News on Pain Management in Orange Park, FL

You are suffering from chronic pain and would go to great lengths to reduce the misery. There is something you can do to decrease the pain level: Stop smoking. Of course, this is easier said than done, but looking into the links between smoking and chronic pain help you understand the cause and effect.

The side effects of smoking combine to increase chronic pain. First of all, the drug nicotine contributes to increases in blood pressure and heart rate. It also makes it harder for your organs to supply oxygen to your body and slows healing.

Another concern is your options for pain management. Devices implanted in your body can offer relief to pain sufferers. However, smokers have more significant challenges when it comes to healing from surgery.

One recent study shows that those who smoke are more likely to suffer from chronic back pain. The reason? Smokers are more susceptible because the act of smoking causes interference to a brain circuit that is associated with pain. In fact, smokers have a much better chance of suffering from chronic back pain than non-smokers by a ratio of 3:1.

Look to the doctors at our pain clinic in Jacksonville, FL, for answers. These medical professionals are dedicated to helping you find solutions for your chronic pain. Call Florida Coast Pain and Spine Center at (904) 449-7246 or schedule an appointment online today.

In a previous post, we shared with you four diseases with similar symptoms to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, there are more of which you need to be aware because knowledge is power when it comes to your health. Before a diagnosis is confirmed, consideration of other conditions is essential, as well as testing. Other conditions that copy RA include:

Gout — Gout is a form of arthritis, but is different from RA. Like RA, gout can destroy the joints, but unlike RA, gout does not result in a narrowing of the space between joints or in periarticular osteopenia.

Pseudogout — Also known as Crystal Deposition Disease (CPPD), Pseudogout can manifest symptoms that resemble gouty arthritis or even rheumatoid arthritis. To determine if your condition is Pseudogout, your doctor aspirates joint fluid to send to a lab for testing.

Sjogren’s Syndrome — In its primary form, Sjogren’s syndrome may look like RA. This autoimmune, inflammatory disease in its primary condition also causes the pain, swelling, and stiffness associated with RA. Specialized testing is the only way to confirm this diagnosis.

To determine exactly what is causing your pain, seek help from a pain management clinic in Jacksonville, FL. Call Florida Coast Pain and Spine Center at (904) 449-7246 or schedule an appointment online today.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can be challenging to diagnose. Not only is there no definitive test to prove that someone has the disease, but there are also other conditions that present with the same symptoms. If your doctor suspects that you have rheumatoid arthritis, they must first rule out other diseases that mimic it.

Post-Viral Arthritis – Chronic or acute viral infections can cause polyarthritis – a temporary condition that looks a lot like rheumatoid arthritis from a clinical perspective. Infections like parvovirus B19, hepatitis, and HIV can all lead to this condition.

Seronegative Spondyloarthritis – This is a group of rheumatic conditions that cause inflammation in the spine. Psoriatic arthritis is one of these diseases, and if it presents without a rash, it can be difficult to distinguish between this and rheumatoid arthritis. Ankylosing spondylitis and IBS can also mimic the disease.

Lupus – Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can affect your joints. Deformities can develop that mimic the joint damage present in rheumatoid arthritis. With lupus, the deformity comes from the tendons and ligaments rather than the joints, which is the distinguishing factor in determining which of the two conditions you have.

Scleroderma – This condition includes joint pain, tightening of the skin, heartburn, and Raynaud’s disease (exaggerated response to cold temperatures. Scleroderma can be ruled out with a comprehensive chemistry panel, complete blood count, and serologic studies.

These are just four of the diseases that present with similar symptoms to rheumatoid arthritis. In future blog posts, we will look at the rest of the conditions that have to be ruled out before a diagnosis of RA is given. Our pain management clinic in Jacksonville, FL, can provide you with relief from your RA symptoms when you call our office at 904.449.7246 or book an appointment online.

Migraines are more than just a headache. They are a collection of symptoms that differ from person to person but maintain some shared characteristics. While a headache is the most common symptom, migraine sufferers can also experience ringing in the ears, shoulder or neck pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, vomiting, irritability, and more. Additionally, some migraines don’t include headaches at all. Here are the common phases of migraine symptoms:

Prodrome – This migraine phase can begin as early as three days before the migraine reaches peak intensity. The prodrome consists of symptoms that alert you to the oncoming migraine, like food cravings, mood changes, muscle stiffness, fatigue, digestion issues, bloating, nausea, light and sound sensitivity, vivid dreams, or other symptoms. These can vary widely from person to person.

Aura – Next comes the aura, which typically lasts less than an hour and is comprised of neurological symptoms. These symptoms can include changes in vision, vertigo, tingling, numbness, difficulty speaking, confusion, partial paralysis, olfactory and auditory hallucinations, and changes in hearing.

