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Is Radiofrequency Ablation Effective in Relieving Headache Pain?

lydia@gowildhorse.com (Lydia Boudreaux) — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 08:42:24 GMT

Radiofrequency ablation explained

Headaches are common and affect almost everyone at some point in time. Though headaches vary in type, severity, and frequency, up to 4% of the world’s population suffer from chronic headaches, according to the World Health Organization.

Like those who have other chronic pain conditions, people who suffer from chronic headaches may not be able to get relief from their ongoing pain with over-the-counter pain medication.

At Headache & Pain Center in Gray and New Iberia, Louisiana, our pain medicine physician, Dr. Jimmy Ponder Jr., MD, is an expert in the science of headaches and offer cutting-edge treatments to help you get long-term relief. This includes radiofrequency ablation.

Pain is a nervous system signal your body uses to let you know something isn’t right. Like other pain conditions, chronic headaches may occur from irritation or compression of the pain-sensing nerves located in and around your head.

Radiofrequency ablation, or rhizotomy, is a minimally invasive procedure that uses heat energy to reduce the nervous system pain signal from your nerve to your brain. The heat energy ablates, or destroys, the nerve, eliminating or reducing the pain messages to your brain.

Radiofrequency ablation is one of the many treatments and procedures we use to help our patients with chronic pain conditions.

Radiofrequency ablation and headaches

Chronic headaches can be disabling. In many cases, aggressive, ongoing pain management is the best way to treat chronic headaches.

A 2018 retrospective study found that radiofrequency ablation was an effective treatment for patients suffering from chronic headaches. The authors of this study noted that 90% of the patients reported a significant improvement in their pain following the minimally invasive procedure.

In addition to a significant reduction in pain, radiofrequency ablation also serves as a long-term solution to your chronic pain. In the 2018 study, the researchers reported that the participants experienced pain relief from the procedure for a minimum of four months, with some participants noting pain relief for up to nine months.

Can radiofrequency ablation help me?

Whether radiofrequency ablation is the best choice for you depends on many factors. Our pain management experts conduct in-depth clinical evaluations when you come in for a consultation to help you get the best treatment for your headaches.

Radiofrequency ablation is a more invasive procedure, so we may only recommend it after you’ve tried and failed to get relief from your headaches with medications or nerve blocks.

We may also recommend radiofrequency ablation if you’re looking for a long-term solution to your pain. When it comes to disabling headaches, radiofrequency ablation is an effective, long-term solution.

To learn more about our treatment options for headaches, contact us by calling one of our offices or by clicking the online button below.

Myths and Facts About Epidural Steroid Injection for Chronic Back Pain

lydia@gowildhorse.com (Lydia Boudreaux) — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 08:35:28 GMT

MYTH : Epidural steroid injections relieve all types of back pain

Statistics tell us that chronic back pain is a common problem that affects at least 8% of adults. But numbers can’t begin to tell the impact of chronic back pain on your life.

Back pain often forces patients to take time off from work and stops them from enjoying their favorite activities, whether they like taking daily strolls or engaging in competitive sports.

At the Headache & Pain Center, we’re dedicated to helping each patient get relief from chronic back pain. We specialize in many interventional therapies that are effective because they target the source of your pain.

One of our treatment options, epidural steroid injections, can provide long-lasting pain relief. But our patients often express concerns about this treatment — concerns that frequently aren’t based on the facts.

This rundown of the myths and facts about epidural steroid injections for chronic back pain covers many of our patients’ worries. But don’t hesitate to call us if you have any questions or need help with ongoing back pain.

FACT : Steroids are potent anti-inflammatory agents. When steroids are injected into the epidural space — a fat-filled area that surrounds and protects your spinal cord — they bathe the nerves in medication and relieve your pain by reducing inflammation.

In other words, epidural steroid injections work when your back pain is caused by nerve inflammation. In most cases, nerve inflammation occurs when the spinal nerves are pinched, a condition called radiculopathy.

Conditions that typically respond well to this treatment include herniated discs, sciatica, degenerative disc disease, and spinal stenosis.

MYTH : Epidural steroid injections are only a last resort

FACT : We initially treat chronic back pain with conservative therapies such as:

Physical therapy
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Activity modification

It generally takes a few weeks to determine if this line of treatment is helping to improve your back pain.

If your back pain persists or even worsens, you shouldn’t keep struggling with back pain. Instead, it’s time to take the next step and consider epidural steroid injections. These injections are an integral part of your ongoing pain management, not a last resort.

Another problem our patients often face is that they’re in too much pain to participate in physical therapy. That’s when you shouldn’t wait to talk with us about an epidural steroid injection. Getting a pain-relieving injection allows you to return to your exercise regimen.

