It’s common to have difficulty treating your chronic pain with medications, physical therapy, and other traditional methods. If these techniques haven’t improved your discomfort and other negative symptoms, you shouldn’t give up. At Renew Health in Tempe and Goodyear, AZ, we can use platelet-rich plasma treatments, radiofrequency ablation, and other methods to address your discomfort.

How Can You Treat Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain occurs when you experience unpleasant symptoms for at least 12 weeks after you become injured or develop another physical problem. Experiencing pain over a long period of time can prevent you from exercising, going to work, and completing other important tasks. Fortunately, we can use a wide variety of minimally invasive techniques to treat your pain.

Receiving an Epidural Injection

If you are suffering from spinal stenosis, herniated discs, or sciatica, we may recommend receiving an epidural injection. In addition, this treatment can address the pain that is associated with degenerative discs and spondylolisthesis. During your appointment, we will inject medication into the epidural space around your spinal cord. This medication may decrease your pain and improve your mobility by reducing your inflammation.

As your inflammation decreases, you may be able to exercise more, do household chores, and be more productive at work. In addition, you might decide to achieve further improvements in your mobility by attending physical therapy sessions.

Getting a Platelet-Rich Plasma Treatment

Platelet-rich plasma treatments use platelets from your own blood to address your physical discomfort. This treatment is also called PRP. We will start this minimally invasive treatment by performing a quick and comfortable blood draw. Next, we will use this blood sample to create a substance that is rich in platelets. We will address your pain by injecting this substance in the location where you are experiencing discomfort.

If you are suffering from a sports injury, we may advise you to receive a PRP treatment. For example, you might decide to use this technique to treat a tennis elbow or a torn rotator cuff. In addition to improving sports injuries, we can use this technique to address carpal tunnel syndrome, joint pain, chronic back pain, and osteoarthritis.

Receiving a Radiofrequency Ablation Treatment

Ablation treatments can be used to address symptoms that affect your lower back or neck. In addition, we may advise you to think about receiving this treatment if you have arthritis or if you have not been able to improve your pain by attending physical therapy sessions and taking medication. An ablation treatment will use the power of heat to temporarily address your discomfort.

If you decide to receive an ablation treatment, we will gently heat up the nerve that is associated with your negative symptoms. This technique can be a good way to temporarily prevent your affected nerve from transmitting pain signals. After your treatment is complete, your symptoms may improve for 24 months. Since this technique is minimally invasive, you will probably have a very brief recovery period after your ablation session is complete.

Getting Ketamine Infusions

If you have pain over a long period of time, you might go through a central sensitization process. This experience may cause you to develop more intense symptoms. Some experts think that you can address this issue by receiving Ketamine infusions. Ketamine is a type of medication that is often used to address general anxiety disorders and other mood problems.

If you use this gentle method to address your symptoms, we will provide you with intravenous infusions of this medication. After you receive your Ketamine infusions, your pain signals may improve, and your discomfort and other symptoms may become less severe.

Why Have You Developed This Chronic Condition?

Some experts think that chronic pain may start after you injure your back, damages your muscles, or get into an accident. If you experience nerve damage after you become injured, your symptoms may persist for many weeks. Under some circumstances, you may continue to experience physical issues after your back problem or other injury has resolved. This pain may not respond to medications and traditional treatments.

Sometimes, your symptoms will not be associated with a fall, back problem, or accident. Researchers believe that this type of pain may be linked to chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and other health problems. As you continue to age, you will have a higher chance of developing persistent pain. If you are a woman, you will also have an increased risk of developing this chronic condition.

Which Treatment Should You Use To Address Your Pain?

As you might expect, the treatment option that works for you will depend on the type of pain that you are experiencing, your health, your preferences, and many other variables.

Attending an Initial Consultation

Before we select a pain treatment, we will talk about the health problems that you are currently experiencing and review your medical history. During this discussion, you should be prepared to talk about all of the symptoms that you’ve experienced.

For example, you should let us know if your pain is preventing you from playing your favorite sport, doing your job, or performing other important activities. In addition, you should tell us if you have used oral medications, physical therapy, or other methods to address your pain.