Headache – The headache phase can last from one to 72 hours, and can include head pain along with light and sound sensitivity, nausea, vomiting, digestive issues. You can also experience symptoms like a runny nose, nasal congestion, sadness or anxiety, hot flashes, chills, dizziness, and dehydration during this phase as well

Postdrome – Once the most intense phase of the migraine is over, some migraine suffers also experience the postdrome phase where they can experience fatigue, changes in mood, muscle aches, dizziness, difficulty focusing, scalp tenderness, and a stiff neck.

Not all people who get migraines will go through all four phases, and sometimes two stages can happen concurrently. Your symptoms are unique. Get personalized treatment at Florida Coast Pain, which can include BOTOX for migraines in Jacksonville, FL. Make an appointment with our compassionate pain doctors today at 904.449.7246 or book your appointment online.

Keeping a journal can be beneficial to your life, especially if you suffer from a chronic pain condition. The information you gather about your day-to-day life can help you and your doctor identify patterns in your pain. The patterns can show your doctor what triggers your pain, what lessens it, and more. Maintaining a chronic pain journal can help you make more sound decisions throughout the day so that you can manage your pain better.

Setting Up Your Pain Journal

For your pain journal to be effective, you want to gather as many details as you possibly can. Here are some ideas of information to include in your journal:

• Pain Rating – Use a 0-10 point scale to rate the severity of your pain.
• Descriptions – Use adjectives like burning, tingling, shooting, sharp, pulsating, and dull to describe the pain.
• Time of Day – Write down the times of day that your pain occurs. At what times of day does the pain occur most often?
• Activities – Jot down the activity you were doing when the pain started. Write down how you feel before and after exercise and other activities.
• Food and Beverages – Keep track of what you eat and drink each day. It doesn’t have to be overly specific or complicated, but sometimes your diet can affect your symptoms.
• External Factors – Think about external factors that may be contributing to your pain. For example, do you feel more pain when it rains?
• Thoughts and Feelings – What is your mental state today? How did you feel when experiencing the pain?

If you are having difficulty managing your chronic pain, make an appointment at Florida Coast Pain online, or by calling 904.449.7246. Our skilled and compassionate doctors can provide effective pain management in Jacksonville, FL, to patients throughout the area.

Arthritis symptoms can be vague, and many people mistake them for the signs of an injury. Many arthritis patients attempt to self-treat with over-the-counter medications, without realizing the dangers of medicated with consulting a doctor. When it comes to arthritis, it is important to recognize the symptoms early so that you can be diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible.

Signs and Symptoms of Arthritis

While there are many different forms of arthritis, many of them have similar symptoms at the onset of the disease. These symptoms include:

• Joint Pain and Stiffness
• Tenderness in and around the Joint
• Limited Range of Motion
• Warmth or Redness around the Joints
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Nodules (Lumps and Bumps in Affected Areas)

If you have any of these symptoms, your doctor will need to do additional investigating to determine what type of arthritis you have. They will consider your medical history; perform a physical examination, and run diagnostics tests like blood tests and imaging studies.

Arthritis Treatment

Find relief from your joint pain when you visit Florida Coast Pain. We will diagnose your pain condition and provide effective arthritis treatment in Jacksonville, FL. Contact us today at 904.449.7246 or schedule your appointment online today.

Pain can take many different forms, affecting different parts of the body. The six main types of pain are nociceptive, visceral, neuropathic, psychogenic, and idiopathic. You feel nociceptive pain in your soft tissues through sensory nerves called nociceptors. Examples of this type of pain include arthritis, fibromyalgia, and headaches.

The Two Types of Nociceptive Pain

Nociceptive pain encompasses two other types of pain: somatic and visceral.

• Somatic Pain – This type of pain is felt in the skin, muscles, and soft tissues. Tension headaches, arthritis, and back pain not caused by nerve damage are all examples of somatic pain. Somatic pain is easy to locate because there are many sensory nerves found in these tissues. You will feel pain the place it originated.
• Visceral Pain – This type of pain involves your internal organs. Endometriosis and IBS are both conditions involving visceral There are fewer sensory nerves located in your organs, so it can be hard to pinpoint the origin or visceral pain. You may feel this type of pain outside of where it started.

Causes of Nociceptive Pain

This type of pain is caused by inflammation, physical pressure, or injury. Nociceptive pain can become chronic as the result of a prolonged or slow-healing injury, which can make nerves more sensitive. Prolonged inflammation-related nociceptive pain is seen in conditions like fibromyalgia, headaches, and arthritis.

Treatment

Depending on the cause of your nociceptive pain, your treatment will be different. When you make an appointment with the experienced doctors at Florida Coast Pain and Spine Center, they can diagnose the cause of your pain and create a multi-faceted treatment plan for you. For effective chronic pain treatment in Jacksonville, FL, call our office at 904.449.7246 or schedule an appointment online.