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Southwest Spine & Pain Center Recognizes Pain Awareness Month

Submitted by Kaitlyn Wekerle on September 5, 2014

September is the time of the year that the United States recognizes as Pain Awareness Month, dedicated to increasing social awareness and improving the resources for people living with chronic pain. Often times, people living with chronic pain experience depressive feelings, stress, and anxiety. Treating chronic pain involves addressing other symptoms including psychological ones.

At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, our board certified pain management specialists believe in a multidisciplinary approach to pain management, coordinating care with any other healthcare providers involved in a patient’s treatment. With locations in Richfield, St. George, Cedar City, and Logan, Southwest Spine and Pain Center is the leading pain management facility in Utah.

According to...

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Does Eye Color Affect Pain Tolerance?

Submitted by Kaitlyn Wekerle on September 3, 2014

While age and gender seem like obvious characteristics that can affect pain tolerance, what about eye color? It may appear far-fetched, but a study by Inna Belfer, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor or anesthesiology at the University of Pittsburgh, found that eye color is a genetic biomarker for pain thresholds.

Dr. Belfer presented the study at the 2014 annual meeting of the American Pain Society. She and a team of researchers studied 58 pregnant women; 24 placed in a dark group and 34 placed in a light group. After directing a variety of quantitative testing (questionnaires and surveys), the team measured responses to pain before and after giving birth and determined the dark group experienced more dramatic responses than the light group. These responses included increased...

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Pain Management For the Elderly

Submitted by Kaitlyn Wekerle on August 29, 2014

The most important aspect of pain management for any person is safety. For elderly individuals, this is crucial to relieving pain and improving their quality of life. Pain management can only be effective if the patient is educated about their recovery plan and how they can participate in it, as well.

At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, we teach pain management and pain education to all of our patients; no matter their age. Elderly individuals deserve specific care and our medical staff takes special precautions when helping these patients. With four locations across Utah, in Richfield, Cedar City, St. George, and Logan, Southwest Spine and Pain Center is the best pain management facility in the entire state.

Many people believe that pain is a normal part of the aging...

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Being Overweight Affects Chronic Pain Treatment

Submitted by Kaitlyn Wekerle on August 27, 2014

There are several studies that outline the affects of body mass index (BMI) and risk of chronic pain. Obesity and chronic pain are two of the most widespread problems in the United States, and together the two could be devastating. If you or someone you love is overweight, you may want to consider losing weight for the sake of your overall health and chronic pain potential.

At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, we hope to administer chronic pain treatment with conservative methods before recommending any invasive treatment. We look at altering patient’s unhealthy habits, including overeating, for better treatment outcomes and reduced risk of future pain complications. With four locations in Utah, Richfield, Logan, St. George, and Cedar City, Southwest Spine and Pain Center is able...

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3 Signs That Your Pain Could be Lyme Disease

Submitted by Kaitlyn Wekerle on August 21, 2014

Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness, contracted by the bacterium of a tick bite. Deer ticks are the most notorious carrier of the illness, which feed off the blood of animals and spread it when feeding. People in wooded, grassy areas are at a higher risk of contracting the disease, and should consider these thee signs of Lyme disease.

At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, we do not treat Lyme disease, we provide treatment for the symptoms of Lyme disease. We offer comprehensive and multidisciplinary treatment programs, designed to meet all the needs of our patient’s health. With four locations across Utah, Southwest Spine and Pain Center is the best chronic pain treatment center in the southwest United States.

Lyme disease involves the development of multiple symptoms, not...

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The Benefit of the Pain Scale

Submitted by Kaitlyn Wekerle on August 20, 2014

You’ve probably seen it before: the Pain Scale, a decorated scale with smiley faces in stages from discomfort to happiness, denoting the phase at which a person can describe his or her pain. This seemingly lacking tool is actually very important to patients taking charge of their chronic pain.

At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, we understand that patients sometimes face communication hurdles. Pain often takes the place of emotions that can manipulate the course of treatment. It is with the pain scale, and a series of other effective tools, that our board certified pain specialists are able to target your pain and create both a unique and effective treatment plan. With four locations in Utah, St. George, Richfield, Cedar City, and Logan, Southwest Spine and Pain Center is the...

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Chronic Pain Relief With CrossFit

Submitted by Kaitlyn Wekerle on August 13, 2014

Approximately 60-80% of the adult U.S. population suffers from low back pain and every year about 13 million visit a doctor for chronic back pain. These numbers support that statistic that approximately $86 billion are spent on back and neck pain each year.

Odds are not in your favor that you will go a lifetime without enduring some sort of back pain. Although this might seem daunting, through education and some effort, back pain can be prevented and managed fairly effectively. At the Southwest Spine & Pain Center, we encourage the education necessary in alleviating and limiting chronic pain.

A common misconception that even the well informed might fall under is that continuing to only rest your painful or injured back will be satisfactory in your recovery. But this...

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Lower Back Stretches To Relieve Pain

Submitted by Kaitlyn Wekerle on August 8, 2014

According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, 4 out of 5 people will endure back pain in their lives. Back pain becomes chronic when symptoms persist for longer than three months and can usually be relieved through stretching and exercise. If you experience back pain daily, please review the following information as we uncover what to do and not do when doing lower back pain exercises.

At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, we believe in using conservative methods to treating chronic pain conditions. If these therapies do not provide adequate pain relief, a conversation will take place to discuss more aggressive alternatives to treatment. Southwest Spine and Pain Center has four locations across Utah, giving patients in more rural...

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The Advantages of Assistive Devices

Submitted by Kaitlyn Wekerle on August 6, 2014

Here at Southwest Spine and Pain Center, we are familiar with that fact that living with chronic pain is a constant battle and in some circumstances even the best treatment can’t make certain activities easier. Specifically designed assistive devices can aid in your every day life and help avoid pain or discomfort.

When thinking about possibly getting some assistive devices, you must first point out the areas of your lifestyle that are difficult with your condition. When there is close to 100 million Americans that suffer from chronic pain, not only are you not alone, but it is very likely that an assistive device has been created to effectively help you as well.

In general, canes and splints can allow you to be more mobile around the house, taking stress off of painful...

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New Study Predicts Who Will Develop Chronic Pain

Submitted by Kaitlyn Wekerle on July 31, 2014

Maybe poor posture, uncomfortable seating at your job, or repetitive back movement has exacerbated back pain throughout your life. Maybe you sustained an injury from a car accident or fall. Whatever the situation is, back pain affects 80 percent of the American population and is one of the most common reasons for missed work. New research from Northwestern University reported that brain abnormalities could “predispose people to develop chronic pain.”

At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, our physicians are committed to finding the root cause of your pain. We don’t just hand out prescriptions in hopes that patient’s will find relief; we stick with patients throughout their entire journey to managing pain and getting their lives back. Our four convenient facilities are scattered...

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