The effects of the opioid epidemic are widespread, affecting not just those in the throes of addiction but also the health systems that care for them. In an article published last week in Crain’s Chicago Business, writer Kristen Schorsch looked into the toll of the...
Shoulder pain is a frequent problem for athletes and non-athletes alike. Common causes include sports injuries such as those from tennis, swimming, and weightlifting, as well as more general injuries from things like gardening, reaching for items on high shelves, and cleaning your house. Some...
John Prunskis, M.D. FIPP, co-founder of the Illinois Pain Institute, recently had the honor of sharing his story with Bridges, a Lithuanian-American news journal based in the United States. In it, Dr. Prunskis discusses not just his medical career and approach to the precise diagnosis...
Stem cell treatments are an especially innovative technique in the research, treatment, and understanding of diseases and injuries. And while we’re already studying the use of stem cells for a variety of conditions to do things like stimulate healing and regeneration of degenerated, painful, or...
What is the true economic cost of America’s opioid epidemic? According to the White House’s Council of Economic Advisors (CEA), it’s significantly more than was previously thought. In a report released in November, 2017, the CEA estimates that the toll of the opioid crisis in...
The United States is in the midst of an ever-worsening opioid epidemic. As addicted patients and drug dealers continue to seek to abuse narcotic pain medications, it’s up to care providers and legislative bodies to put barriers in their path and prevent opioids from getting...
One of the most important steps toward cutting back on opioid dependence is offering pain sufferers other, better options for managing their discomfort. One alternative that is increasingly getting recognized for its effectiveness is neuromodulation – implanted medical devices that use electrical stimulation to block...
1) What are facet joints?There can be more than one cause of spine pain, including muscles, ligaments, discs, nerve roots, and facet joints.The facet joint can be the reason for neck, shoulder, mid back, low back, and leg pain. It can also be a reason...
There are a lot of debates when it comes to how to best treat pain, but one thing is clear: opioid drugs, long relied on for their ability to block pain signals to the brain, are a problem of epidemic proportions. In 2014 alone, 47,000...
Many individuals suffer from low back pain, but only a few can source the cause of their pain to time spent in outer space. Astronauts who spend prolonged periods of time in space often return to Earth suffering from low back pain and an increased...