For many people dealing with pain is a daily occurrence, and the best they can hope for is to just try and manage the pain. There are many small things that one can do to help manage this pain, and Wol+Med is here to help provide them to you.

Hopefully this tip can help ease the pain for some of our lady followers, and guys this can help you empathize with the pain the women in your life deal with.

Daily Tip:

If you bra is causing you back pain, it could be because an incorrectly sized bra. Having the wrong size bra can lead to sore neck and back muscles. This pain can be easily fixed if your bra is fitted by a professional. Don’t let the word professional scare you. Victoria’s Secret does a fantastic job fitting women for the correct bra size, and they have many stores. Like your Wol+Med Pain Management Professional, they are close by and here to assist you.

Share on Facebook

Since the advent of the wheel, there have been plenty of accidents to go around, so it isn’t that uncommon to see people of all ages suffering from chronic pain. Statistics show that up to 85% of Americans will suffer chronic back pain at some point in their lives.1  Furthermore, 31 million Americans will experience low-back pain at any given time, while up to half of all working Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year.4  With statistics like these it’s easy to see why pain management is a necessity for so many Americans.  Listed below, are more interesting facts you should know about back pain.

• After the common cold, back pain is the top reason for visiting the doctor in the U.S.
• An upwards of 50 billion dollars is spent each year trying to fix back problems. 3
• 30-40 percent of all workplace absences are because of back pain.
• Approximately 25% of adults 20 years and older, reported having lower back pain lasting at least one whole day in the past three months. 5
• Back pain is the number 1 cause of disability in the US for those under 45. 2
• Most cases of back pain are not caused by serious conditions like arthritis, infections, fractures or cancer.

As you can see, whether you are young or old, back pain shows no favoritism and can affect any one at any age.  If you or a loved one falls into any of these statistical categories and you need a pain management doctor in the DFW area, visit WOLMED and set up an appointment today.

References
1. Orthopedic Clinics of North America, Volume 35, Issue I, Pages 1-5 S. Pai, L. Sundaram
2. Bigos S, et al. Acute Low Back Problems in Adults, Clinical Practice Guideline No. 14. Rockville, MD: U.S. Public Health Service, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, AHCPR Pub. No. 95-0642, Dec. 1994.Eyerman, Edward MD. Journal of Neuroimaging. June 1998
3. John P. Kostuik, MD, and Simeon Margolis, MD, Ph.D. Low Back Pain and Osteoporosis. The John Hopkins White Paper on Low Back Pain and Osteoporosis, 2002.
4. Vallfors B. Acute, Subacute and Chronic Low Back Pain: Clinical Symptoms, Absenteeism and Working Environment. Scan J Rehab Med Suppl 1985; 11: 1-98.
5. National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2006, Special Feature on Pain With Chartbook on Trends in the
Health of Americans. Hyattsville, MD.

Share on Facebook

When you’re injured at work, it not only affects you at work, but also at home as well. It’s extremely frustrating when you are limited from doing simple things such as holding a cell phone.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is tingling sensation in your hand caused by pressure on the median nerve in your wrist. The National Center for Biotechnology Information says the most common cause of CTS is typing. The most common symptoms of CTS are numbness and weakness in the fingers or hand, and mostly occur at night. Doctors hypothesize that the reasoning that most patients suffer from symptoms at night is that the wrists are held flexed during sleep.

Typing is the major cause of CTS because the same hand or wrist movements are being repeated over and over. These repetitive movements cause swelling, which causes the numbness and tingling. The toughest part about this work related injury is treatment. If you have back pain from playing sports, the most basic treatment is to take a couple days off and rest your back. This is extremely difficult with our hands and wrists because we use them for many different tasks throughout the day and we can’t just stop typing or doing our job.

CTS can be thought of as injury similar to a pulled hamstring, and the best way to prevent those type of injuries is to warm up before starting an activity. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Exercises can be performed 5 minutes before starting work, and done right at your desk. These exercises have been very successful for patients with mild symptoms, and have helped them avoid surgery.

If you start to have symptoms like those above, it is important that you see a Work Injury Expert immediately. If you or a loved one is experiencing CTS symptoms and would like a work injury expert to talk with about your situation, contact WOLMED to set up an appointment to discuss your injury. WOLMED is also CARF certified full service Pain Management Clinic with locations to better serve you in Dallas and Denton.

Share on Facebook

It is estimated that more than 80 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. The pain does not go away, but there are Doctors that can provide treatment and things that can be done at home to manage the pain.

Valentine’s Day is just one day out of the year, but here are some tips that can make that day extra special for someone that suffers from chronic pain in your life.

1. The healing power of touch is well documented. Offer your spouse or significant other a nice back and shoulder massage, and if you are lucky enough, they will offer a massage back.

2. Everyone goes out to eat on Valentine’s Day, and one of the top complaints about restaurants is that they are very uncomfortable. That uncomfortable feeling can be much worse for someone that suffers from chronic pain. Instead of going out, stay in and make a balanced meal and you won’t have to sit in those painful restaurant booths.

