MSK medicine
Our MSK Doctors treat patients with Musculoskeletal disorders that do not require surgery as part of their management.
Musculoskeletal disorders may affect various parts of the body, including the upper and lower back, neck, shoulders, and extremities (arms, legs, feet, and hands). The most common examples include carpal tunnel syndrome, epicondylitis, tendinitis, back pain, and tension headache.
Conditions Treated:
Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is common among patients with musculoskeletal pain problems. MPS is a pain condition originating from muscle and surrounding fascia. Patients usually present with localized pain in a restricted area or referred pain of various patterns.
Tendonitis is when a tendon is inflamed. It can happen to any tendon in the body. When a tendon is inflamed, it can cause swelling, pain, and discomfort. Another problem called tenosynovitis is linked to tendonitis. This is the inflammation of the lining of the tendon sheath around a tendon. It’s most common around shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees and heels. Examples: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Tennis/Golfer’s Elbow.
A tension-type headache causes mild to moderate pain that’s often described as feeling like a tight band around the head. A tension-type headache is the most common type of headache, yet its causes aren’t well understood.
Treatments are available. Managing a tension-type headache is often a balance between practicing healthy habits, finding effective nonmedicine treatments and using medicines appropriately.
Personalized treatment plans for tension headaches aim to address underlying triggers, fostering headache relief and prevention.
Back pain, stemming from various causes like muscle strain or disc herniation, are diagnosed and managed by our Doctors through a multidisciplinary approach. This approach includes medication management and interventional procedures for effective pain relief and improved function.
Joint pain can be felt in the joints throughout your body. It may be a symptom of many different health conditions. Arthritis is the most common cause of joint pain. There are more than 100 kinds of arthritis. Joint pain may range from mild to severe. Treatments vary from simple at-home care to surgery, depending on your condition.
Trigger Point injections(TPI)
TPI is a procedure used to treat painful areas of muscle that contain trigger points, or knots. Quite often, such knots can be felt under the skin.
TPI helps release the shortened muscle bands and fascia tissue that surround muscle and trigger a wide range of symptoms including pain. TPI is performed with sterile medical needles used to inject local anesthetic(lidocaine) into an affected area. Most patients find an optimal response to treatment with reduction of symptoms, increased range of motion, improved quality of life within 4-6 sessions. Majority of the patients do not require regular follow up appointments.
The common minor side effects include tolerable pain from the injection penetrating the skin and muscle band, grinding sensation from penetration of the thickened fascia, bleeding from the injection sites which stops in a few minutes, bruising, increased soreness or aggravation of symptoms for a few hours to days which is minimized by applying heat and resting.
The rare minor side effects include paresthesia (prickling sensation from inadvertently penetrated nerve), nausea, muscle spasms caused by mild bending of the needle, and bacterial skin infection. Light-headedness and unsteadiness on your feet resolve in a few minutes. The rare major side effects may be perforation of an organ (lung, bladder, bowel) or spinal cord (limb numbness, weakness, loss of bladder and bowel function). Perforation of the lung results in shortness of breath and chest pain, if these symptoms come on after treatment, please attend the local ER department by ambulance for treatment as this condition is readily treatable.
The immediate positive side effects may include pain relief, feeling looser in the tight areas, and energized and emotional release with tears or laughter. The long-term positive benefits include pain reduction, increased range of motion, improved quality of life and for some a cure for their suffering.
The first visit is to review the history of complaints and perform an examination. Treatment starts on the first visit on most occasions. Follow up weekly treatments will be scheduled accordingly if needed.
Inform your doctor if you are pregnant, have a pacemaker, hepatitis, HIV, hemophilia or bleeding disorders or take blood thinners like Aspirin, Warfarin or the newer blood thinners.
Before treatment: Have a light meal, no smoking 1 hour before, no alcohol 4 hours before, take your normal pain medications and regular medications by your doctor; and be well rested. Wear dark clothing.
After treatment: Rest for 2 hours, have a moderate activity schedule for the next 2 days if possible to allow the body to recover. Postpone your regular exercise routine in the first week then slowly introduce exercise as the treatments progress depending on your response. Apply heat to the sore areas and take regular pain medications for pain relief. No alcohol or coffee for 2 hours after the treatment.
Fees: Consultation is free if referred by your family physician or specialist. Without a referral, the consultation fee is $100.00. TPI treatment is covered by MSP.
Trigger Point Therapy Consent Form
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K-Laser Therapy
Class IV K-Laser device delivers specific red and near infrared laser light to soft tissue and induces a therapeutic effect within the body. These include increased circulation, decreased swelling, reduction of pain and enhanced tissue repair. Increased metabolic activity within the cell stimulates the transport of nutrients across the cell membrane initiating increased production of cellular energy (ATP). This leads to a cascade of beneficial events promoting the acceleration of the healing process. In the management of acute and chronic pain K-Laser Therapy can provide dramatic results.
