, it’s vital that any chronic pain relief regiment is decided on in conjunction with a medical professional. Chronic pain is a serious medical condition and requires a medical professional to appropriately treat and diagnose.

Watch the video here:

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Joint Pain Treatment in Florida

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Joint Pain Treatment in Florida

Experiencing pain from bending or moving is something that many people accept as an inevitable result of getting older, or something to be expected as a result of injury.

But joint pain is not something that you have to live with forever.

In a recent appearance on DayTime, Florida pain specialist Dr. Rodolfo Gari of Florida Pain Relief Group discussed the treatment options available for patients who experience joint pain regularly at Florida pain relief center locations in Boynton Beach, Rockledge, New Port Richey,   Tampa (Habana), Tampa ( Fletcher), Tampa (Westchase), Melbourne, Winter Haven and Orlando.

Watch the clip here:

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Dr. Mauricio Orbegozo Joins Florida Pain Relief Group

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Florida Pain Relief Group is proud to announce the addition of Dr. Mauricio Orbegozo to our growing practice.

Dr. Orbegozo has more than 20 years of experience as an anesthesiologist and pain management specialist. He joins Florida Pain Relief Group from private practice in the greater Chicago area.

“I like the approach of pain management because it allows me to treat the pain suffering patient in all stages of the process and their condition,” Dr. Orbegozo said. “As a surgeon I was only going to be involved in surgery. As I was finishing my residency in anesthesia I was given the privilege and opportunity to go to one if the best training programs available. I have since been practicing pain management and interventional therapies for pain. During my career I have had the privilege of treating patients with all conditions in pain management.”

Following medical school, Dr. Orbegozo pursued a residency program in general surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital in Ohio; a residency program in anesthsiology at Loyola University Medical Center in Illinois; and a fellowship in pain management at Texas Tech University Medical Center in Texas.

“My approach to patient care is that of maximizing all therapies we have available for the patient in order to provide the best result,” Dr. Orbegozo said. “I believe the pain management specialist is the gatekeeper for patients in the sense that if they need referrals to other specialties, we can send the patient to the most appropriate physician to complement the care that we as pain Physicians have given. I believe in complete health as far as mental and physical health.”

Dr. Orbegozo prides himself on being able to connect on a personal level with each of his patients.

“I have always been proud of the fact that if a patient’s name comes up in a question I am able to recall who that patient is, the therapy the patient is undergoing and also who they are personally,” he said. “I believe that to treat pain you have to know as much of the patient as possible not only physically but mentally, socially and their life and family support they have around them.”

Joining Florida Pain Relief Group presented Dr. Orbegozo with the opportunity to relocate to be closer to family and to join a rapidly growing pain practice.

“I have decided to join Florida Pain Relief Group because ever since I met Dr Gari, saw his approach to pain management and saw his achievements in creating a model of pain management that has proven to be successful for a very long time,” Dr. Orbegozo said. “I knew this was the type of practice I wanted to join. We have family and friend ties to Florida and this was always in our plans as an area to continue our family life.”

Dr. Orbegozo will be seeing new patients starting May 16th at our Tampa pain relief center locations in East Tampa and Carrollwood.

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Pain Medicine Side Effects

Get relief from pain without the risks of powerful pain medicines

Tampa pain specialist Dr. Rodolfo Gari from Florida Pain Relief Group appeared on DayTime recently to talk about the risks associated with pain medicines.

Often the first line of defense against chronic pain is to seek relief in the form of powerful pain medications. However there are other pain management techniques and approaches that should be considered.

While some relief may be felt, there are significant side effects that should be considers. Those include the potential of addiction and lasting effects to your body’s internal organs.

Our Tampa pain specialists at our Tampa pain relief centers in East Tampa, North Tampa and Carrollwood are experienced in the treatment of chronic pain using many different procedures and techniques.

Watch the video here.

