A QC-area pain clinic helps patients manage pain without surgery.
According to John Dooley, M.D., of the Mississippi Valley Surgery Center and Anesthesia and Pain Consultants in Davenport, Iowa:
“We see patients every day completely frustrated about treating back and neck pain. They ask: Why can a diagnosis not be established? Why have therapies not worked? Why am I bouncing from office to office? Why can’t I get pain medicine?”
“Here at the Mississippi Valley Pain Clinic, we promise to deal with these issues for each patient in a satisfactory way. We are not all knowing, but we strive to be all-caring.”
“Spinal pain comes in many forms – from lower back pain, middle back pain, or upper back pain to low back pain with sciatica. Common pain causes include nerve and muscular problems, degenerative disc disease, and arthritis. Many people find relief from symptoms of back pain with pain medication or painkillers.”
A person with back pain has many options when it strikes. Eliminating the abuse is a key first step until some healing occurs. Damaged tissue in a healthy person takes about six weeks to heal so modify your activity for a short duration to maximize healing. Early injuries usually respond to cold, so try ice packs for the first few days after onset of pain or after an injury.
Stretch, Stretch, Stretch…
A back has several parts but the important ones are muscles, ligaments, cartilage, and joints. There is not a lot that can be done about the last three when injury occurs to them, but muscles can be affected easily. The injury often has the characteristic of increased pain with a particular position or movement. That increased pain will produce secondary changes in area muscles next to the injury site eventually. To prevent this from happening, keep those muscles moving.
No bed rest or sitting in the chair. Keep leg, back and abdominal muscles stretched out daily, or preferably twice a day. Physical therapists, pain management clinics and chiropractic offices have educational instruction sheets that demonstrate useful stretching exercises.
Anti-inflammatory over-the-counter medicines can also help calm down inflamed and irritated back structures after injury. Take these medications at the maximal dose allowed on the package, as it is usually a lower range dose when compared to a prescription of the same medicine. It must also be taken around the clock on a regular schedule as opposed to taking it only as needed. You should expect noticeable improvement in about 10 days after starting the medication.
If not, a stronger medication, formal physical therapy or referral to a specialist may be the next step.
Is it time to visit the Mississippi Valley Pain Clinic?
We offer many specialty treatments at the Mississippi Valley Pain Clinic. Primary care for back problems is available as well. Experts in interventional pain therapies, medication treatments and behavioral medicine interventions work together to diagnose and treat spinal pain and many other forms of pain. The Pain Clinic’s goal is return patients to function and daily living in as short a period of time as possible.
Our approach is to confirm that low risk, effective therapies have been tried as a first line of treatment. This may be laborious but works efficiently and cost effectively. More aggressive therapies are sequentially implemented if the pain persists. Options are presented as we reach different forks in the treatment road. Because pain is an emotional experience, we believe patient participation is important in decision-making. Questions about risk-balancing-reward are encouraged. You should expect honest answers at all times even if no answer is crystal clear.
The types of therapies we offer are listed below.
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