The bottom line is that surgery is the last resort. And epidural steroid injections often help patients avoid that step.

MYTH : Epidural steroid injections only last a short time

FACT : Each person’s body metabolizes drugs differently, so we can’t predict exactly how long your injection will last. But we know that our patients get long-lasting pain relief following their epidural steroid injection.

Though you may feel better for weeks to years, many patients with chronic back pain experience 3-6 months of pain relief after an epidural steroid injection.

If your first treatment only delivers mild pain relief, you can have additional injections spaced 1-4 weeks apart to achieve optimal pain relief.

MYTH : Epidural steroid injections aren’t safe

FACT : There are very few risks associated with epidural steroid injections, as long as you get your treatment from physicians who have specialized training in the technique and extensive experience (like our team here at Headache & Pain Center).

You may have mild pain at the injection site, flushing, insomnia, a headache, or increased blood sugar, but these side effects go away in 1-3 days.

MYTH : Epidural steroid injections are painful

FACT : We apply a local anesthetic at the injection site and the injection contains a fast-acting local anesthetic in addition to the steroid medication. You may feel some pressure during the procedure, but you should not feel pain.

In fact, the anesthetic in your injection provides quick but short-lasting relief from your chronic back pain.

If you need to find relief from chronic back pain, we can help. Don’t wait to call us or book an appointment online. We have offices in New Iberia and Gray, Louisiana.

Three Benefits of an Open vs. a Traditional MRI

lydia@gowildhorse.com (Lydia Boudreaux) — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 08:27:06 GMT

Difference between open and traditional MRIs

Have you heard stories about people who couldn’t get an MRI because the narrow, confined space inside the MRI machine gave them anxiety or triggered an attack of claustrophobia?

Unfortunately, those stories are all too common, but we at the Headache & Pain Center have a solution. We use an open MRI machine, which eliminates the claustrophobic tunnel and allows us to get the diagnostic imaging we need to accurately diagnose the source of your pain.

We offer diagnostic MRI testing in our offices, where we proudly hold a gold seal of accreditation from the American College of Radiology. This award means that we meet the highest level of image quality and patient safety.

When you get a traditional MRI, your imaging is done in a closed machine. You lay down on a table and the table slides your body inside a tunnel that’s in the center of the MRI machine.

Once you’re in the device, you’re enclosed or surrounded by the machine. In closed MRIs, the size of the tunnel is small enough to cause anxiety, even if you’re not claustrophobic. In fact, the tunnel is so small that it can’t accommodate larger patients.

Open MRIs come in different shapes, but in all cases, the machine is open on at least one side and typically, on three or four sides. The advanced MRI we use at Headache & Pain Center is open on the sides and back of the machine.

Three Benefits of an Open MRI

These are the top three benefits of getting an open MRI:

More comfortable for you

MRIs are one of the most important diagnostic tools we have, but they don’t do any good if you can’t tolerate being inside the machine. An MRI can take an hour or longer to complete, so you should feel comfortable during the procedure.

The open spaces make it possible to get the detailed images we need without causing a panic attack or making you feel claustrophobic. And an open MRI machine allows patients of all sizes to get the diagnostic care they need.

Easier to position your body

The larger space and wider table of an open MRI make it easier for us to position your body and ensure we get the most accurate images.

When you need a knee, leg, or hip MRI, you can go into the MRI scanner with your feet leading the way. This means your head doesn’t even need to go in the machine.

Open design helps you pass the time

With an open MRI, you can look around the exam room or watch television, which helps you pass the time and stay relaxed while the machine creates images.

Another advantage of the open design is that a family member can stay by your side. Whether you need the reassurance of someone being with you, or it helps to have someone to talk with and distract you, you have the option with an open MRI. That’s not possible with a traditional or closed MRI.

Open vs Traditional MRI

Open MRIs work exceptionally well for diagnosing most health conditions. We can see nerve injuries, infections, swelling, early signs of arthritis, small ligament tears, and herniated discs in your spine, to give you just a few examples.

But a traditional or closed MRI is stronger. In rare cases, we need the strength of the closed machine to diagnose the condition of some of our patients.

To learn more about MRI services at the Headache & Pain Center or to get help with your ongoing pain, call us or schedule an appointment using our online tool. Our offices are located in New Iberia and Gray, Louisiana.

