Think of a "typical" heroin user. Now think again. According to a recently published study in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, there has been an increase in heroin abuse among whites, women, and people of high socio-economic statuses. It's a far cry from the urban street...
There's another option available for when traditional therapies fail to relieve chronic pelvic pain. Spinal Cord Stimulation––a type of neuromodulation–– is a procedure that involves placing small metal wires near the epidural space, the outermost part of the spinal canal. The wires are connected to a power...
Each day 44 people die from prescription painkiller overdoses, and the federal government is fighting back, says the Chicago Tribune. 56% of people surveyed in a recent national Kaiser Family Foundation poll said they had a personal connection to prescription painkiller abuse, either through their...
With increasing numbers of chronic pain patients experimenting with marijuana to get relief, physicians need to learn more about the plant and its constituents to counsel patients appropriately about its safety and possible analgesic benefits, according to a leading medical marijuana researcher.“Much of what we...
On April 20th, 2015 Actavis announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an expansion for Botox for the treatment of adults with upper limb spasticity. The new additions include two thumb muscles. One is the flexor pollicis longus which is...
Spinal Stenosis is a condition in which the spinal column narrows causing pressure on the spinal cord, or the spinal nerves leaving the spinal column are pinched by narrow openings. This can affect the back, legs, arms, neck or buttocks. Causes of spinal stenosis may...
John Prunskis, MD, FIPP, was chosen by Becker’s ASC Review, leading source of healthcare industry information, as a top person to know in the Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) industry. Dr. Prunskis was selected for making an impact on the ASC industry and standing out as...
Chadi Yaacoub, MD, FIPP, passed the Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP) examination this November 2014, in Miami, Florida. FIPP is the highest international pain certification,...
A study performed by Northwestern Medicine found that smokers are more likely to develop chronic back pain than nonsmokers. The study consisted of 160 patients experiencing new back pain. Five times throughout the year,...
Meralgia paresthetica (MP) sounds like a mouthful, but is actually a common condition seen by Illinois Pain Institute physicians. MP is a condition that causes thigh pain as a result of nerve impingement. The impinged nerve is the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN), which is...
