Find relief from chronic abdominal pain

If you need help managing your chronic abdominal pain, Oklahoma Pain Management is the place to find relief. Ongoing abdominal pain is extremely uncomfortable and often leads to other symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting or headaches. We can help to manage the pain through a variety of non-invasive methods, and our personalized treatment plans assure that you will get the help you need.

Chronic abdominal pain may manifest itself in many ways.

• It can be sharp, dull, stabbing, cramp-like, twisting.
• It can occur briefly, come in waves, or be constant.
• It may cause nausea or vomiting.
• It may make you want to stay still or restless.

Sometimes the cause of the pain may not be clear or the cause can’t be easily treated, but the pain will continue to be severe. Patients with chronic abdominal pain can find the help they need at Oklahoma Pain Management for evaluation and treatment. Often, we may use Sympathetic Nerve Blocks to reduce inflammation and help diagnose and treat the source of pain.

When it comes to pain management, Oklahoma City patients can depend on us. 

Do you suffer from chronic headaches? Does it feel like a shooting pain behind your eyes? Does your entire scalp feel sore or tender? It could be more than just a headache; You may suffer from occipital neuralgia or occipital neuritis.

Unfortunately, occipital neuralgia can go undiagnosed for years because symptoms mimic common headaches or migraines. Occipital neuralgia, however, is a distinct neurological disorder that requires specific treatment.

What exactly is occipital neuralgia?

The International Headache Society (IHS) defines occipital neuralgia (also known as C2 neuralgia) as “a paroxysmal shooting or stabbing pain in the dermatomes of the greater occipital and the lesser occipital nerve”.

Occipital neuralgia occurs when one or both occipital nerves (nerves emerging from the spine in the upper neck & proceeding to the back of the head) become irritated or damaged. The pain may occur without much warning and could start after a surgery or scalp injury, or because of a pinched nerve root or occipital nerve block.

What Causes Occipital Headaches?

Occipital neuralgia causes may include:

• Injury or whiplash after car accident
• Overly tight neck muscles
• Compressed nerves in the neck, due to osteoarthritis or other conditions
• Tumors
• Gout
• Diabetes
• Vasculitis, or blood vessel inflammation
• Overuse injuries caused by keeping the head in a down or forward position

Occipital neuralgia may occur without much warning and could start after a surgery or scalp injury, or as a result of a pinched nerve root.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of occipital neuralgia and occipital neuritis include:

• Pain described as ‘shocks’, or electric
• Sharp pain behind the eye
• Sharp, burning, and throbbing pain that starts at the base of the head
• Pain on one or both sides of the head
• Sharp pain behind the eye
• Sensitivity to light
• Extreme tenderness to the head and scalp

Sometimes, these symptoms are referred to as occipital neuritis, meaning some inflammatory changes have affected the occipital nerves.

How can I treat occipital neuralgia?

Although all patients and treatment plans are unique, chronic migraines or occipital neuralgia are commonly treated with Occipital Nerve Blocks, an injection of local anesthetic and steroid around the occipital nerve used to decrease inflammation and to relieve your chronic migraines.

Other methods of treating occipital neuralgia include:

• Physical therapy and strengthening exercises
• Anti-inflammatory medications
• Acupuncture
• Cranial osteopathy and other forms of massage

The above information is for general education purposes only. Please ask your doctor specific questions during your visit.

If your doctor has diagnosed occipital neuralgia, the pain management specialists at Oklahoma Pain Management can provide minimally invasive treatment options, so you can take control of your chronic headaches, and go back to living life to the fullest.Schedule your appointment today

How to cope with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Those suffering from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome know it isn’t something their families and friends can relate to. For someone with CRPS, a minor injury can lead to intolerable pain. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) does not have a single cause, but all causes result in similar symptoms of burning, swelling, stiffness, decreased motor skills, changes in hair and nail growth, and changes to the skin including temperature, color, and texture that affects the outer limbs (hands, arms, legs, and feet).

Untreated, CPRS can cause tissue atrophy or muscle tightening. It is important that you are treated in a timely manner to prevent more serious issues.

Oklahoma Pain Management is experienced in helping patients cope with pain associated with CPRS.

Who suffers from CRPS?

Complex regional pain syndrome can affect both men and women, but more commonly affects women. It affects most people ages 20-40 and rarely affects elderly people and children under the age of 10.

How do we treat Complex Regional Pain Syndrome?

Every patient is different and every treatment is based on your unique condition. The most common treatments for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome include, but are not limited to, physical therapy, Sympathetic Nerve Blocks and Spinal Cord Stimulation.