Am I A Candidate for a Spinal Cord Stimulator

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 08:01:46 GMT

Your condition is treatable with SCS

All the pain signals from your body travel through the spinal cord on their way to the brain. Since SCS stops the signals at your spinal cord, it can help ease the pain of many different conditions originating in nearly every part of your body. These are a few examples:

Back pain — Failed back surgery, herniated disc, degenerative disc disease
Leg pain — Peripheral artery disease, complex regional pain syndrome, sciatica
Nerve pain — Peripheral neuropathy, diabetic neuropathy, phantom limb pain
Arm pain — Neuropathy, spinal stenosis
Chest pain — Refractory angina
Joint pain — Arthritis

The HF10 can treat a wide range of conditions, but it’s proven to provide significantly better and longer lasting pain relief than other devices for people suffering from chronic leg and back pain.

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) relieves chronic pain by targeting nerves in your spinal cord. More specifically, SCS blocks the nerves that send pain signals to your brain. If your brain doesn’t get the message, you don’t feel the full extent of your pain.

As pain management specialists, we at Headache & Pain Center, AMC, in Gray and New Iberia, Louisiana, understand that not everyone is a good candidate for SCS. But if it works for you, you can look forward to significant, long-lasting pain relief with the innovative HF10® spinal cord stimulator.

Let’s look at how we determine if you’re a good candidate for getting a spinal cord stimulator.

SCS is not the first line of treatment for any chronic pain condition. Before we can consider you for SCS, you must first try all the appropriate medical treatments, giving them a fair shot to see if they can relieve your pain.

The treatment regimen you follow before SCS depends on your diagnosis, but conservative care typically begins with options such as oral and topical medications, activity modification, and physical therapy.

The next step includes other interventional pain management treatments such as steroid injections and nerve blocks.

Your medical treatments have failed

You meet other qualifying criteria

When screening patients for SCS, we also consider criteria such as:

Would you benefit from surgery?
Do you want to consider surgery?
Do you have a drug addiction or untreated depression?
Do you have health conditions that prevent having the SCS implanted in your spine?

After we have fully evaluated your medical and treatment history, symptoms, and personal concerns, there’s still one more step to take before you can get a SCS, and that’s the trial.

You have a successful SCS trial

A trial of SCS is the most important factor for determining if we can give you SCS. In fact, this is a deal breaker. Before we say you’re a good candidate, you need to have a successful trial showing the device relieves your pain.

Every person experiences a different level of pain relief with SCS. After you use the device for a trial period of about a week, you will know how well it works for you. Then you can decide if you want to keep using the device.

Though we can’t guarantee your results, there’s a better chance you’ll get the relief you need with the HF10. Surveys of patients who use the HF10 show that 88% are more independent thanks to their reduced pain.

To learn if you’re a good candidate for SCS, call us or use the convenient online booking feature to request an appointment.

Remedy Sciatica and Prevent it From Returning

lydia@gowildhorse.com (Lydia Boudreaux) — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 07:34:45 GMT

Consider pain management

Interventional medicine is diff erent from standard medical care because it focuses on treating the source of your pain. Though we specialize in many different types of interventional therapies, they generally work one of two ways.

Some ease the pain by reducing inflammation in the sciatic nerve. Other interventional procedures stop nerves from sending pain signals to your brain.

These are a few examples of treatments we offer to reduce the pain of sciatica:

Lumbar epidural steroid injections
Spinal cord stimulation
Facet joint injections
Nerve blocks
Radiofrequency ablation
Intrathecal pain pump

Depending on your symptoms and needs, we may recommend a procedure that helps you achieve short- or long-lasting pain relief.

When your lower back hurts and sudden waves of excruciating pain radiate down your leg, it’s only natural to find a comfortable position and rest. But if you want to remedy sciatica and prevent future flare-ups, prolonged rest is the worst choice you can make.

So what do you do when exercise is the key to treating sciatica, yet your sciatica pain makes it impossible to even think about moving? That’s when we at the Headache & Pain Center can help.

With our interventional pain management techniques, including epidural steroid procedures you can get the pain relief you need to stick with a therapeutic exercise regimen, as well as longer-lasting treatments that allow you to enjoy daily life again.

Sciatica follows a different course for each person. Your pain may quickly improve and never return, or you may need to work through months of flare-ups. In both cases, interventional pain management allows you to overcome and recover from sciatica.

Here are the top five ways to remedy sciatica and prevent it from returning:

Avoid prolonged rest

Though you may need to rest for a short time to reduce the pain of a flare-up, bed rest and prolonged sitting are guaranteed to make your sciatica worse. Even if you can only manage gentle stretching or slow walking, movement is an important part of your sciatica remedy.

Practice self-care during flare-ups

During those times when you truly need to rest due to the pain, follow self-care treatments such as ice, heat, massage, and taking pain relievers.

