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Winter Edition - Anthem Clinic Just 34 miles north of downtown Phoenix sits the Del Webb community of Anthem, Arizona developed in 1998. Anthem has been named the best place to raise a family in the November 2003 issue of Parenting Magazine. With the success of this growing community comes the opportunity for The Pain Center of Arizona to call Anthem its home with the opening of our newest clinic located at 3624 W. Anthem Way. When asked about the opportunity to work in Anthem, Dr. David K. Towns, who joined TPC in September 2009 replied, “Pain Specialists are really needed in this community. I think it’s great to help people get back to work or get back to the things they enjoy doing most.” Anthem is a unique opportunity for those patients living north of the Valley as well as for The Pain Center of Arizona. With the addition of our Anthem location we have the opportunity to be more accessible and provide quality healthcare to residents of the Valley eager to find relief from the pain and an opportunity to get back into life. View full article here >> |
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Winter Edition - Banner Estrella Clinic Many patients that are referred to The Pain Center of Arizona are suffering with a complaint of back pain. There are many causes of back pain that can be diagnosed with a screening interview, exam, and appropriate radiologic study. Since there can be many causes of back pain, a goal for most physicians is to diagnose the problem first in order to offer the best treatment. Often, injection techniques can be both diagnostic as well as therapeutic, and can enable a patient to return to a normal level of function as quickly as possible. The facet joints of the spine are one common cause of back pain. Facet joints are small joints throughout the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine that provide stability and facilitate motion in the spine. These joints can become arthritic and cause pain, or can become inflamed following an injury causing pain as well. Facet joint injections either alone, or in combination with a physical therapy regimen can be a powerful tool to relieve pain coming from the spine. Typically a facet joint injection is performed using an X-ray machine to help the physician guide the needle to the correct joint. View full article here >> |
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Winter Edition - Biltmore Clinic Many patients that are referred to The Pain Center of Arizona are suffering with a complaint of back pain. There are many causes of back pain that can be diagnosed with a screening interview, exam, and appropriate radiologic study. Since there can be many causes of back pain, a goal for most physicians is to diagnose the problem first in order to offer the best treatment. Often, injection techniques can be both diagnostic as well as therapeutic, and can enable a patient to return to a normal level of function as quickly as possible. The facet joints of the spine are one common cause of back pain. Facet joints are small joints throughout the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine that provide stability and facilitate motion in the spine. These joints can become arthritic and cause pain, or can become inflamed following an injury causing pain as well. Facet joint injections either alone, or in combination with a physical therapy regimen can be a powerful tool to relieve pain coming from the spine. Typically a facet joint injection is performed using an X-ray machine to help the physician guide the needle to the correct joint. View full article here >> |
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Winter Edition - Deer Valley Clinic Many patients that are referred to The Pain Center of Arizona are suffering with a complaint of back pain. There are many causes of back pain that can be diagnosed with a screening interview, exam, and appropriate radiologic study. Since there can be many causes of back pain, a goal for most physicians is to diagnose the problem first in order to offer the best treatment. Often, injection techniques can be both diagnostic as well as therapeutic, and can enable a patient to return to a normal level of function as quickly as possible. The facet joints of the spine are one common cause of back pain. Facet joints are small joints throughout the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine that provide stability and facilitate motion in the spine. These joints can become arthritic and cause pain, or can become inflamed following an injury causing pain as well. Facet joint injections either alone, or in combination with a physical therapy regimen can be a powerful tool to relieve pain coming from the spine. Typically a facet joint injection is performed using an X-ray machine to help the physician guide the needle to the correct joint. View full article here >> |
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Winter Edition - Surprise Clinic In todayʼs society over 40 million people are affected by osteoporosis or low bone mass. Osteoporosis is a progressive bone disease that results in a decrease in bone mineral density and an increase in the risk of fractures. Many people do not know they have osteoporosis until they suffer a bone fracture. Certain people are more likely to develop osteoporosis than others. Factors such as age, gender, diet, and lifestyle all factor into account when having low bone mass. A common result of osteoporosis is fractures, and often time this can occur in the spine. One treatment that has been effective in relieving the pain in compression fractures is Vertebroplasty. Vertebroplasty is an imageguided, minimally invasive non-surgical therapy used with a cement like substance to strengthen a fractured vertebra that has been weakened by osteoporosis or less commonly, cancer. Vertebroplasty reduces the pain and prevents further collapse of the vertebrae. View full article here >> |
