Make Pain a Thing of the Past – prescription – Physician Partners of America

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Host: As many of you know, prescription drugs can help mask pain and it’s just for the now, but they are never the answer for fixing the problem long term. Dr. Rudy Gari from Florida Pain Relief Group wants to help us with an alternative. Welcome back Dr. Gari, nice to see you.

Dr. Gari: Nice seeing you.

Host: Now, when you work in the field of pain relief you must see a lot of people on an everyday basis coming in who have been on many, many prescription drugs for a very long time, because they’re in such pain. What do you say to these people when they come into your office?

Dr. Gari: Well, the first thing we tell them is this is not the only option. There’s a lot of things that we can do for you, and medications, especially prescription medications that can have some significant side effects, we have to make sure, number one, is it the right medication that you’re taking? So one of the first things that we do is we perform a test called pharmacogenomics. Pharmacogenomics is using your own genetic makeup to make sure that that medication that you have is the right medication for you. So we may adjust it, and what we’re looking for is something that’s going to reduce the side effects, but give you better pain relief. Now, it’s a several step process. The other thing we’re going to do is we’re going to diagnose you. We’re going to figure out exactly what’s wrong with you, because the medications are often treating the symptoms. So we want to get right to the source, you know, what is it that’s causing that pain? And there’s a lot of things that we can do for that.

Host: Okay, so you’re looking at, in terms of side effects, I mean, addiction is one of the most obvious side effects. So, what kind of pain relief management can you offer people who are in so much pain and on drugs?

Dr. Gari: Okay, so the first thing that we need to differentiate is drug addiction and drug dependence. Okay, so let me give an example. Drug addiction, when a patient is addicted to drugs like opioids, or narcotics as they call them, when we give them medication like an opioid, the level of function decreases. When a patient is dependent on their medication and we give an opioid, the level of function increases. So here’s an analogy. Let’s just say they have high blood pressure. You are dependent on your high blood pressure medication. So what we know for a fact is that if you are in serious pain, and you’re taking medication for that pain, the risk of addiction is actually quite minimal. So we have to separate those, so that sometimes we have patients that have both. They have problems with pain, and they also may have a problem with addiction, and we treat both of them.

Host: What other potential harmful effects are there for people on certain prescription drugs, and how do you help them?

Dr. Gari: Okay, certainly for…well the main thing is a lot of patients unfortunately have a lot of psychosocial problems because…

Host: Psychosocial?

Dr. Gari: Psychosocial, meaning that, you know, it’s not just them, it’s the entire family that’s involved. So I talk to the family.

Host: So co-dependence, etc.

Dr. Gari: Yes, and sometimes the family doesn’t understand what’s going on. So we go over what’s causing the pain, what medication are we taking? Can we change some of the medication, something that might work better for you? Can we perform certain procedures that’s going to lower your dependence on these medications?

Host: And perhaps save their lives?

Dr. Gari: Yes, yes, absolutely, and some of the biggest gratification is we have these patients that come in, they’re depressed. Their families don’t understand. We talk to the family, tell them what’s going on, we help them out, and we like to give them their life back.

Host: Boy, that’s…and you know, giving somebody their life back after they’ve been on so many mind-altering drugs for so long must be the greatest gift in the world.

Dr. Gari: There’s nothing more gratifying to me than doing just that.

Host: Well, keep up the good work Dr. Gari, and Florida Pain Relief Group even schedules same day appointments, so be sure to visit their website, floridapainreliefgroup.com, or give a call 844-KICK-PAIN, and we’ll be right back with more Daytime right after this.

If you’ve ever heard someone complain of low back pain, sciatica may have been the culprit. Sciatica is a term used to describe a group of symptoms that can develop in the lower back when an injury or degenerative condition is placing pressure on the sciatic nerve. Some of the most common conditions that can lead to sciatica include:

  • Bulging disc
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Herniated disc
  • Spinal arthritis
  • Spondylolisthesis

Because these conditions can affect the anatomical components of the spine, including its vertebrae, intervertebral discs, and ligaments, it’s no surprise that changes in the spine’s structure or stability can have an effect on the sciatic nerve or its nerve roots and cause sciatica pain.

