In this modern era, phoenix chiropractors need to offer more than simply spinal manipulations. Here’s a video explaining the different treatments modern chiropractors in Phoenix AZ should offer – expect Nothing Less!
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The Pros and Cons of Cortisone Injections
In the treatment of musculoskeletal problems, cortisone injections may be extremely effective. Also called corticosteroid injections, they provide a focused anti-inflammatory effect aimed at providing pain relief for patients that is coming from a joint problem, such as osteoarthritis, or a soft tissue problem, such as lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow).
The medication in a steroid shot contains some of the same hormones that the human adrenal glands produce. These hormones, corticosteroids, perform vital functions in the body, such as being released and providing anti-inflammation when stress is experienced.
These injections into either joints or soft tissues provide pain relief, but it is not permanent. The effects wear off after a few weeks to months, and it may actually take a few days for the pain relief to kick in. Typically some numbing medicine is included with the steroid to give immediate relief.
Patients frequently ask Arizona Pain Doctors if the cortisone will help with cartilage restoration. Steroid injections are not disease altering treatments, they are simply symptom altering and meant to decrease pain.
So what are the benefits of a steroid injection?
1. Pain relief – This is the main benefit, as the injection of steroid doesn’t alter the course of arthritis. But it does make life more tolerable by decreasing pain for what may be quite a few months.
2. Low Risk – Compared with surgery for a musculoskeletal condition, an injection maintains a much lower risk profile.
3. Low Cost – Also compared with surgery, an injection cost exponentially less.
4. Focused Injection – The steroid is injected into either a joint which is a confined space or into a soft tissue area where the medication stays predominantly local.
5. Outpatient – The injections are done either in the doctor’s office or as an outpatient procedure at an az pain center. No overnight stays necessary.
6. Can delay the need for surgery – If a patient is in his 50’s and has terrible osteoarthritis, doing a knee replacement may only last for 15 years. This may lead to the need for a revision surgery which typically has a less satisfactory result. So the injections may provide an impressively tolerable delay for years.
7. Can be placed in multiple joints – If a patient has pain and arthritis in multiple joints, such as the knees, shoulders, and spine, steroid injections may be placed in a few joints (with appropriate care not too many at once)
What are the risks of a steroid injection?
1. Temporary blood sugar elevation – this is most common in diabetics and may raise blood sugars temporarily for 24-48 hours. It would be unusual for this to be an actual clinical problem, but people should be aware of the potential temporary issue, especially diabetics.
2. Cartilage damage – It’s unclear in humans if this is clinically relevant. In animal studies there has been shown cartilage alterations with repetitive injections. The key here is moderation with the amount of injections administered to each joint.
3. Adrenal gland suppression – this type of complication may occur with oral steroid medication on a repetitive basis, it would be extremely unusual for a focal steroid injection to end up with this complication.
4. Infection – with appropriate sterile technique obtaining an infection after a steroid injection is rare, much less than 1%. Prophylactic antibiotics are not necessary.
For most individuals, cortisone injections represent an excellent pain relief option for musculoskeletal conditions. The key is moderation.
Preferred Pain is the most comprehensive Phoenix pain center and offers Phoenix chiropractor, Phoenix pain management, Arizona pain doctors, acupuncture, and spinal decompression therapy.
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An Overview of Tension Headaches and Chiropractic Treatment
Tension headaches are the most common type of headache. They are characterized by mild to moderate pain that usually is focused across the forehead.
The exact cause of tension headaches is not fully understood. It has been shown that chiropractic treatment may help substantially with tension headaches, especially if the cause can be figured out and then this root cause worked on for symptom and frequency reduction. Misalignment of the cervical spine, called vertebral subluxation, along with changes in certain brain chemicals, like serotonin and endorphins, have also been linked to these headaches.
Although we don’t know the exact cause, there are certain triggers we know that can bring on these headaches. They include allergens, poor eyesight, poor posture, stress, anxiety, teeth clenching, alcoholic beverages, and poor ergonomics in the work environment.
The most common symptom that patients with tension headaches experience is mild to moderate aching head pain. This pain may spread across the forehead or may feel like a tight band around the entire head. Other symptoms may include a sensation of tightness around the sides or the back of the head, scalp tenderness, mild nausea, or loss of appetite.
Typically triggered by stress, these headaches may last for up to a week in some patients or could be short lived and less than a day in others. For some patients, chiropractor phoenix az care can alleviate the discomfort of tension headaches resulting in an improved quality of life and increased ability to function.
A care plan begins with a thorough examination, where the chiropractic doctor learns about the person’s history, symptoms, and different types of triggers that may lead to tension headaches. The phoenix az chiropractors may then formulate a customized treatment plan to treat the pain that best fits the patient’s needs.
The scottsdale az chiropractors treatment options may include spinal adjustments, acupuncture, acupressure, relaxation techniques, nutritional supplements, massage, muscle work, stress management techniques, or phoenix az spinal decompression treatment.
The goal of care is to diagnose and treat the cause of the problem which will thereby minimize the duration and frequency of the tension headaches and to aid in stress management.
Care from a phoenix az chiropractic doctor is a safe, effective, and noninvasive form of treatment that may help very much in patients experiencing tension headaches. A continuing care plan may be recommended to ensure long lasting benefit to decrease the headache occurrence. Typically one or two visits will not be enough to alleviate the symptoms appropriately.
David L. Greene, MD, Phoenix, AZ is CEO of Preferred Pain Center which serves the Phoenix and Scottsdale, AZ metropolitan and surrounding areas. He can be reached at dgreene@preferredpaincenter.com and (602) 507-6550. Preferred Pain Center is a Comprehensive Phoenix Pain Management Center including Medical and Interventional Pain Management, Phoenix Chiropractors Treatment, Physical Rehab, Spinal Decompression Therapy, and Manipulation Under Anesthesia.