Surgical Pain Management

It’s more than “pain management.”

Surgical pain management (SPM) is a comprehensive and long-term pain solution for patients who have had an accurate diagnosis and pain generator identified. Once the pain mapping has identified the source of pain, our surgeons’ treatments are tailored to each patient’s specific needs.

These treatments may, by necessity, still involve nonsurgical methods practiced by interventional pain specialists. Your specific condition may not be conducive to the newly developed surgical pain management techniques. 

Rather than just teaching you how to “manage” your pain, this emerging new surgical subspecialty focuses on diagnosing and treating the SOURCE of your pain.

Surgical Pain Management Treatment Options

Surgical Pain Management can include nonsurgical, ultra or least invasive, and minimally invasive surgical procedures. Each treatment option category is selectively customized to the patient’s spine condition and the location of their pain generator.

Various professionals exist who focus on treating pain. However, physicians who practice PPM and SPM require specific education and training with the newer endoscopic visualized techniques called endoscopic spine surgery or the YESS technique developed by Dr. Anthony Yeung (Retired and founder of DISC). 

These new endoscopic techniques target the source of pain by allowing the surgeon direct visualized access within the spine. They are effective, safe, and have superior long-term results compared to pain management procedures. If you’d like to talk to one of our professionals about what we can do for your pain, contact us or make an appointment today!

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As a leader in least invasive endoscopic spine surgery, DISC is bridging the gap between pain management and minimally invasive spine surgery.

Nonsurgical Treatment Options Ultra or Least Invasive Surgical Options Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
  • Therapeutic Injections
  • Muscle Reconditioning
  • Optimal Joint Mobility
  • Flexibility Techniques

Pain Management Short-Term Relief for Low Back Pain

Pain management focuses on identifying and treating spine-related symptoms with repeated epidural steroid, medial branch, or trigger point injections. From a diagnostic standpoint, injections are crucial to selectively pinpointing a painful area of the spine.

For example, suppose a medial branch injection to facet joint for low back pain provides pain relief. In that case, a patient may benefit from a procedure called Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA). 

The RFA procedure is effective at temporarily disconnecting the pain signal in your low back. However, the RFA procedure is a short-term pain treatment with many patients back in pain within six to twelve months.  The percutaneous procedure done under X-ray does not allow the pain management physician to visualize the painful nerve. Although the pain physician can effectively put a lesion on the nerve, the nerve regenerates in 6-12 months.

Long-Term Surgical Solutions for Patients with Back Pain

Where pain management radiofrequency ablation provides short-term relief, an endoscopic rhizotomy significantly improves low back pain relief lasting up to five years. For many patients, this procedure is an excellent alternative to a lumbar spinal fusion.

The endoscopic rhizotomy procedure was invented and developed at DISC by Anthony Yeung, MD (retired). Dr. Yeung saw a need to improve upon a pain management procedure called radiofrequency ablation (RFA), performed without direct visualization under X-ray guidance.

Our surgeons directly visualize these nerves with an HD endoscope. They can ablate the nerve using a laser or radiofrequency probe with confidence, thus providing patients with long-term pain relief.  

Am I a Candidate for Surgical Pain Management?

To determine whether the DISC surgeons can help you, they may perform or repeat the diagnostic injections already provided by other specialists.

This is because there are subjective determinations in every test that require interpretation by the surgeon or pain specialist performing the injection procedures that can deviate by as much as 30 percent. 

When performing their own diagnostic and therapeutic injections, the surgeons at DISC have gained enough experience to determine the likelihood that they can provide pain relief for your particular condition.

The diagnostic tests performed elsewhere are apparent at times, so it is unnecessary to repeat the tests.

Your DISC surgeon will inform you if he can proceed with a surgical recommendation without these additional or repeat tests.

You may be a candidate for endoscopic spine surgery if you:

  • Have leg pain, numbness, tingling made worse by sitting or bending or arching your back

  • Are not any better after 4 – 6 weeks of conservative treatment including rest and physical therapy
  • Are not better after epidural blocks
  • Have an MRI, CT scan, CT myelogram, or discogram showing a disc herniation

Due to evolving physicians treatment methodology, certain degenerative conditions, if not too severe, can be helped, but only after individual evaluation of each patient and their response to evocative discography, and other diagnostic injections can our surgeons tell if the endoscopic procedure is recommended for you.

If you would like to see if you are a candidate for endoscopic spine surgery and live in the Arizona state reach out to us for an appointment. If you are out of the Arizona state and would like to obtain a second opinion, click below.

Make an Appointment Obtain Second Opinion

Dr Abrams explaining spine x-ray Dr. Abrams laughing

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No matter the painful spine condition, a second opinion consultation with one of our expert spine surgeons can help you find the right customized solution that gets you back to enjoying life.

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Our spine health blog features up-to-date spine education and expert spine tips from our spine specialists here at DISC.

February 13, 2024

Congratulations to DISC’s surgeon Dr. Nima Salari – “Top Doctor for 2024” list. 

February 8, 2024

Dr. Wang Receives Top Doctor 2024 Award

Desert Institute for Spine Care logo
February 6, 2024

DISC Surgeons Named 100 Best Doctors in AZ

Dr. Nima Salari, Chris Yeung, and Justin Field
March 6, 2023

DISC Surgeons Named 2023 Top Docs

Congratulations to DISC’s surgeons, Christopher Yeung, Justin Field, and Nima Salari, for being chosen as Phoenix Magazine’s TOP DOCTOR in 2023.

Endoscopic Spine Symposium Blue Flyer
January 16, 2023

Join Dr. Nima Salari at Amplify Surgical’s 2nd Annual Endoscopic Spine Symposium

Register today for Amplify Surgical’s 2nd Annual Endoscopic Spine Symposium, featuring dualPortal™ and dualX® System on March 4, 2023. 

Dr. Chris Yeung on Cover of Arizona Physician
December 22, 2022

Dr. Chris Yeung Featured on AZ Physicians

Congratulations to Dr. Yeung for being featured on the front cover of Maricopa County Medical Society’s “Arizona Physician” Winter 2022 magazine!

Arizona Physician Podcast Logo
September 2, 2022

Spine Care for Baseball Players Podcast with Dr. Chris Yeung

Dr. Chris Yeung was interviewed by Arizona Physician Magazine – a publication that provides information for physicians across Arizona.

Dr. Nima Salari and Chris Yeung
April 11, 2022

DISC Surgeons take Phoenix – Top Doc Award in 2022

Dr. Salari received the most votes in the Orthopedic Surgery of the Spine category. Dr. Yeung received the award for the 10th consecutive year.

UCI Health Flyer
January 7, 2022

Dr. Chris Yeung Panelist at UCI Health Webinar

DISC surgeon Dr. Chris Yeung participates as a panelist in UCI Health Comprehensive Spine Center Webinar Series on January 14th, 2022.