You can diminish inflammation and pain by using an ice pack for 15-20 minutes several times daily. But you should only use ice for a few days, then switch to a heating pad or warm shower to relax your lower back muscles.

If your pain doesn’t improve in several days or it gets worse, it’s time to let us help.

Follow a customized exercise routine

You may be surprised to learn that most doctors include exercise right at the start of your treatment for sciatica. As you engage in structured physical activity, you strengthen the muscles that support your lower spine, improve flexibility, and even improve bone density in your vertebrae.

Exercise alleviates the pain, reduces swelling, and prevents future bouts of sciatica. When you’re active, you also boost circulation, bringing healing nutrients and oxygen to the damaged tissues.

A carefully designed exercise program that fits your overall health, age, and fitness level promotes healing in the sciatic nerve and damaged discs. That’s important because 90% of all cases of sciatica are the result of a herniated disc.

Support your spine with good posture

Poor posture is one of the top ways to guarantee sciatica will return. Slouching places extra stress on your lower back, leading to herniated or bulging discs that pinch the sciatic nerve. Lifting a heavy object by bending your back instead of bending your knees and hips is another way to trigger a sciatica flare-up. Whether you’re sitting, walking, or lifting, always think about good posture and safe ergonomics.

To learn more about how Headache & Pain Center can help you overcome sciatica, call our nearest office or book an appointment online today. We’re located in Gray and New Iberia, Louisiana.

What Could Be Causing Pain in My Spine?

lydia@gowildhorse.com (Lydia Boudreaux) — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 07:23:36 GMT

Soft tissue sprains & strains

Considering the jobs your spine performs, it’s no surprise that spine problems are among the leading causes of chronic pain and disability.

Your spine provides the central support for your body. This structure of 33 stacked vertebrae anchors your core, gives you the ability to stand upright, and helps you walk, bend, and twist.

Your neck supports the weight and movement of your head, while your lower back supports the weight and movement of your body. As a result, spine pain has a big impact on your daily life.

If you have ongoing neck or back pain , don’t wait to contact us at Headache & Pain Center. In the meantime, here’s a list of the problems that frequently cause spine pain.

Ligament sprains and muscle strains occur when the tissues are stretched or torn. You may suffer a soft tissue injury during athletic activities, while lifting a heavy object, or even when you twist too suddenly.

You can develop a whiplash injury when an impact forces your neck into a rapid back-and-forth motion. Though whiplash often occurs during a car accident, the same movement can happen while playing sports or during a fall.

Overuse injuries

Overuse injuries develop gradually as you repeatedly make the same movement. When you use your muscles and ligaments, they naturally develop tiny tears. Resting between activities lets the tears heal.

But if these small injuries don’t heal, it doesn’t take long before they cause inflammation, then a larger tear develops. That’s when you end up with spine pain.

Overuse injuries can also affect the vertebrae and cause tiny cracks in the bone. This type of injury is called a stress fracture.

Degenerative Wear-And-Tear

Daily wear-and-tear takes a toll on all the structures in your spine. This natural degeneration leads to a variety of spine conditions that can cause chronic pain, such as:

Herniated discs occur when the disc’s outer covering becomes weak. This allows the gel-like substance inside the disc to push the disc out and create a bulge. Or if the disc tears, it leaks out.

In both cases, two painful problems occur. The disc no longer works properly, so it can’t absorb shock or support spine movement. The bulge pushes against nerves, while the leaking gel irritates them.

Herniated discs

Over time, the discs between your vertebrae start to dry out and flatten. Much like a herniated disc, a dehydrated disc can’t function. This sets you up for spinal instability and pain when you move. Degenerative disc disease also leads to pinched nerves, bone spurs, and arthritis.

Degenerative disc disease

Facet joint arthritis

Just like every other joint in your body, you can develop arthritis in the facet joints between vertebrae. Rheumatoid arthritis doesn’t occur in the spine as often as other joints, but when it does, chances are it will affect your neck.

In your lower back, you’re more likely to get osteoarthritis as cartilage wears away. Facet joint arthritis often results in bone spurs that add to the pain and stiffness.

Degenerative spondylolisthesis

As discs degenerate and arthritis weakens the facet joints, vertebrae can move forward and slip out of their normal alignment. This is called degenerative spondylolisthesis.

Spinal stenosis

Spinal stenosis develops when the spinal canal narrows. The spinal canal is formed by the opening in the center of each vertebrae. The canal narrows when any spine condition intrudes into the opening.

All the degenerative conditions in this list can cause spinal stenosis. As you get older, spinal ligaments thicken and stiffen, a change that also results in spinal stenosis.