Physical Therapy:  We work with a variety of physical therapists in the city to make sure the patient is educated on what physical activities they can do to help their injury and ways to manage pain. If you are interested in seeking the help of a physical therapist, we can make that referral for you.

Sympathetic nerve block: In this procedure, a small amount of anesthetic is injected next to the spine to cover a plexus of nerves, providing pain relief by dilating blood vessels and increasing blood flow to the extremities. This is both a diagnostic and therapeutic procedure.

Spinal cord stimulation: An electrode is placed next to the nerves near the spine. The affected area(s) receives electrical stimulation, which helps inhibit the painful signals from reaching the brain, providing relief for some patients who suffer from chronic pain.

Some CRPS patients may suffer from depression or other associated conditions and benefit from therapy and counseling. We have relationships with many physicians and therapists in Oklahoma City and we can refer you to the best practitioners in the state.

When it comes to pain management, Oklahoma City patients can depend on us.

Find relief for your joint pain

Facet joint pain can be debilitating. It is one of the most common causes of recurring low back and neck pain. This type of chronic pain makes it very difficult to keep up a healthy level of activity. At Oklahoma Pain Management, we can help you manage facet joint pain.

What causes Facet Joint Pain?

Your spine is made up of small bone structures, called vertebrae. Off each of these vertebrae there is a small stabilizing joint on each side of the vertebrae, called the Facet Joint. These are used to limit the range of motion of the spine when we are moving, twisting, and bending, allowing us to not over extend in any direction. As we move around in our daily lives, the joints slide on each other. Each joint also has a small amount of cartilage, which provides lubrication as the joints move. As the facet joints become worn, the nerves become inflamed and can provide a significant amount of pain.

Do you have Facet Joint Arthralgia?

This condition can be characterized by the following symptoms:

• Pain in your lower back that is worse with extension and lateral rotation. May have some radiation into the hip or buttock, but not into the legs.
• Pain in your neck that is worse with side-to-side motion or looking up. May have some radiation into the head or shoulder, but not into the arms.

What treatments are available?

Though treatments are tailored to each patient, we commonly use Facet Joint Blocks and Radio Frequency Ablations to treat Facet joint pain.

A Facet Joint Block is an injection of local anesthetic and sometimes steroid into a specific area to reduce pain associated with the medial branch nerve. A Facet Joint Block is used to confirm that medical branch nerve could be the source of pain and to decrease inflammation. It is both therapeutic and diagnostic.

If only temporary relief is given after two Facet Joint Blocks, a Radio Frequency Ablation may be the next step. A Radio Frequency (RF) is a nerve lesioning procedure that temporarily interrupts pain or nerve transmission for a prolonged duration. It uses a radio frequency machine to deliver a high temperature lesion to the patient’s medial branch nerve via an RF electrode to induce thermal destruction of the nerves.

Manage your pain and improve the quality of your life. 

Failed Back Syndrome is a diagnosis given to patients who have continued back or leg pain after having spine surgery.

What causes Failed Back Syndrome?

Multiple factors can contribute to the onset of Failed Back Syndrome. Contributing factors could be disc herniation, persistent post-operative pressure on a spinal nerve, altered joint mobility, joint hypermobility with instability, scar tissue and spinal muscular deconditioning. An individual may be predisposed to the development of Failed Back Syndrome due to other existing conditions.

How do I manage my pain?

Every patient’s case is unique. A full evaluation is performed and a treatment plan is developed to find the best treatment for your unique situation. We have found the below to be helpful in treating Failed Back Syndrome and may be included in your custom treatment plan.

• Physical therapy
• Spinal cord stimulation
• A variety of therapeutic interventional procedures

You can expect to get fast appointments, a thorough examination, and a personalized treatment plan at Oklahoma Pain Management.

Life with Myofascial Pain

Almost everyone have experienced muscle tension or exhaustion sometime in their life. Myofascial pain is different in that it is chronic, ongoing, and worsens with activity. Myofascial pain syndrome can occur when a muscle is used repetitively in jobs or other activities or by stress-related muscle tension. Myofascial pain syndrome causes referred, or seemingly unrelated, pain in various parts of the body.

Myofascial pain can have a strong impact on a patient’s lifestyle and well-being. An active treatment effort, addressing contributing factors and a supportive environment can help relieve some chronic myofascial pain.

Treatment of myofascial pain syndrome approach may include:

• Educating the patient about triggers and lifestyle changes
• Stress reduction
• Exercise programs, stretching as well as physical therapy
• Trigger point injections

Known for the severity of pain, myofascial pain can be an overwhelming diagnosis, but when properly treated, the pain can often be managed. At Oklahoma Pain Management, we will evaluate your specific condition and put together a treatment plan that is right for you.