3. People that suffer from chronic pain, whether it be from a car accident or work related injury, deal with it every day and sometimes they just need a break from the pain. So after dinner, shut off the TV and the cell phones and sit down and just talk with them. Truly listen and engage them in a conversation about their day and about their pain, and just ask them how you can make their life easier. This sends a clear message: I care about you and I want to ease your suffering.

4. Lavender is an herb that is said to assist in pain relief. So during your talk, make sure to include a nice glass of lavender tea, and this will assist in relieving pain and stress.

5. Because it is Valentine’s Day, chocolate has to be involved somehow. Offer your valentine some good chocolates, or the both of you can share a decadent dessert.

If you or a loved one is experiencing chronic pain in the DFW area and would like to schedule treatment, visit www.wolmed.com to make an appointment. WOLMED is a CARF certified full serviced Pain Management Clinic with locations to better serve you in Dallas and Denton.

Share on Facebook

Before I answer any questions, you should ask yourself a couple.  Have you ever had pain that lasted so long that it never seemed to end?  Are you unable to spend quality time with friends and family because of pain?  Do your pain pills make it harder and harder to do the things you love?  Do you feel depressed and anxious because of pain?  Does it feel like you’ve tried everything but you’re still in pain?  If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you could benefit from Pain Management.  Just because it can help doesn’t mean you want to rush out and get it without knowing what it is first.  That’s where I step in and answer the question, “what is Pain Management and do I need it?”

Wikipedia says Pain Management (also called pain medicine by definition), “is a branch of medicine employing an interdisciplinary approach for easing the suffering and improving the quality of life of those living with pain.”

Doctors specializing in pain management know the complex nature of pain, and will approach the problem from several different directions.  Treatment of long term pain may include pharmacologic measures, interventional procedures (epidural steroid injections), physical therapy, application of ice or heat, and psychological measures.  Whatever method is used to treat your pain you can be assured that it’s always with your best interest and comfort in mind.

Now that you understand the benefits of Pain Management a little better, if you or a loved one lives in the DFW area and has answered yes to any of the questions above, contact WOLMED Back & Neck Pain Center and see how Pain Management can help you change your life.

Share on Facebook

With nearly 80 million people in the United States suffering from some form of Chronic Pain, it’s easy to assume that many people lose sleep due to pain.  In fact the National Sleep Foundation says that two out of three people with chronic pain have trouble sleeping at night.  Since an essential part of managing chronic pain is sleep, it starts a vicious cycle that makes recovering from chronic pain more difficult.  Since there is no cure, aside from sleep, exercise, time and proper medication dosage that helps with chronic pain, we have decided to post what real patients are saying helped them sleep better when dealing with their pain.  Listed below are real quotes pain sufferers have given on how they sleep better when dealing with chronic pain.

“I sleep great most nights thanks to our Sleep Number bed, a muscle relaxer that I take right before going to bed, and sleeping with CPAP to correct my sleep apnea.”

“I sleep on my side with a pillow between my legs. I also have a pillow to keep my arm level with my shoulders and I make sure the pillow I place under my head is tucked underneath neck between my ear and shoulder. I sleep this way religiously and it has helped align my spine such that I wake up in less pain. “

“Currently i use Flexeril, restoril, percocet 10mg, & tramadol and only get 5-6 hours of rest.”

“Ah sleep….what’s that? I had Restoril and from another doc Ambien, both of which helped, however my current doc will not order anything for me.”

“I’m not able to take ANY pain medications due to allergies, so I just have to live with it.” “Some nights it seems as though I’m up more than I’m down, but so far God has helped me continue to function. It really does help me to reach out to other people and identify with their pain and suffering!”

Do you deal with chronic back and neck pain that makes it hard to sleep?  If so, please respond to this article and leave your feedback and let others know how you are dealing with your chronic pain so you can sleep better. For more information on pain management, or to make an appointment to evaluate your pain, please visit http://www.wolmed.com.

Share on Facebook

20% of adults said that pain interrupted their sleep at least a few nights per week.  The most common source of pain was low back pain, followed by severe headaches and migraines, and neck pain.  Adults with low back pain were found to be more than 4 times more likely to experience serious psychological distress than those without low back pain.

The final part of the study describes the sad reality that so many people never get treated for their pain symptoms or wait until their symptoms are as bad as possible before seeing a doctor.  This happens for lots of reasons, but none of them are good ones.  If you’re experiencing pain, call your doctor.  If pain is keeping you awake at night, call your doctor.  If pain has made you feel depressed, call your doctor.  If your pain won’t go away, call your doctor.   Don’t let pain take control of your life – call your doctor.

WOL+MED CARF Pain Management has been a good solution for hundreds of other people who have suffered from persistent, chronic pain symptoms.  Our medical doctors can help you TODAY.  Don’t be one of those people who continue to suffer without getting help.  Call your doctor.  Call WOL+MED.

Denton: (940) 484-7000, Dallas:  (972) 572-5000

For more information on this pain study, go to http://www.painfoundation.org/newsroom/reporter-resources/pain-facts-figures.html.

Share on Facebook