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The Marathon of Chronic Pain Petra E. Peper, Ph.D. Pain is part of a runner’s life. Whether you feel it while you’re out for a run or it comes from an injury that sidelines you for a period of time, pain is something you have to deal with. By this point in your life you have probably developed your own strategies to either overcome your pain or encourage your body to make a speedy recovery. If you are fortunate, the pain is brief (also called acute pain) and you recover. If you are less fortunate, your pain may become a chronic condition that has to be managed rather than cured. Making the mental adjustment to living with chronic pain can be very challenging. Initially you may try using the same strategies that helped you push through or recover from your acute pain. Unfortunately, you may find that using these strategies to cope with chronic pain is only marginally successful or not successful at all. If not managed properly chronic pain can be like the longest marathon you will ever run. It will wear you down both physically and mentally. View full article here >> |
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In the story “The Christmas Carol” the main character Ebenezer Scrooge (a stingy and selfish man) is visited by three ghosts representing three phases of his life; the past, the present and the future. As Ebenezer visits each phase of his life he is forced to confront his harmful behaviors and the negative consequences those behaviors have had on him and those around him.
Like Ebenezer, chronic pain patients are often “haunted” by the ghosts of their past, present and future. These ghosts often bring fear, worry and a sense of uncertainty with them. Unless you find a way to make peace with them they will continue to bother you and sabotage your quality of life. At their worst they can make you feel stuck and like you have nowhere to turn to make things better. Wouldn’t it be great to have an opportunity to start the New Year in a more positive way? The information that follows describes each ghost and how it tries to sabotage you. It also provides ways to deflect the harmful effects of each ghost and learn from it so you can move forward with your life. View full article here >> |
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The phrase “maintaining your balance” probably makes you think about keeping your body upright without falling over. Although physical balance can be an issue when dealing with certain medical conditions and taking medications, there is another type of balance that is equally important and often overlooked in the treatment of chronic pain. When dealing with chronic pain “the other balance” is your emotional balance.
Chronic pain is both a physical and emotional stressor. All patients who have a chronic pain condition also naturally experience chronic, painrelated emotional stress. Like physical pain, emotional distress is variable. It usually goes up and down with your pain level and makes you more emotionally sensitive to the influence of day-to-day stressors. Knowing how to effectively respond to and manage this emotional distress is a key part of developing successful pain management coping strategies. These coping strategies assist patients as they search to find ways to live with their chronic pain. View full article here >> |
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It is a very common question this time of year. For chronic pain patients this question can be a difficult one to answer. Because of your pain condition you probably have limitations in your ability to participate in some of the more traditional activities of summer. Hearing about the plans your friends and family have may result in your thinking more about what you canʼt do than what you can do.
Chances are your plans will include time with loved ones who do not have a chronic pain condition. If taking a vacation is part of your plans, you may at some point feel obligated to not allow your chronic pain to take away from every one else having fun. This newsletter will focus on ways you can make your summer as enjoyable as possible. View full article here >> |
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A look back at our beginning from the medical director It has been nearly seven years since The Pain Center of Arizona saw its first patient in October of 2002 in the office at Deer Valley. We were one doctor, a nurse, a few medical assistants and a handful of office staff working in a space that was way too large for our needs and volume of patients. We had a vision to provide a patient specific and comprehensive approach to the many patients suffering with chronic pain. We had a mission to offer them hope and compassion and relief from the pain so they could get back into life. We made a promise that together we would make a difference in the patients we saw and in the lives we touched. TPC saw only about 50 patients in the month of October 2002. Fast forward seven eventful years and The Pain Center of Arizona looks a lot different. We are now a practice with eight physicians, a behavioral pain psychologist, three physician assistants, and two nurse practitioners. View full article here >> |
2009 Top Doctors Phoenix Magazine