Oklahoma Pain Management is by your side helping you cope with myofascial pain syndrome. 

Although Chronic Neck Pain is not as common as low back pain, it still affects about a quarter of the American population. Your cervical spine, like your low back, is made up of vertebrae and discs. When we do everyday things, like sitting at a computer for too long, improperly, we are putting our discs in danger of injury. The soft, gel like pads, your discs, act as a shock absorber for all of these activities. Over time these discs can wear down or become injured. There are a variety of reasons why you may have chronic cervical spine pain, below is a list of a few that we commonly see at Oklahoma Pain Management. Every patient’s injury is unique so the reasons are not limited to the list below. With an evaluation from one of our doctors we can pinpoint your cause of pain and help your get back to a better quality of life.

1) Injury or Accident: The most common injury or accident that results in a cervical spine injury is a Motor Vehicle Accident. The abrupt and forceful motion that some experience in a car accident can cause damage to the discs and nerve of the cervical spine, resulting in chronic pain. We at Oklahoma Pain Management are well versed in Motor Vehicle Accident injuries and would like to be able to help relieve this pain. Please visit our Motor Vehicle Accident page for more information.

2) Degenerative Diseases, Stenosis, and Disc Herniation: With age and over use, the discs in your cervical spine may wear down or even rupture, causing chronic cervical pain. Please visit our Other Conditions page to read more about this.

Whether the pain is due to an accident, general wear and tear, or aging, we at Oklahoma Pain Management can help you manage your chronic cervical neck pain.

Nerve Root Pain

Nerve root pain is often caused by a nerve injury or irritation resulting in pain, numbness, increased sensitivity or weakness of muscles and limbs. You will likely hear about nerve root injuries in association with a herniated or bulging disc, or bone changes due to conditions such as osteoarthritis, especially in the cervical and lumbar spine.

Nerve root disorders, which sometime cause radiculopathies, are often associated with acute or chronic pressure on a root in or adjacent to the spinal column.

We offer a variety of treatments that are intended to treat nerve root pain. Most interventional therapies we offer can help with this pain.

At Oklahoma Pain Management, our primary focus is to help you manage such pain. Our doctors understand pain like no other physician in the Oklahoma City area. You can expect to get fast appointments, a thorough examination, and a personalized treatment plan. Simply put – you get the care you deserve and the treatments you need.

It’s important to get medical care for a peripheral nerve injury as soon as possible because timely diagnosis and treatment can prevent future complications. However, whether or not the injury is recent, the team at Oklahoma Pain Management can help.

What is a peripheral nerve injury?

The fragile peripheral nerves link your central nervous system, your brain and spinal cord, to the rest of your body. An injury to these nerves can interfere with your brain’s ability to communicate with your muscles and organs.

• Physical trauma is the most common cause of peripheral nerve injury. Injuries from car accidents, sports or falls can cause nerves to be injured.
• Repetitive stress, or repetitive or forceful activities over prolonged periods of time, can also cause injury. “Tennis elbow” and carpal tunnel syndrome are common types of neuropathy. Stress injuries may cause ligaments, tendons, and muscles to become inflamed and swollen, restricting the nerves’ passageways.

Do I have a peripheral nerve injury?

If you feel tingling or numbness in your hands, arms, shoulders or legs you may have injured a nerve. A thorough examination will help determine the cause of your pain. At Oklahoma Pain Management, we will then create a personalized treatment plan to provide pain relief.

Our doctors understand pain like no other physician in the Oklahoma City area. You can expect to get fast appointments and a personalized care every step of the way.

Postherpetic neuralgia, or Post Shingles Pain, is a condition of recurring or persistent pain in an area of the body that has undergone an outbreak of herpes zoster virus, better known as shingles. After the blisters heal, some patients continue to report pain.

The shingles are gone. Why is there still pain?

Postherpetic neuralgia affects nerve fibers and your skin and lasts more than three months after the shingles outbreak. The pain is a result of a change in neurological structure due to the irritation or damage of a nerve.

Finding the Right Treatment for You

For most patients, conservative care can relieve postherpetic neuralgia pain. Treatment options include nerve blocks, electrical nerve stimulation, and – rarely – spinal cord stimulators. Our most common treatments – nerve blocks and electrical nerve stimulation – have proven effective for most of our patients.

Our team will create a personalized treatment plan that is right for you. You can expect to get fast appointments and support every step of the way.