No matter what causes your spine pain, we can help you find relief and avoid surgery. Our medical team at Headache & Pain Center provides comprehensive pain management, including interventional treatments that target the source of your pain.

To learn more about treatment for spine pain, contact us at either our Gray or New Iberia, Louisiana, location to schedule an appointment.

Why You Shouldn't Ignore Neck Pain

lydia@gowildhorse.com (Lydia Boudreaux) — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 07:07:32 GMT

Common Causes of Neck Pain

The seven small vertebrae that make up your neck have the challenging task of supporting your head, which is about 10 pounds, while also enabling the full range of head and neck movement. This combination of weight and mobility make your neck vulnerable to injuries and neck pain.

Sometimes, neck pain goes away in a few days, and you go on as if you never had a problem. But if your neck pain sticks around or is severe, it’s a sign that you have an underlying injury or disease that needs treatment.

At the Headache & Pain Center, we recommend that you promptly schedule an exam. Ignoring neck pain and putting off treatment only gives the source of your pain time to get worse, potentially leading to chronic pain and complications.

The most common causes of neck pain fall into two categories — strained muscles and compressed nerves — but there are several sources of these problems.

Strained muscles

Your neck is especially vulnerable to soft tissue injuries that pull, stretch, or tear the muscles and ligaments. These tissues are easily injured during athletic activities and over the course of everyday life.

Bending your head while using electronics, poor posture, and sleeping in the wrong position can all contribute to neck pain.

Whiplash injuries

A whiplash injury pulls your neck muscles, so it could be included under “strained muscles.” Yet whiplash injuries can do more than strain soft tissues.

Depending on the severity of the trauma, the forces of your head snapping back and forth can also damage nerves, affect the vertebrae, and cause widespread complications.

Degenerative disease

As you get older, changes occur in the vertebrae and discs in your neck. These changes lead to conditions such as herniated discs, facet joint arthritis, degenerative disc disease, and spinal stenosis. Degenerative conditions affecting your neck frequently pinch the spinal nerves.

Consequences of Ignoring Neck Pain

When your neck pain doesn’t improve and you choose to ignore the problems, you can end up facing one of the following consequences:

Small problems get worse

One of the biggest risks of ignoring neck pain, as we’ve already implied, is that a small problem can get significantly worse. Even if you don’t suffer an injury, you could be headed for serious problems.

When you make the same neck movements every day, the soft tissues naturally develop tiny tears. At first, the pain can be mild and easy to ignore. As you keep moving your neck, though, those microtears get larger and inflammation develops. You end up with serious pain and stiffness.

Acute pain turns chronic

Ongoing pain has a long-term impact on your central nervous system. Untreated pain triggers changes in the nerves that carry pain messages, making them hypersensitive. As a result, you keep feeling chronic pain even after the problem that originally caused your acute pain heals.

Nerve damage affects arms & hands

When the cause of your neck pain also pinches the nerves, you can have sharp nerve pain in your neck, as well as arm pain and symptoms like tingling or numbness that go down your arm and into your hand.

Without treatment, your arm muscles can weaken, and you can lose grip strength or fine motor control.

Complications can develop

Your neck shares space with muscles and nerves that affect your face, jaw, and head. Even an everyday neck strain can lead to a headache and limited movement.

More severe neck injuries result in a host of complications, including:

Migraines
Tension headaches
Cervicogenic headaches
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Temporomandibular dysfunction
Balance problems
Vision changes
Trigger points
Confusion
Fatigue
Anxiety

The sooner you get treatment, the better your chances are of preventing complications.

If you have neck pain, don’t wait to schedule an appointment. Contact us at the Headache & Pain Center by calling or scheduling an appointment online. We have offices in Gray and New Iberia, Louisiana.

Is Your Lifestyle Causing You Back Pain?

lydia@gowildhorse.com (Lydia Boudreaux) — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 06:57:32 GMT

Up your exercise game

When back pain appears, as it does for 80% of adults, you may be one of the lucky ones that fully recover. You could also be one of the 20% whose single bout turns into long-lasting and debilitating back pain.

Or you can choose a different path. You can take yourself out of the running and prevent many causes of back pain by making a few lifestyle changes.

At Headache & Pain Center, we help our patients find relief from severe and chronic back pain. In many cases, daily movements and lifestyle choices are the top causes of back problems. Here are a few changes you can make to prevent back pain.

Staying active is one of the best ways to avoid back problems. When you don’t use your back muscles, they become weak and stiff, which in turn causes new pain or irritates an existing back condition.