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Are Compressed Nerves Being a Pain

A compressed or pinched nerve is one of the main reasons you experience back, neck, wrist or leg pain. The delicate nerve fibers get trapped, pinched, squeezed, or injured by a variety of external or internal situations and the neurotransmitters that signal “pain” to the brain go off.

Causes of a compressed nerve can vary from an injury to poor posture to degenerative disorders to obesity. Additionally, the compressed nerve can be a result of a combination of factors.

The pressure on the nerve by surrounding bones, cartilage, muscles, or tendons needs to be relieved sooner than later, or that pain will continue to slow you down – not to mention the nerve can endure permanent damage if not tended to.

We’ve gone into detail about pinched nerves in our conditions section, but let’s recap some of the symptoms you may experience.

Compressed Nerve Symptoms

The following is a small selection of common symptoms of a compressed nerve:

  • Numbness
  • Radiating pain that stems from one specific location
  • Muscle weakness
  • Feeling as if the area has “fallen asleep”

Medical Treatment for a Compressed Nerve

Our specialists offer many solutions for your compressed nerve pain including minimally invasive procedures and physical therapy. Below are a few highlighted pain management options you can receive:

  • Nerve blocks. A nerve block is an anesthetic or anti-inflammatory injection into a particular nerve or group of nerves for pain relief. The aim is to block pain signal(s) coming from a specific location in the body and/or decrease inflammation in that area.
  • Trigger point injections. A Trigger Point Injection (TPI) is an intra-muscular injection of a local anesthetic into muscle trigger points, often accompanied by an anti-inflammatory steroid, to combat specific pain points and chronic pain usually resulting from an injury to the muscle(s) in question.
  • Pulsed radiofrequency. Pulsed radiofrequency treatment is very effective at treating the more difficult types of chronic pain that usually originate from either irritated or damaged nerves.
  • Physical therapy. This enables you to build strength in muscles where you are experiencing pain and weakness.

The prognosis for a full recovery from a pinched nerve is good if you don’t ignore the warning signs and get your pain checked out by a doctor sooner than later. For more information about compressed or pinched nerves, contact us today.

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Dealing With Middle Back Pain

What is the Thoracic Spine?

We always hear about lower back pain, but it’s rarely mentioned on TV spots or magazine ads about middle back pain, known to the professionals as thoracic back pain. The thoracic area is the part of the spine that starts just below your cervical spine (neck) and connects with your lumbar spine (lower back.) That’s a pretty big section of vertebrae, discs, ligaments, nerves, and tissue that can sustain injury or ailment. Let’s talk about that.

Middle back pain can be due to trauma brought on by an accident or the result of an internal disorder. Since there are several triggers or causes for the pain, we’ll provide a quick list of the most common.

Causes of Thoracic Back Pain

Below are the most common triggers for lower (and upper) back pain.

  • Herniated discs
  • Accident trauma
  • Myofascial pain
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Pinched nerves
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Stress-related disorders
  • Scoliosis
  • Cancer

Managing the Middle Back Pain

While most cases of thoracic back pain may resolve within a few weeks, the prognosis of thoracic back pain greatly depends on the underling cause and specific circumstances of your case, as well as, the method of treatment used.

Some pain relief procedures we provide here at Physician Partners of America are:

  • Facet denervation. Radiofrequency facet denervation (RFD) is a minimally-invasive surgical procedure used to treat central neck or back pain due to arthritis or injury to the facet joints.
  • Nerve blocks. A nerve block is an anesthetic or anti-inflammatory injection into a particular nerve or group of nerves for pain relief. The aim is to block pain signal(s) coming from a specific location in the body and/or decrease inflammation in that area.
  • Facet joint injections. A facet joint injection is a fairly straightforward procedure performed by using an x-ray to guide and place the needle while avoiding potential nearby nerve harm or injury.
  • Spinal cord stimulator. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is the standard treatment for patients suffering from chronic pain in their back, neck or limbs who did not achieve pain relief through other various methods.

