Finding Pain Relief
These local medical professionals discuss surgery, therapy, exercise and other ways to manage and treat pain.
Tommy Grabowski FOUNDER, VITA FITNESS & PHYSICAL THERAPY
What are some of the short-term solutions you offer for pain management?
Physical therapy, I think, is a great noninvasive first choice for treating chronic pain. One of the most effective pain management modalities we use is dry needling. We use a fine filament needle, similar to what is used in acupuncture. We insert the thin needle into or near the pain points, which does two things: releases tension in the muscle and stimulates the release of pain-relieving chemicals within the tissue, like a natural painkiller.
I think what really makes the difference is going beyond that short-term recovery or pain treatment and into a long-term healing strategy. We often transition clients to a medically based exercise program that offers longer-term solutions.
How do you tailor those programs to people’s individual needs or injuries?
Here’s one example: You may have joint pain, so you want to strengthen your muscles without straining your joints. We’ll use a strap that restricts blood flow in the muscle, allowing you to work that muscle harder without straining the joint. Then we’ll end a session with a cold pack to prevent joint inflammation. That’s how we approach every session – tailored to each client’s needs and their goals. And the entire time someone is working out with us, our trained therapists are watching them, correcting their form, helping them. You don’t get that medical approach in a standard gym or fitness program.
Dr. Robert Zoeller
ORTHOPAEDIC ASSOCIATES OF WISCONSIN
What are some advances in treating chronic pain in recent years?
A treatment called radiofrequency ablation on the nerves around the knee can provide significant relief of pain in people with chronic knee pain. These patients may have degenerative joint disease but aren’t candidates for surgery, or they may have chronic pain after a knee replacement. Radiofrequency ablation involves placing needles in the region of the nerves that provide sensation to the knee and heating them to a level that prevents the nerves from transmitting a pain signal to the brain. Our providers are trained to perform most interventional spine procedures including epidural steroid injection, facet injection, sacral iliac joint injections, in addition to radiofrequency ablation for arthritis of the spine.
We are fortunate to be able to offer the latest treatments for pain management through our providers. We offer advanced diagnostic studies to ascertain the cause of pain, appropriate management of pain, physical therapy and interventional techniques – all right at our offices. And when painful conditions require a surgical consultation, we have all the necessary providers to go that direction. Our providers are enthusiastic, collaborative and able to offer the most advanced pain management treatments available. ◆