A strong back goes a long way toward preventing back pain. You can strengthen your back and maintain flexibility with exercises that target your core muscles, such as knee-to-chest stretches, cat stretches, side leg lifts, and the Superman move (lay on your stomach, stretch both arms in front of you, and then raise both hands and feet off the floor as though you’re flying).

You can also begin slow and easy by simply taking regular walks. When you walk, you strengthen your back by using the muscles that support your spine. The movement also supports the health of your spine and muscles as it boosts circulation.

During your walk, maintain good posture: Stand up straight, tighten your tummy muscles, look forward, relax your shoulders, and wear supportive footwear.

Good walking posture works your core muscles. Bad posture adds more stress to your back.

Maintain good posture

Pay attention to posture all the time, not just when you’re walking. Poor posture, or slouching, is a top culprit when it comes to lower back pain. The vertebrae in your spine have a natural alignment and curvature that keeps your back strong and moveable.

Good posture keeps your spinal vertebrae in proper alignment. On the other hand, poor posture leads to muscle fatigue, pulled ligaments, and back pain.

Drop excess weight

Few lifestyle factors stress your back as much as forcing your spine to carry extra weight. Being overweight is one of the top risk factors for the spine conditions that cause low back pain, such as arthritis, herniated discs, and sciatica.

When your spine carries too much weight, it changes its position to compensate for the stress, straining the muscles and resulting in muscle spasms. For example, too much belly fat pulls your pelvis and lower spine forward, placing excessive strain on your lower back.

It’s not easy to lose weight, but it comes down to two basic lifestyle choices: eating fewer calories than your body uses and getting more fat-burning exercise.

Take breaks from sitting

When you sit, it feels like you’re relaxing your back. At the same time, the force of your body weight settles at the bottom of your spine, putting a lot of stress on your lower back.

If you have a job that demands prolonged sitting, take regular breaks. Your breaks don’t need to be long — just a few minutes to stand up, stretch, and walk around — but try to fit one in every 30 minutes or so.

Lift heavy items with care

Did you know that for every 10 pounds you lift, you put 100 pounds of pressure on your back? That’s why following proper lifting technique is so important for preventing back problems.

When lifting, you should bend at your knees and keep your back straight. Bending at your waist forces your spine to bear the burden of the heavy item and your body weight. Also, never twist while lifting and when you carry a heavy object, hold it close to your body.

If you need help preventing or easing back pain, call our team at Headache & Pain Center or book an appointment online today. Our offices are in Gray and New Iberia, Louisiana.

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Does Arthritis Cause Deformity?

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 06:51:43 GMT

Rheumatoid Arthritis: inflammation leads to deformities

Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the top causes of joint deformities in the hands and feet. Without treatment, these deformities become severe and debilitating.

But rheumatoid arthritis isn’t the only culprit. Osteoarthritis also results in joint deformities that most often appear in the hands and knees.

The Headache & Pain Center specializes in advanced treatments that relieve the pain of arthritis. The people who come to us for help with their pain often have joint deformities. Whether your deformity is in an early or advanced stage, we recommend treatments that may prevent progressive damage.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that begins when your immune system mistakenly attacks the membrane that lines your joints. This membrane, called the synovium, quickly becomes inflamed and swollen.

Inflammation in the joint causes the hallmark symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: joint pain, swelling, tenderness, and stiffness. But the problem doesn’t end there.

Ongoing inflammation wears down the bones inside the joint, as well as the cartilage covering the bone. Swelling stretches out tissues that normally support the joint. This combination of loose tissues and bone erosion leads to permanent joint damage and bone deformities.

Bone erosion occurs early in the disease. More than 10% of patients have bone erosion within eight weeks after their rheumatoid arthritis begins. Up to 60% have significant bone erosion after one year.

Without treatment, the bone erosion keeps getting worse, leading to severe deformities that make it hard, if not impossible, to use the affected joint. In most cases, rheumatoid arthritis begins in your hands or feet, causing different types of deformities in your fingers and toes.

Osteoarthritis: Excess bone growth causes deformities

The ends of the bones inside your joints are covered with articular cartilage. Normally, this cartilage cushions the bones, allowing them to move smoothly in the joint without grating against one another.

Over the years, the cartilage gradually degenerates. As more of the cartilage wears away, bone rubs against bone. In addition to causing pain and stiffness, this bone-on-bone irritation leads to another problem.

When bones in the joint become irritated, they produce new bone growth. The new bone grows into a protrusion called a bone spur and creates a bump or knob-like deformity. As the bone spur enlarges, it pushes the bones out of alignment, causing crooked or deformed joints.