More than 3 million U.S. cases per year are diagnosed. Sciatic nerve pain is one of the leading causes of low back and leg pain. It can range from mild, only flaring up when you overexert yourself, or can be severe, chronic, and debilitating. Some symptoms include pain in buttocks or leg that is worsened by long periods of sitting or standing, and tingling or shooting pain down one or both legs. Sometimes the pain is on one side of the body more than the other and can even affect the feet or toes.

How is sciatica nerve pain treated?

Sciatica pain can be fierce and excruciating – that’s what all cases have in common. Yet, every patient’s pain results from different triggers and different underlying causes, and can show itself differently from person to person. You need specific therapies to treat your unique pain pattern. Oklahoma Pain Management will tailor a treatment that is right for you.

At Oklahoma Pain Management, your treatment could include:

• Physical therapy and various exercises
• Therapeutic injections
• Supportive sacroiliac brace

Coping with sciatica pain

Most people who experience sciatica get better after a little while and find pain relief with nonsurgical treatment.

• Allow yourself plenty of time and rest.
• Take a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, such as ibuprofen or aspirin.
• Apply a heating pad or cold pack.
• Engage in regular exercise – as much as is comfortable. Activity helps to reduce inflammation.
• Stretches, like “nerve flossing” and the “slump stretch,” and other methods listed on our blog, may help provide relief. Depending on your condition, physical therapy may help build up strength and provide you with some go-to exercises to help you cope with sciatica.
• Work with a pain specialist to find a solution that will help you find relief from your nerve pain. You don’t have to suffer alone.

For a few people, sciatica pain can be long-lasting and debilitating. You should see a doctor not only to learn how to treat the pain, but also to find out if there may be a more serious medical condition underlying your problems.

Sciatica nerve pain can be caused by a variety of chronic pain conditions, such as spinal stenosis, herniated or injured discs, degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis, or from another condition unique to your case.

 At Oklahoma Pain Management, our doctors can help diagnosis and treat your sciatica nerve pain. 

Different health care practitioners are schooled in different terminology and methods. Each may view your back pain from the standpoint of what they are trained to treat. For example, a massage therapist may look for muscle tensions, while a physical therapist may focus on range of motion. A chiropractor may be more concerned with spinal alignment, while a neurosurgeon may be more concerned with a disc problem. When talking with health care practitioners, remember that each may use a different vocabulary word for the same problem.

Degenerative Disc Disease or Degenerative Joint Disease

Osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease, or degenerative disc disease, are umbrella terms that apply to all of the larger, weight-bearing joints, including the spine. Osteoarthritis that affects the spine is often referred to as spondylosis. (Note: Osteoarthritis is not related to the more serious rheumatoid arthritis.) Spine care practitioners commonly use degenerative disc disease to describe the condition of a narrowing of the spaces between the vertebrae where the discs reside.

Degenerated discs become dry and stiff, and lose much of their vertical height and cushioning ability. This promotes the growth of bone spurs, or osteophytes, in an effort to reinforce the joint.

Stenosis

Stenosis refers to a narrowing of the spinal canal, with resulting pressure on the spinal cord and nerve roots. The narrowing may be caused by a protruding disc, or by the growth of extra bone, called hard stenosis. As a healthy disc degenerates due to improper resting posture, the vertebrae above and below produce additional bone tissue to help support the weight no longer supported by the disc. Surgery is often performed to remove the extra bone.

Disc Injuries – Herniated, Ruptured, Prolapsed, Bulging, Slipped, Protrusion

These terms describe various stages of disc displacement – the breakdown of the outer fibers of the disc and the squeezing of the nucleus through the weakened layers.

The initial stage of disc displacement is the weakening of the annulus fibrosis (fibrous outer layers of the disc) through years of poor posture. Once the annulus begins to give way, a bulge forms as the nucleus is pushed partway through the weakened fibers. Finally, the disc wall may tear, or rupture, allowing material from the nucleus to escape.

It may be difficult to determine whether a disc has actually ruptured or is simply bulging. To add to the confusion, terms such as “herniated disc” often are used to refer to either stage.

Ruptured or not, a bulging disc can put pressure on the adjacent nerve root, causing pain. Conversely, a ruptured disc may remain symptom-free if it is not pressing on a nerve.

Pinched Nerve

This is the colloquial term for pain caused by pressure on the spinal cord or on a nerve root as it exits the spinal canal. This pressure may be caused by a bulging or herniated disc, or a narrowing of the spinal canal due to growth of extra bone (stenosis). In cases of spondylolisthesis, a defective or cracked vertebra slips forward and may irritate the nerve root. Sciatica is the most common example of a pinched nerve.