Enough is enough: advanced treatment for chronic pain

You’ve stretched. You’ve bought expensive heat pads. You’ve tried over-the-counter medications.

You’ve simply ignored the pain and gone about your life.

Nothing’s worked. You’re fed up.

Many New Jersey 9-to-5ers and daily commuters suffer from chronic back pain - and worse, they tolerate it for months or years before seeking treatment.

Prolonged sitting is one of the leading causes of that pain. Sitting on the bus or train. Sitting at your desk. Sitting on the bus or train again. Rinse and repeat.

When you’re ready to break the cycle, Dr. Saurabh Dang is there to help. Dr. Dang is a double board-certified pain management specialist who frequently treats 9-to-5ers at Hudson Paine and Spine. This is what he wants you to know.

What are the most common chronic issues?

When you sit for long stretches, your spine takes a heavy load of pressure. That compresses your spinal discs, often to the point of pain.

What happens when your spinal discs compress? There are two common symptoms. Herniated disc is when the gel-like center of your disc bulges through an abnormal opening. Sciatica appears in the form of a sharp, radiating pain that travels down your leg, originating from your low back.

When is it time for intervention?

The danger of chronic pain is that it becomes a reinforcing cycle.

Your long NJ Transit commute and 9-to-5 desk job requires prolonged sitting, which leads to some of the stresses mentioned above. Now, you’re living with daily pain. Your weekend activities - shoveling snow, playing golf, going for a walk - are at best compromised and at worst further contributors to the pain. Even routine moves like stepping out of bed and reaching for the top shelf are now uncomfortable.

You go back to work on Monday and prepare to endure another five days of immense pain. This cycle has to end somewhere - and it often takes a thoughtful, targeted approach to break.

Enough is enough. Everyone has their own pain threshold, but here are some markers we believe should be enough to intervene.

• An injury interferes with your work
• Your pain reduces your quality of life
• You’ve made lifestyle changes but they don’t work
• Pain wakes you up at night
• You’ve been in pain longer than 6 weeks
• Your ability to sit, stand, and walk is limited

Further, here are some physical warning signs to look out for.

Warning signs: Pain radiates below the knee. Numbness or a tingling sensation in the legs or feet. Weakness in the legs or feet.

How Dr. Dang can help

Dr. Saurabh Dang is a double board-certified pain management specialist who treats a wide range of chronic conditions at Hudson Paine and Spine. These are some of the proven ways he’s helped patients who, like you, battled long-lasting pain.

Epidural steroid injections

These are designed to help reduce inflammation and relieve pain.

An epidural steroid injection attacks inflammation at the source. The injection contains two parts: a local anesthetic to numb the area and provide immediate relief and a corticosteroid that reduces inflammation over the long haul.

Prior to administering the injection, Dr. Dang reviews your medical history, examines you, and runs imaging.

There are four injection options: lumbar (low back), cervical (neck), thoracic (upper back/chest), caudal (tailbone).

Facet joint injections

A primarily diagnostic treatment that helps to identify the source of pain.

Facet joints are the small connectors between the vertebrae that provide stability. Their makeup makes them sensitive to pain and when they become inflamed or arthritic from a static lifestyle, can lead to spinal pain typically around the neck or lower back.

The procedure is done quickly with the help of x-rays and often provides enough pain relief within days for the patient to participate in further physical therapy.

Radiofrequency ablation

A heat-based minimally invasive treatment that can provide lasting pain relief.

Using heat generated from radio waves, RFA essentially acts like a temporary off-switch against painful nerves by creating a lesion on the area transmitting pain.

Relief can last six months or more while the nerves take time to naturally grow back, in which time normal activities can be resumed.

While mild soreness is normal following the procedure, recovery is quick.

Spinal cord stimulation

When chronic pain persists and other more conservative treatments have failed, we turn to spinal cord stimulation.

Proven and FDA-approved, SCS therapy works by intercepting pain signals between the brain and target area. Thin leads are placed near the spinal cord and a small generator is implanted under the skin to deliver low-voltage electrical currents that block or mask pain signals.

This treatment is reserved for severe, chronic pain but has proven to have life-changing effects for qualifying patients.

When to see a specialist

Chronic pain is not normal. You shouldn’t have to live with it and you shouldn’t have to bend your life around it. Rather than silently tolerating your pain for months or years, visit Dr. Dang to identify and treat your condition once and for all.

The good news? Most chronic pain can be treated without surgery. Dr. Dang and his team use advanced, minimally invasive treatment strategies based on a deep understanding of commute-related pain and backed by scientific evidence.

Related resources

• Chronic pain treatment
• Epidural injections
• Spinal cord stimulation
• Dr. Saurabh Dang
• Contact Hudson Pain and Spine