Comprehensive Pain
and Rehabilitation

Daphne Office
28260 Highway 98
Daphne, AL 36526
Ph: (251) 625-2228
Map & Directions

Pascagoula Office
4105 Hospital St.
Suite 108
Pascagoula, MS 39581
Ph: (228) 938-0700
Map & Directions

What is chronic pain?
Chronic Pain is simply pain that lasts longer than you would expect from the normal healing process. It can be the result of a traumatic injury or surgery, or it could be from a non-traumatic issue such as a disease process (i.e., “Shingles”). Because it outlasts the period of actual or potential tissue injury and damage, it can have serious consequences for patients who want to lead a normal life.

What can interventional pain medicine do for patients with chronic pain?
The real problem with chronic pain is not so much that “it hurts,” but that the persistent pain impedes a person’s ability to function: physically and psychologically. This interferes with the person’s participation in the activities of life: family relationships and activities, job and career, recreation, etc. The goal of a multidisciplinary pain program such as ours is to reduce the pain and its negative impact on the patient’s life in order for him or her to “reengage with human reality”: to live a more productive and satisfying life.

Interventional pain medicine is the art and science of diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain conditions. It utilizes a large variety of interventional techniques to achieve these goals. Because it is a relatively new field, new technologies are constantly being developed and the specialty of Pain Medicine is constantly evolving. Every year we learn more and more about the nature of chronic pain and its treatment.

Interventional techniques include x-ray guided spinal injections, implantations (spinal cord neurostimulators, “pain pumps”), muscle injections, oral medication management, behavioral medicine evaluation and therapy, and functional rehabilitation (physical therapy and exercise). The program is multidisciplinary and includes Interventional Pain Specialists (MD), Physician Assistants (PA), physical therapists (PT) and Clinical Psychologists (PhD).

The emphasis in our program is on “function” and not merely medication-based “pain management.” Our goal is to increase the patient’s ability to function in normal activities of daily living.

What kind of pain can be treated?
There are different kinds of pain. Three broad types of pain are recognized:
Mechanical and inflammatory pain (“nociceptive” pain), as seen in “arthritis” and degenerative discs and joints;
Burning, aching, throbbing, stabbing, shooting nerve pain (“neuropathic” pain) that results from problems that arise in the nervous system itself;
Aching, nagging, and cramping pain in the internal organs (“visceral” pain), such as pelvic pain or pancreatitis or heart pain (‘cardiac angina”).

Because mechanical and inflammatory pain (“nociceptive” pain) is readily treated with traditional pain medications, most patients with these problems receive adequate and excellent care from their primary physicians. However, “neuropathic” pain and “visceral” pain are remarkably more difficult to treat just with “pain meds” and nearly always cause psychological alterations, such as:
depression,
anxiety,
irritability,
loss of sleep,
difficulties with short-term memory and attention span.

It is not surprising then that the vast majority of patients seen in our practice has a mixture of more than one type of pain (“Complex Pain”), and most have a very strong component of “neuropathic” or “visceral” pain. Complex Pain requires a multidisciplinary approach for successful treatment.

We treat nerve pain, back and neck pain, muscular pain, pain associated with diseases, post-surgical pain, complex regional pain syndromes (previously called RSD) and pelvic pain. We see patients with all types of pain, many of whom want an alternative to surgery, or find that they still have pain (and sometimes worse pain) after having undergone surgery.

What treatments do you offer?
We consider ourselves “interventionists”. Although many pain processes will require medication, our goal is to improve your life with as little potentially addictive medication as possible. Our plan is to do a very thorough history and physical evaluation, perform whatever studies are necessary, and in cooperation with you determine the very best course of action for your specific pain issues. Most patients require a combination of medication, physical therapy, psychological counseling, and interventional procedures ranging from trigger point injections to x-ray guided spinal injection techniques to implanted spinal cord stimulation devices.

Why physical therapy?
Physical therapy is essential to proper rehabilitation of painful muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints and discs. It is the best and least invasive means to relieve some types of chronic pain. It is the cornerstone of all of our efforts:
“In this life, no doctor can relieve all of your pain;
but we can make you more functional.”
All of our interventional efforts are there to enable a patient to have the very best opportunity to take full advantage of the functional rehabilitation offered by our specially trained Physical Therapists, and to progress towards a more normal and active life.

Why a psychologist?
Almost universally, people with chronic pain suffer from depression. Pain can decrease social and family interaction. Inability to sleep well has a tendency to leave anyone tired and irritable. Interpersonal relationships can suffer. We frequently see decreased ability to concentrate and short-term memory loss. Any one of these issues might be enough to lead someone down the road to depression, but these issues in combination are almost impossible to overcome alone. Family members often suffer as much as the person who experiences the pain. Every normal person can be overwhelmed by the ravages of chronic pain. Excellent psychological evaluation and therapy can be of immense help to the pain patient in overcoming the “side effects” of pain to both himself/herself and his/her family.

This sounds great! How do I get an appointment?
We are a referral clinic only. You will need to ask your primary care provider if our interventional pain medicine services might be appropriate for you. If you are referred to us, we will need copies of your physician’s notes, copies of any tests, x-rays, and MRI studies. We will also need your insurance information. Your referring physician will obtain any necessary authorization for your initial visit. Once we receive your information, our office will call to schedule an initial evaluation with one of our PAs. We will send you a package of information you will need to complete and return before your evaluation. This package will contain our policy information.

Can I get an injection and medications on my first visit?
The purpose of the first visit is for us to evaluate your condition and determine an appropriate course of action. We will do a complete history and physical evaluation at that time (Many of our patients report they’ve never had a more thorough evaluation). Since so many treatment options exist, we will discuss potential plans with you at length. Our goal is for you to never leave our office with unanswered questions. Because it is the first time we will have seen each other, we will not be performing any procedures or prescribing medications at the first visit.

My doctor has already evaluated me. Why do you need to do it again?
Our providers are trained in the field of chronic interventional pain medicine. They have great respect for our referring providers and just like your previous provider, they need to make their own evaluation of your condition. They certainly consider all the information provided by your physician, by you, and by your family in their decision-making process.

Do I have to go to a hospital for your procedures?
Most of our procedures are performed in a special procedure room in our office under fluoroscopic (x-ray) guidance. Some procedures require a mild oral sedation for your comfort. For those procedures, we require that you have someone available to drive you home.

What if I have an emergency over the weekend?
One of our PAs is always on call. Should you have an emergency, you must seek Emergency Medical care from your nearest hospital emergency room. We are always available to the emergency medical care providers to assist in your care.