Pain Management for Back Pain

It is very likely that you or someone you know has suffered from back pain. There are many causes of back pain including traumatic injuries. Douglas V. Stoehr represents individuals who have suffered back injuries through the fault or carelessness of another individual. Back pain can develop because of car accidents, pedestrian accidents, construction accidents, and slip and falls. In fact, I have represented several people who have sustained back injuries while residing in a nursing home.

Back pain does not necessarily mean you need back surgery. There are a variety of techniques known as "interventional pain management techniques" which can provide effective and minimally invasive relief for these back injuries.

The type of treatment any given patient receives depends upon several factors including the location of pain, chronicity and age of patient. The following are some of the better-known intervention methods for treatment of back pain:

• Trigger Point and Facet Injections: Trigger point injections are singular injections into painful muscles and facet joint injections involves an injection into the actual facet joint which can be done in the lower back and, at times, the shoulder blades.

• Medial Branch Nerve Blocks: This is an injection of sorts which is typically done if the facet joint injection is unsuccessful. This injection temporarily blocks the nerve and is a diagnostic tool for the physician to determine the exact location of your pain.
  Radiofrequency Ablation: The end of the nerve in the low back is literally burned away to prevent it from sending pain signals to the brain.

• Epidural Steroid Injections: These injections use an anesthetic and steroid medication which is injected into the epidural space (you may receive this type of injection if you suffer from sciatica).

• Intradiscal Electrothermal Therapy: This involves heating up a disc when the disc itself is causing pain. That is, the pain is not caused by the disc compressing a nerve but, rather, the disc itself is causing pain.

• Percutaneous Vertebroplasty: This treatment focuses on the fracture that can be a warning sign of osteoporosis. The doctor injects cement into the central vertebral body so that it won’t move and cause pain any more. This procedure can help eliminate the need for back surgery.

• Spinal Cord Stimulation: This is one of the last stops for someone suffering from back pain who has not experienced any relief from other treatments. The goal is to send electrical impulses to block pain from being perceived in the brain. Technically, this is a surgical procedure because the stimulator needs to be implanted in the body. However, there is no surgery done to any of the lumbar discs.
  

Douglas V. Stoehr works with physicians who provide interventional pain management treatment. Contact our office if you would like a referral or simply want to discuss your chronic pain symptoms. We wish you much relief from your back pain!

Attorney Doug Stoehr

COVERAGE CONFUSION> underinsured and Uninsured Motorist's Coverage

One of the most important yet confusing coverage decisions that one must make in deciding what might be the most beneficial automobile insurance coverage to purchase in Pennsylvania involves the issues of how much underinsured and uninsured motorist coverages should be purchased to protect you and your family. Remember that most importantly, uninsured and underinsured motorists coverages serve to protect you and your family if injured by the carelessness of another driver. These coverages, as their names indicate, come into play when the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured such that their liability coverage is not sufficient to compensate you for your full recoverable wage loss, medical expenses, pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life's pleasures. Unfortunately, some people drive without insurance coverage in Pennsylvania and others drive with only the minimum required liabilty coverage of $15,000.00 per person, $30,000.00 per accident. Should you become seriously injured as a result of the carelessness of someone uninsured or underinsured with minimal or inadequate limits of liability insurance, your injuries and losses could go uncompensated unless you have first adequately protected yourself through the purchase of substantial uninsured and underinsured motorists coverages. These coverages are relatively inexpensive compared to the cost of liability coverage, and there are ways to balance out the cost of purchasing sufficient liability coverage to protect others with the cost of uninsured and underinsured motorists coverages that you purchase in order to protect yourself. The lack of appropriate uninsured and underinsured motorist coverages can have a very catastrophic and regrettable impact upon your financial welfare and security if you find yourself seriously injured in a car collision and inadequately insured with these types of coverages. Should you wish to discuss your automobile coverage limits with knowledgable and experienced attorneys who have nothing to gain other than your thanks from suggesting that you may not be adequately protected, please feel free to contact Doug Stoehr.