Of course, this is just a small selection of pain management treatments we offer. For the full selection, click here.

Don’t let middle back pain take control of your life. Our pain specialists  are standing by to help. Contact us or schedule an appointment to stop by.

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Treating arthritis pain

Get relief from arthritis pain in Tampa

Tampa pain specialist Dr. Rodolfo Gari of Florida Pain Relief Group is an expert in the treatment of chronic pain due to arthritis.

In a recent appearance on the News Channel 8 program “DayTime”, Dr. Gari spoke about the various symptoms of pain from arthritis and the treatment options that exist.

You don’t have to suffer in pain from arthritis. Each of our Tampa pain doctors have years of experience treating arthritis pain using a variety of techniques and procedures.

Schedule an appointment at one of our Tampa pain relief center locations in East Tampa, North Tampa and Carrollwood.

Watch the video here:

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Headache Do’s and Don’ts

When confronted with a headache the first thought is to grab the nearest over-the-counter pain medication and wait for the pain to subside.

When that doesn’t work, you are faced with the question of what to do next.

Jonette Gozzola NP, a Dallas headache specialist, offers these Do’s and Don’ts for how to respond when a headache comes, and what next steps should be taken.

Do:

  • Seek competent medical evaluation. Migraines cause missed work, family activities and even cause problems in relationships
  • Recognize “triggers” that cause your migraines. Again, a trained clinician can help. Common triggers-stress, certain foods, sleep disturbance, weather changes
  • Keep a headache diary. Record level of intensity and frequency of all headaches.
  • Seek immediate emergency help for “’the worst headache I have ever had”

Don’t

  • Overuse rescue medications. You need to be in control of headaches not be being controlled by headaches
  • Delay seeking a headache professional for guidance and appropriate medication
  • Seek more and stronger “pain” medication. It may be poison for the person with a migraine
  • Ignore signs of a growing problem-mood disruption, decreased cognitive function, muscle tension, excessive yawning, increasing frequency, and intensity

A migraine is a condition of the nervous system that can be serious and debilitating. It is not “just a headache”. Help is available for you to control this condition and take back your life. You are a valuable person who people love and appreciate! Let us help you get back to being you!

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When Pain Medication Doesn’t Work

Chronic pain sufferers will try almost anything to achieve relief from their pain symptoms. Typically the first line of defense are various pain medications, both over-the-counter and prescribed by a physician.

However, pain medication cannot be guaranteed to always work as prescribed or as intended. Over the years medical research has revealed that not every person absorbs medication the same ways, and that over time our body will change how it reacts to medications.

Pain physicians have a number of ways to combat this issue in patients.

“This is a situation known as tachyphylaxis where more medication is needed to achieve the same effect,” said Dr. Rodolfo Gari, Tampa pain specialist with Florida Pain Relief Group. “Many believe that tachyphylaxis occurs because our bodies increase the number of receptors necessary to achieve pain control and therefore more medication is needed to achieve the same effect.”

Typically a patient does not want to increase their existing medication dosages, but instead find a combination or approach that works best.

“A way to counter this without increasing dosage is to switch the medication to a different class of opioid that works in different receptors,” Dr. Gari said. “For example, switching from hydrocodone to oxycodone or switching from morphine to methadone for a short period of time can restore the original effect. We can then switch back to the original medication with better results at a lower dosage.”

For patients who don’t experience relief from a change in medications may be good candidates for a test called Pharmacogenomics. This test will help a doctor to prescribe medication based on more than symptoms.

“Pharmacogenomics is a field of medicine that matches our unique genetic make up with the medications that work best for us,” Dr. Gari said. “We have all experienced ‘trials’ of different medications until we find one that works. Pharmacogenomics allows us to use the right medication the first time.”

All of our pain doctors in Tampa offer pharmacogenomics testing to their patients. Schedule an appointment at any of our Tampa pain relief centers in East Tampa, North Tampa and Carrollwood.

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