Bony nodules are especially noticeable if you have osteoarthritis in your fingers. In fact, they’re one of the earliest signs of osteoarthritis.

You may not notice a visible bump when you have osteoarthritis in a large joint like your knee. But in your knee, the problem still causes deformity. Bone growth in your knee causes leg bowing or a knock-knee deformity. It can affect your ability to straighten and bend your knee.

Osteoarthritis also causes inflammation in the joint. Though inflammation isn’t the primary cause of osteoarthritis deformities, it can cause bone erosion.

Deformity prevention depends on the type of arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis has the potential to cause a more severe deformity. But the good news is that you can treat this type of arthritis with medications called disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

DMARDs prevent or slow down joint damage by suppressing your immune system and stopping inflammation. Bone and cartilage damage occur so early in the disease, that it’s important to start taking DMARDs as soon as your diagnosis is confirmed.

Since osteoarthritis is a wear-and-tear disease and not associated with your immune system, we don’t have medications to stop the bone deformities. The best approach for osteoarthritis is to follow a specialized exercise regimen and get treatment to ease the pain.

Using our expertise in interventional pain management, we offer many types of treatments that alleviate the pain of both types of arthritis. The sooner you seek help, the better your chances are of slowing down disease progression in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

To learn about today’s most advanced pain treatments for arthritis, contact us at the Headache & Pain Center in New Iberia or Gray, Louisiana.

5 Common Causes of Arm Pain

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 06:38:39 GMT

If you browse online for arm pain, you’ll notice that many of your search results specify “right arm pain.” That sounds odd because both arms are susceptible to the same injuries. Anything that causes pain in your right arm can also affect your left arm.

Some websites specify “right” because sudden pain in your left arm is one of the top signs of a heart attack. Left arm pain demands emergency attention if it persists, gets worse, or you also have chest pain or difficulty breathing.

Our team at the Headache & Pain Center provides exceptional care for all other types of arm pain. When your pain doesn’t improve with standard medical care, we offer advanced interventional treatments that provide excellent relief by targeting the source of your pain.

Read on to learn about the top five causes of arm pain .

Overuse injuries

Overuse injuries account for many cases of arm pain. You develop an overuse injury when you repeatedly make the same movements. The constant stress placed on the same muscles, tendons, joints, and ligaments causes tiny tears in the tissues.

If you rest between activities, your body has time to heal. Without enough healing time, these small injuries get worse. Eventually you end up with inflammation, a significant tear, and increasing arm pain. When tendons in your wrist and elbow become inflamed, they can pinch nerves.

A few of the most common overuse injuries in your arm include:

Bursitis
Golfer’s elbow
Tennis elbow
Biceps tendinitis
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Tunnel syndrome
Stress fractures

Muscles normally offset some of the stress on your bones. If your muscles suffer from overuse fatigue, they stop bearing their fair share of the burden, forcing your bones to absorb more of the impact.

This gradually leads to tiny cracks in the affected bone, a condition that’s called a stress fracture.

Spine conditions such as herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and spinal stenosis pinch the spinal nerves. Pinched nerves in your neck are notorious for causing pain, tingling, and numbness in your arm.

Examples of overuse injuries that cause upper arm pain include shoulder bursitis, tendinitis, impingement, and rotator cuff tears. You’re most likely to feel the pain when you lift your arm in an overhead motion.

Shoulder and neck conditions

Acute injuries

Overuse injuries develop gradually over months of repetitive movement. In contrast, acute injuries happen suddenly, often from a direct impact, falling, or making a quick movement that pulls, twists, or bends the tissues.

The most common acute injuries include:

Arm fractures
Elbow dislocation
Shoulder dislocation
Sprains (stretched or torn ligaments)
Strains (stretched or torn muscles and tendons)

Though dislocating your shoulder primarily causes severe shoulder pain, the pain can also travel down your arm.

Brachial plexus injuries

The brachial plexus refers to a group of five nerves that run from your cervical spine (neck) to your shoulder and arm. These nerves control muscle movement and carry sensory information from your arm to your brain.

The brachial plexus nerves are easily damaged when you suffer an injury to your neck or your arm is pulled. In many cases, a brachial plexus injury occurs when your arm is pulled downward while your head is pushed to the opposite side.

In addition to feeling a sharp, burning pain in your arm, the nerve damage can result in muscle weakness. As a result, you may not be able to move your arm.

Elbow arthritis

You can develop osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis in your elbow. Both types of arthritis cause progressive damage to the joint. At first, you only have joint pain.

As it gets worse, you experience pain when turning your forearm, extending your arm, and bending your elbow. And swelling within the joint may pinch nerves and send pain throughout your arm.

