Rachel Cohen's blog

Opioids have been helping individuals manage pain symptoms from injuries, chronic conditions and illnesses for centuries. Unfortunately, drug dependency is an issue not only for American civilians, but for the brave men and women who serve in our military too.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, prescription drug abuse is higher among service members than civilians and it is currently on the rise; the number of service members reporting misuse from prescription drugs increased from 9 percent in 2005 to 11 percent in 2008.

Could genes play a role in chronic pain? I’m sure you’ve asked yourself this from time to time and have wondered why some people have a higher tolerance for pain than others. More importantly, why do you have to suffer from these torturous symptoms?

We understand your frustration, and according to a recent study published in Medical News Today, there could be an answer to this question. Researchers at Proove Biosciences have identified genetic similarities among patients with similar pain intensities. Meaning, the research team found gene variants that played a significant role in various levels of pain.

Living with serious muscle pain associated with fibromyalgia or myofascial pain syndrome? The pain management specialists at Southwest Spine and Pain Center may have a solution for you. Trigger point injections are used to treat painful areas that contain trigger points. Meaning, if you have knots of muscle that cannot and will not relax, you’re probably experiencing a considerable amount of pain and tightness from trigger points in the muscle.

Remedying these tricky trigger points can come in the form of an injection that contains a local anesthetic or saline, with a possible corticosteroid. When injected, the trigger point is made “inactive” and the pain is quickly alleviated.

Pain caused by sickle cell disease can be mild or severe— symptoms vary, but at it’s most severe, sickle cell disease can lead to strokes, severe infections and permanent damage to vital organs (i.e. brain, heart, lungs, liver). The double-board certified pain management specialists at Southwest Spine and Pain Center understand managing chronic pain from sickle cell disease can feel daunting, but they want to assure patients there are treatment options available.

Sickle cell disease is a group of disorders that result in atypical hemoglobin molecules “sickling” healthy red blood cells, making them break down prematurely. The disease can be detected in children as early as 4 months old and usually induces extreme pain, shortness of breath and anemia.

Attempting to eat well this Halloween season may not be entirely realistic; especially if you have a serious sweet tooth and love to indulge in a piece of candy now and again. Unfortunately, if you’re living with chronic pain, you might not have much of a choice in the matter. The simple sugars in cookies, candy and soft drinks trigger your body’s inflammatory response and cause pain.

The medical team at Southwest Spine and Pain Center don’t want you to be in pain during Halloween, but they also don’t want you to miss out on all of the spook-tacular fun. Our solution? Consume Halloween candy alternatives that won’t irritate your chronic pain symptoms.

Training for a marathon is tough-- more so if you’re living with chronic pain. The specialists at Southwest Spine and Pain Center know firsthand how debilitating chronic pain can be, but it’s important to do things you love. Don’t let pain define your body’s limitations; if you’re considering running a marathon, go for it! Just be cognizant of your abilities and avoid these common marathon-training mistakes:

Do Not Increase Running Intensity Too Quickly!

With the 2014 Major League Baseball World Series beginning next week, the specialists at Southwest Spine and Pain Center would like to discuss an all-too-common injury that frequents these athletes: chronic shoulder pain.

Chronic shoulder pain can develop for those involved in “overhead throwing” sports like volleyball, tennis and swimming. The constant overhead motion, however, seems to have the greatest impact on baseball pitchers and throwers. Because each throw puts a significant amount of stress on rotator cuff muscles, baseball players can experience immobility and discomfort much quicker than other athletes.