Selecting a Treatment

Based on this individualized consultation, we will recommend a specific treatment for you. Sometimes, we may advise you to use a variety of techniques to improve your pain. For example, we may recommend attending a series of physical therapy sessions after you use an epidural injection to decrease your physical symptoms.

What Should You Expect During Your Treatment?

Some pain management treatments and procedures can be very uncomfortable and stressful. For example, taking medication to manage your negative symptoms can cause you to develop fatigue and other health problems. In addition, you might have to modify your exercise routine and other activities for many weeks after you receive an invasive procedure.

In contrast, our pain management treatments will be very quick and comfortable. All of our treatments will use minimally invasive methods to address your discomfort. As a result, you will have a short period of downtime after you use one of these techniques to treat your back pain, arthritis, or other chronic health problem.

Using PRP To Address Your Symptoms

It will usually take us up to 90 minutes to complete your initial PRP treatment. At the beginning of your appointment, we will use a small syringe to perform your blood draw. After we have drawn your blood, we will use a centrifuge to concentrate your platelets. Next, we will disinfect the skin in your target area and inject the PRP solution into your injured area.

After we administer your injections, we will carefully clean your skin and put a small bandage onto your injection site. Once this process is complete, you will not be required to spend a long time away from your normal schedule. Instead, you will be able to run errands, go back to your job, and take care of your children. That said, you will need to temporarily refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages and smoking cigarettes.

Receiving Infusions of Ketamine

If you use Ketamine to address your chronic pain, your appointment will typically take 45 minutes to one hour to complete. During your appointment, we will give you a customized dose of this medication. The amount of Ketamine that you receive will depend on your size and other variables. Once we administer your infusion, you will feel a sense of relaxation.

You will be monitored as you react to this medication. After your appointment is complete, you will be able to leave our office. Since you should not drive a car after you receive your infusion, you will need to ask someone to transport you back to your apartment or house. For example, you could recruit a friend or neighbor to perform this task.

Receiving a Radiofrequency Ablation Treatment

During this pain treatment, we will use a sophisticated Stryker device to send energy into your injured area. It’s normal for your appointment to last for about 60 minutes. This process will be very similar to the experience of receiving a nerve block. We will start your treatment by asking you to get into a relaxed position on a table. Next, we will place a gentle numbing cream onto the surface of your skin.

Once your skin is numb, we will put a very thin needle into your target location. We will use this needle to heat up the nerve that is associated with your discomfort and other symptoms. This process will burn a small, precise area of your nerve. This part of your treatment will usually take about 90 seconds to finish. After we have treated your nerve, you should ask a friend or relative to drive you back to your house.

How Quickly Will My Treatments Produce Results?

Your response will depend on the severity of your symptoms, the type of treatment that you receive, and other factors. For example, if you use radiofrequency ablation to address your pain, you might notice improvements as soon as your treatment is complete. Alternatively, you might experience positive changes in your pain within about three weeks.

After we have selected a pain treatment for you, we will tell you more about the likely results of your initial session. We will also let you know if you will need to schedule multiple follow-up appointments at our office in Tempe or Goodyear. During a follow-up meeting, we will talk about your symptoms, examine your target area, and let you know if we recommend additional treatments.

Will I Need To Receive Multiple Treatments?

Sometimes, receiving a single pain treatment will provide you with significant relief for a long period of time. That said, we may advise you to address your pain by receiving a series of treatments. For example, it’s common to get maintenance PRP sessions. Further, getting a radiofrequency ablation treatment may improve your pain for up to 24 months. After that point, you might be able to manage your physical symptoms by receiving a follow-up session.

Schedule a Consultation

If you are suffering from knee issues, arthritis, or another chronic health issue, you should consider using PRP treatments, epidural injections, and other minimally invasive methods to address your symptoms. We can also use these treatments to improve pain that is connected to sports injuries and spine issues. To learn more about our extensive range of treatments, set up a consultation with us at Renew Health in Tempe and Goodyear, AZ.