Raise awareness about chronic illnesses by understanding their impact, symptoms, and the importance of support and education.
What Is A Lumbar Medical Branch Block? A lumbar medial branch block is an injection procedure that pinpoints which facet joint in the low back is causing discomfort. Facet joints are small joints located in between vertebrae that help the spine bend and twist. Each one of these unique joints is surrounded by medial branch nerves, which help carry pain signals from the joints to the brain. Although the purpose of a lumbar medial branch…
What is “The Spoon Theory?” The spoon theory is relatively simple: living with chronic pain is very different from living a pain-free lifestyle. That living pain-free theoretically has an unlimited number of spoons—whereas those living with a chronic illness have a very limited number of spoons available for each day. Each action may cost one or more of them, depending on what the action requires. If a person living with chronic pain must endure a…
Causes A disc extrusion, also known as a disc herniation, usually occurs from degeneration due to a disease like osteoarthritis or the natural aging process. Other causes may include injury, trauma, overexertion, illness, or obesity. Given the circumstances, disc extrusions are largely unpreventable and may heal on their own without surgery. Symptoms In most cases, an extruded disc will cause referred pain. Meaning, pain that is felt in an area other than where the disc…
We’re featuring quick, easy-to-digest information on all things trigger points and referred pain. Continue reading to learn more about treatments for trigger points and referred pain. What Are Trigger Points? Trigger points are palpable nodes in the muscle that are common in the upper back and shoulders. Chronic musculoskeletal disorders may lead to the development of trigger points in other areas of the body as well. Myofascial trigger points are similar but can occur in…
There’s a new spinal cord stimulation “sheriff” in town, and its name is Senza HF10. According to the Academy of Pain Management, this new spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy uses a higher frequency (10 kHz [HF10]) that surpasses the older, more traditional model. Moreover, the new SCS therapy provides significant pain relief without paresthesia, which is a side effect/therapy component of traditional SCS. The pain management specialists at Chronicillness.co Site of United States is constantly…
Multiple myeloma is cancer that forms in plasma cells. As a type of white blood cell, plasma cells are responsible for creating antibodies that attack germs and fight off infections. Multiple myeloma infiltrates healthy bone marrow to generate cancerous cells, crowd healthy blood cells and cause a number of health problems. This condition can cause bone pain in the spine or chest, nausea, fatigue, frequent infections and mental fogginess. In its advanced stages, multiple myeloma can…
You may have perused the “Providers” section of our website and wondered what the D.O. and M.D. behind a physician’s name stood for. You may have also wondered if the difference between the two degrees matters within the medical field. The pain management physicians at Chronicillness.co Site of United States understands these titles may be confusing to patients, which is why they are addressing the differences between physicians with a D.O. and M.D. degree. Click…
If sit-ups are a part of your regular workout routine, you may want to reconsider. The Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps are already doing so after a study found that 56% of fitness–related injuries came from sit-ups. The article goes on to say that while the armed forces are reviewing their fitness standards, the Canadian Armed Forces have already done away with sit-ups. So why are sit-ups so bad? Studies show that the lumbar…
At a young age, we were warned not to twist to crack our backs so we don’t get arthritis. The sensation may feel good and is most likely not a cause of an existing arthritic condition. Instead, an autoimmune disease, where the body attacks the joint tissues, could cause arthritis, or the joints could have just naturally degenerated. Since we know that cracking your back cannot cause arthritis, our physicians want to describe the effects…
Bone cement is a tool used by our physicians to create an internal cast that stabilizes fractured vertebrae. It does not look like the wet cement you may see on the street at first. In fact, it starts out as a fine powder composed of methyl methacrylate. Methyl methacrylate is most commonly used as bone cement, but it can also be used to make resin (filling for your teeth) or some plastics. A physician mixes…