When you still have arm pain despite medical treatment, we offer a vast range of interventional therapies that effectively relieve arm pain. To learn more about your treatment options for arm pain, call us at Headache & Pain Center in New Iberia or Gray, Louisiana, or schedule an appointment online today.

Herniated Disc or Muscle Strain: How are they different?

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 06:10:48 GMT

Herniated discs and muscle strains share one thing in common: They’re the leading causes of lower back pain. Though both conditions result in plenty of debilitating pain, they affect different parts of your spine and originate from separate causes.

No matter which problem you have, our team at the Headache & Pain Center specializes in treatments that effectively ease your pain, promote healing, and help you get back to the activities you enjoy. Here’s what you need to know about herniated discs and muscle strains.

Strains occur when you pull any of the muscles or tendons in your body. But since we’re comparing strains to herniated discs, we’re specifically talking about pulling the muscles or tendons that support your spine.

When you suffer a strain, you may stretch the soft tissues beyond their normal limit or outright tear the muscle or tendon. Whether the tissues are stretched or torn, inflammation and pain quickly develop.

Inflamed muscles cause spasms and trigger points (knotted muscles), often resulting in intense or debilitating pain. The pain also limits your ability to move and makes it hard to maintain proper posture.

Most spinal strains affect the muscles supporting your lower back (lumbar spine) because it’s the part of your spine that bears the weight of your upper body. Your lower back also endures continuous stress from moving, twisting, and bending.

Strains most often happen due to an injury. You may sustain a sudden injury like a sports injury. Or you may have an overuse injury that gradually develops as you repeat the same movements.

About muscle strains

About herniated discs

The discs tucked between each vertebrae consist of a tough outer layer that surrounds a gel-like fluid. These strong structures absorb shock as your spine moves. They also support movement by stabilizing your spine.

Herniated discs develop over years of wear-and-tear that makes the outer cover deteriorate. Pressure from the adjacent vertebrae force the inner gel to bulge out through weak spots or cracks in the cover. Eventually, the disc ruptures, the gel leaks out, and you have a herniated disc.

In addition to causing back pain, the damaged disc can lead to spinal instability, which in turn often pinches the nearest spinal nerves. Even if a nerve isn’t compressed, the leaking gel irritates the nerves and causes nerve inflammation.

Damaged nerves add to your symptoms, causing tingling and pain that travel down your arm or leg, depending on the location of the injured spinal nerve. In severe cases, pinched nerves cause numbness or weakness in the affected limb.

Treatments for muscle strains and herniated discs

Both conditions follow a similar course when it comes to their treatment and prognosis. Your initial treatment begins with conservative therapies, including exercise, stretching, and anti-inflammatory medications.

You may also need physical therapy. Your regimen might include massage, passive or active exercise, pelvic traction, therapeutic ultrasound, or electrical muscle stimulation.

More than 90% of patients heal with conservative treatment. It takes about a month to recover from a spinal muscle strain and three months if you have a herniated disc.

If you have severe pain during your recovery or your pain persists beyond the expected healing period, we offer advanced interventional treatments that target the source of your pain and provide long-lasting relief.

For example, you may be a good candidate for an epidural steroid injection, spinal cord stimulation, or radiofrequency nerve ablation. Steroid injections ease your pain by reducing inflammation.

Interventional treatments like spinal cord stimulation and radiofrequency nerve ablation block the specific nerve sending pain signals to your brain. If your brain doesn’t get the message, you don’t feel the pain.

If you have back pain, call us at the Headache & Pain Center in Gray or New Iberia, Louisiana, or schedule an appointment online today.

Tips for writing great posts that increase your site traffic

lydia@gowildhorse.com (Lydia Boudreaux) — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 19:23:01 GMT

Write about something you know. If you don’t know much about a specific topic that will interest your readers, invite an expert to write about it.

Speak to your audience

You know your audience better than anyone else, so keep them in mind as you write your blog posts. Write about things they care about. If you have a company Facebook page, look here to find topics to write about

Take a few moments to plan your post

Once you have a great idea for a post, write the first draft. Some people like to start with the title and then work on the paragraphs. Other people like to start with subtitles and go from there. Choose the method that works for you.

Don’t forget to add images

Be sure to include a few high-quality images in your blog. Images break up the text and make it more readable. They can also convey emotions or ideas that are hard to put into words.

Edit carefully before posting

Once you’re happy with the text, put it aside for a day or two, and then re-read it. You’ll probably find a few things you want to add, and a couple more that you want to remove. Have a friend or colleague look it over to make sure there are no mistakes. When your post is error-free, set it up in your blog and publish.