Sciatica Symptoms

The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body. It begins in the lower part of the spinal cord (the lumbar spine) and extends all the way down the back of the thigh. Just above the back of the knee, the sciatic nerve divides into nerve branches to deliver sensation to the calf and foot.

Compression on the roots of this nerve can lead to a variety of painful symptoms that span the length of the lower body:

  • A warm or electric sensation affecting the lower extremities
  • Numbness or loss of feeling in the thigh, lower leg, or foot
  • Shooting pain that begins in the lower back and radiates down through the buttocks, leg, and calf

Sciatica can affect both sides of the body, but it is far more common for it to only affect one side. This occurs because of the anatomical issue in the spine, such as a herniated disc, generally only affects the nerve roots on one side of the spinal column. Sciatica pain can make sitting or standing for long periods of time excruciating, though most people find that slow walking or lying down helps to alleviate symptoms.

Does Sciatica Always Require Surgery?

Pain relief for sciatica can take a variety of forms. While surgery for sciatica is available, trying all nonsurgical treatments prior to considering surgery is recommended. Sciatica therapy is aimed at managing symptoms and helping to relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve.

Sciatica treatments can include physical therapy, gentle stretching, low-impact exercise, steroids and anti-inflammatory medication. If these sciatic therapies are ineffective, more targeted back pain treatments may be necessary:

Sciatica Pain Treatment in Texas and Florida

At Physician Partners of America, we know that sciatica pain can affect every aspect of your life. Chronic low back pain can make it difficult to do your job, exercise, and socialize with others. Our experienced team of back pain doctors and sciatica specialists is committed to helping you regain your life and keep pain at bay. We offer sciatica treatment at clinics throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area so finding effective, customized care has never been more convenient. Make today the day you start taking your life back from back pain by scheduling an appointment with the physicians of Physician Partners of America.

Find Lasting Relief for Chronic Pain with Alternative Pain Management

The most stressful thing about suffering from chronic pain is being prescribed medication after medication, masking the pain for the time being, but offering little long-term relief. At Physician Partners of America, we offer patients alternative pain management methods to help you experience safer and lasting relief.

What is Alternative Pain Management?

Alternative pain management can be defined as a medical treatment, therapy, or intervention that exists outside the realm of conventional medical practices. Some popular examples of alternative therapies and non-pharmacological treatments include:

  • Chiropractic care
  • Yoga
  • Massage
  • Acupuncture

Here at the Physician Partners of America, we strive to avoid the use of prescription drugs when possible and rather focus on finding the best form of alternative pain management for the patient. We offer nearly two dozen drug-free treatment options to help you experience pain relief for chronic pain. Some of these include:

Which Conditions Can Be Treated with Alternative Pain Management Techniques?

Our physicians specialize in treating a wide variety of chronic pain problems using non-drug methods. Whether you suffer from chronic abdominal pain, arthritis, diabetic neuropathy, lower back pain, or another painful ailment, we can help. The beauty of Texas Pain Relief is that our team of physicians views each patient as a unique individual. Our physicians take the time to listen to each patient as they describe their symptoms and how their pain is affecting their everyday life. Based on feedback from the patient, along with thorough discussion of the patient’s medical history, we are able to recommend a specific technique or combination of techniques designed to treat the patient’s unique and chronic pain.

With traditional drug therapy, the goal is often to merely mask your symptoms. Unfortunately, this is only a temporary solution. You may take a drug that helps to relieve the physical pain of arthritis, while not actually offering long-term remedy. In this case, the problem may actually be worsening beneath the surface. At our clinic, we seek to understand the root cause of your problem so that we can alleviate your pain permanently. Our doctors take their calling seriously to improve the quality of life of every patient they treat.

Learn More About Your Chronic Pain Treatment Options

Our staff is happy to answer your questions about our chronic pain relief treatment methods as well as the types of conditions we treat using natural therapies.