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Pain Management and Non-Operative Care

At Panorama, our goal is to help people feel better.  To do that, we try conservative treatments first, whenever possible, prior to pursuing surgery. We understand patients may need a variety of options to help them heal. That’s why we have an entire team of experts devoted to using proven methods of pain management to help patients improve function and reduce pain.

Panorama’s unique approach to care emphasizes many options. approach optimizes the ability of orthopedic surgeons, physiatrists, radiology technicians and specialty-trained physical therapists to collaborate and provide a more comprehensive and thoughtful care plan for each patient. This highly integrated care model helps ensure the best results.

Pain Management specialists use a two-pronged approach to treating pain: Short –term treatment with injections and properly dosed anti-inflammatory medications helps to relieve the pain so that patients can focus on correcting the more long-term biomechanical issues that may have caused the pain.

Pain management doctors have several types of injections in their toolbox – from diagnostic injections to ultrasound and fluoroscopic-guided injections, intra-articular steroid injections, and soft tissue injections. They can ease the pain in muscles, tendons, and ligaments, provide nerve blocks and address back, neck and SI joint pain.

  • Strengthening the muscles, correcting posture or changing movement patterns often addresses long-term biomechanical changes. That can help get the body properly aligned and functioning in an optimal manner. Often, physical therapy is an important part of rehabilitation for patients who have pain related to weakness, or injury.

At Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center our entire team takes a holistic approach to pain management. One that encourages a healthy lifestyle, diet, general fitness, sleep quality and stress management, as these are all important parts of managing pain. We want to make sure each patient understands the components that lead to long-term success so that they can build a healthy momentum.

 

Common Conditions Treated By the Pain Management Team

  • Herniated disks
  • Facet arthritis
  • Hip pain – Greater trochanteric pain syndrome
  • SI Joint Pain
  • Joint arthritis – knees, hips, shoulders,
  • Carpal Tunnel
  • Whiplash
  • Nerve Entrapment
  • Cervical Headaches
  • Partial tears – biceps tendon tear
  • Rotator cuff tears
  • Frozen shoulder
  • Sub-corticoid pain (in front of the shoulder)
  • Thoracic Pain
  • Scapular pain
  • Bursitis
  • Foot & Ankle arthritis
  • Tarsal Tunnel
  • Achilles
  • Plantar Fasciitis
  • Peripheral nerve issues
  • Patellar tendon issues
  • Anterior knee pain
  • Meniscus Tears
  • Ligament, tendon injury
  • Hamstring tendonopathy
  • Piriformus syndrome
  • IT Band

What is A Physiatrist?

A physiatrist is a non-operative doctor who has been trained in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. They are sometimes referred to as a Pain Management doctor, because they specialize in pain management. Panorama’s pain management team includes four board-certified physiatrists –  Dr. Karen Knight, Dr. Michael Horner, Dr. Mike Lersten and Dr E.Taylor Abel.  Together, they specialize in interventional pain management. They diagnose and treat pain, as well as, restore function, by treating the whole person — not just the injury.

Our pain management team sees a range of patients, including those with low back pain, neck pain, and elbow pain, who have become frustrated with their lack of progress achieving pain relief. Depending on the type of illness or injury, the team may prepare treatment plans that include interventional pain management techniques, injections, physical therapy and/or complementary medicine or advanced cellular biologics to help relieve pain and restore motion.

 

Some of the pain-relieving procedures we are able to perform there include:

  •  Injections – These are often used to treat pain that originates in the spine. Epidural injections involve injecting an anti-inflammatory medication, such as a steroid, near the problem area.
  •  Radio frequency ablation (or RFA) – Radio frequency ablation is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat pain coming from small joints in the back. It uses an electric current that produces a radio wave.
  • Percutaneous tenotomy — This procedure can be very effective in treating persistent tendon issues that don’t respond to physical therapy or injections.  A probe is inserted into the tendon to dissolve scar tissue and promote healing.
  • Electromyography (EMG) — EMG is used to diagnose painful nerve and muscle dysfunctions. It utilizes electrodes on the skin and a thin wire to measure the speed and strength of signals being transmitted in different areas of the body.

 

The Panorama Difference - physicians, physical therapists and occupational therapists — enable a multi-disciplinary team approach to pain relief.

If you feel frustrated by pain, or the inability to do the things you enjoy, we can help! Let our team of pain management professionals devise an individual program for you so that you can feel better and do more.

Pain Management specialists use a two-pronged approach to treating pain:. Short –term treatment with injections and properly dosed anti-inflammatory medications helps to relieve the pain so that patients can focus on correcting the more long-term biomechanical issues that may have caused the pain.  Pain management doctors have several types of injections in their toolbox – from diagnostic injections to ultrasound and fluoroscopic-guided injections, intra-articular steroid injections, and soft tissue injections. They can ease the pain in muscles, tendons, and ligaments, provide nerve blocks and address back, neck and SI joint pain.

  • Strengthening the muscles, correcting posture or changing movement patterns often addresses long-term biomechanical changes. That can help get the body properly aligned and functioning in an optimal manner. Often, physical therapy is an important part of rehabilitation for patients who have pain related to weakness, or injury.

 

At Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center our entire team takes a holistic approach to pain management. One that encourages a healthy lifestyle, diet, general fitness, sleep quality and stress management, as these are all important parts of managing pain. We want to make sure each patient understands the components that lead to long-term success so that they can build a healthy momentum.

 

Resources

Team

Dr. Horner

Dr. Knight

Dr. Lersten

Dr. Abel

Shasta Vansickle - Physician Assistant

Sarah Robbins - Nurse Practitioner