| pain management |
| Orthopedic Evaluation |
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| Dr. Ernesto Cardozo has more than 15 years experience in musculoskeletal medicine being an orthopedic surgeon in Mexico and Colombia and being trained in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in US.
In our office, during your orthopedic evaluation, the doctor, first of all tries to determine the source of your pain and also correlates previous treatments with your present clinical condition to establish a new plan. |
| ACUTE PAIN |
CHRONIC PAIN |
Normally its cause is known and its duration is short. So the treatment is focused in resolving underlying cause and help the patient through the painful period, with medications and rehabilitation as needed.
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Basically it is considered persistent or intermittent pain prolonged more to than three month. There’s a high prevalence of untreated or under-treated pain.
Multiple etiologies for it and many times its etiology is unknown. There are several treatments according to its characteristics; it’s disabling and deteriorates quality of life.
A complete medical history is necessary to make a diagnosis and to uncover possible factors associated to source of pain. |
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| NECK PAIN |
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| This can develop just from tension secondary to stress (psychological or postural due to prolonged time in a position while driving or job related); post-surgery also post-traumatic, spine problems due to disc lesions or degenerative process. |
| LOW BACK PAIN |
| This is one of the 10 top reasons why patients seek medical help. More than half of adult population in USA suffers Low Back Pain at least once in his lifetime. 40% suffer this pain chronically.
Reasons for that are many: traumas, occupational injuries, spinal disc lesions, Osteoarthrosis, congenital abnormalities, post-surgical pain syndrome, poor spine hygiene, overweight, etc. |
| OSTEOARTHRITIS |
HEADACHES |
| It is the most common joint disorder in the world. In 2005, 47.8 million US adults had diagnosed arthritis. It’s the degeneration of the cartilage and structures around a joint.
Pain originates because swelling and rubbing of one bone against the contiguous bone after loosing its covering cartilage.
The most frequently affected joints are the knees, hips, shoulders, hands, spinal joints, but any joint can degenerate due to overuse or secondary to trauma, systemic illnesses such as:
- rheumatoid arthritis
- sickle cells disease
- gout
- bone and joint dysplasias
- occupational injuries, etc…
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Could be tension headache, migraine or cluster headache. Very frequently are originated in neck tension or other sources. |
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| Many common headaches are caused by myofascial postural perpetuating factors- conditions, that aggravate and perpetuate myofascial trigger point pain. |
| Neuropatic Pain |
CANCER PAIN |
| This type of pain appears after traumas, after surgeries, post chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatments and the most frequent is silently progressive Diabetic Neuropathy.
Diabetes has been described since 1500 BC but its Neuropathy only after 17th. century . This is a silent progressive neurological deterioration that involves peripheral nerves and could be manifested by pain on legs, feet numbness or tingling, sleep disorder, gastrointestinal dysfunction, Hypotension, gustatory abnormalities, erectile dysfunction and several other symptoms. |
Not every cancer patient is in pain but many of them experience pain from the cancer itself at any stage, or post-surgical, post radiotherapy, post chemotherapy.
There are variations in pain perception due to patient individuality as well as type of cancer and its location, type of chemotherapy or radiation that patient receives. The goal in any case is to control pain to maintain functionality and improve quality of life. |
| FIBROMYALGIA |
TRIGGER POINT INJECTIONS |
| Hallmark of this condition is a diffuse musculoskeletal pain with predominance in women (3.4 % of adult women).
Women also are more likely to experience fatigue, irritable bowel, sleep disturbance and diffuse pain; very commonly associated to psychological stress |
These are the injections performed in those painful points usually turned on with mild to moderated finger tip pressure. The most used substance is lidocaine at low concentrations which reduces or relieves the pain.
This type of therapy is normally accompanied by additional rehabilitation and/or medications. |
| PROLOTHERAPY |
VISCOSUPLEMENTATION |
| After an injury, failure of adequate tendon or ligament healing is thought to result in instability, connective tissue insufficiency, or lack of tensile strength. Normal use of compromised structures causes pain. Prolotherapy consists of injections of an array of substances intended to trigger factors in local connective tissue and restart the repair sequence that results in more normal and functional tissue |
Is the use of an injectable viscoelastic preparation containing a substance that has been reported to provide extra joint protection. Treatment consists of a series of injections, which may be repeated at 6 month intervals. Despite the absorption of the preparation, it has been reported to work for periods ranging from 6 months to 2 years. The joint more frequently injected is the knee in patients in pain due to mild to moderated cartilage damage. |
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| Chinese method for treating maladies of body and mind originated more than five thousand years ago. Western medicine started accepting this doctrine only after 1971. Its essence is considered to be movement and equilibrium of body energies.
There’s a saying in traditional Chinese medicine, “Where there is pain there is no flow; where there is flow there is no pain” There are several chapters in Acupuncture and all of them can be overlapped to treat a patient: body acupuncture, ear acupuncture, scalp acupuncture, acupressure.
Herbs Chinese medicine has been linked always to acupuncture as complementary treatment. |
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Drug detox is performed in many different ways depending on where and how you decide to receive treatment.
Most drug detox doctors provide treatment to avoid physical withdrawal to drugs. Ideally, a trained detox doctor will incorporate counseling and therapy during detox to help with the psychological distress that the individual may experience as well.
For this program to be successful, a commitment is required between patient and the doctor or facility to reach that goal. |
At our office we will assist you in ending your substance dependence regardless of how you were initiated on drugs:
- recreational use;
- pressure in your environment;
- friends or
- being dependant on legally prescribed pain medications by your medical doctor after any medical condition such as traumas, post-surgery, etc.
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| Misuse and abuse of Controlled substances have risen enormously during the last 15 years in US and the population that is most involved is from 12 to 25 years of age.
Multiple reasons for this phenomenon are considered and the government agencies are struggling against this problem. |
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| Weight Loss |
| As a physician supervised program, we incorporate the judicious use of FDA approved medications as part of our comprehensive weight loss program.
These medications include anorectic agents, also known as beta sympathomimetics and may vary from patient to patient.
All the medications that we use are both FDA approved and have been successfully and safely used in treating millions of patients.
Some additional testing, such as blood and/or urine tests, EKG might be involved. |
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Ear and Body Acupuncture is part of the armamentarium to loose weight in association with FDA approved medication and appetite suppressants as well as diet recommendations and encouragement to physical activities according to your individual capability |
