Introduction
Many people will suffer from pain at some point in their lives, whether it be hand and wrist pain, joint pain, or the dreaded back pain. If you or anyone you know suffers from ongoing pain issues, you will know how debilitating it can be and how much of an impact it can have on daily life. However, there are several options out there to help diagnose the source of your pain and effectively treat it to help get you back to enjoying life. Garden State Pain Control in Clifton and Jersey City, New Jersey, offers a range of treatments including pain control methods, regenerative medicine and various types of orthopedic surgery. Carry on reading for advice on how to start your own journey towards a pain-free life.
Investigating the Source of Your Pain
The first thing to consider when suffering from any type of pain is getting to the root cause. Although it can sometimes be difficult to establish the cause of some types of long term pain, having some preliminary tests is a good starting point. Depending on your own specific symptoms and their duration, your treatment provider may want to perform ultrasound scans, CT scans or X-Rays. There is also a state-of-the-art device known as a mi-eye which can provide physicians with a very detailed visualization of various joints in the body, enabling them to identify any possible sources of damage or injury.
Controlling Your Pain
When it comes to pain, most physicians will generally agree that the best idea is to try the most conservative options first to treat the symptoms and then move on to more invasive treatments only if necessary. Before considering an operation to treat your pain problem, it is wise to consider that surgery is not always the best course of action and that a much simpler and less invasive treatment could be the answer for you.
For example, many people who suffer from chronic pain in either the back or hands and wrists have had great success in being treated with medical marijuana in recent studies. Cannabinoids, which are the active ingredient in marijuana, can impact your bodies’ pain signals by preventing them from reaching your brain. There is also a good deal of evidence that demonstrates the anti-inflammatory effects of cannabinoids. This type of treatment can be a great long term option for chronic pain and can also be incredibly useful in treating pain that does not respond to traditional pain relief, such as neuropathic pain.
Steroid Injections
Steroid injections are just one of the options that you may want to consider to help treat your pain. Epidural steroid injections can help many with lower back pain. They can also be used to alleviate pain in joints around the hands and wrists, knees and elbows. Discuss with your treatment provider whether this could be a viable option for you.
Radiofrequency Ablation
Another procedure that may be able to help with pain is RFA or radiofrequency ablation. This is a minimally invasive procedure that has shown promising results in those suffering from back pain. RFA has been effective in treating patients suffering from both degenerative disc disease and arthritis. The treatment applies radiofrequency energy to specific, targeted nerves in order to stop them from sending pain signals to your brain.