Treat your pain and live a better life…

best-pain-doctor-nycWelcome to my blog about pain. Unfortunately, many people suffer from chronic pain. As a board certified physician in physical medicine and rehabilitation, my specialty is treating these people with both acute and chronic pain.

A majority of my practice is working with patients that are experiencing back and neck pain.

My goal with this blog is to help patients who are experiencing any type of back or neck pain to understand what is causing their pain and discuss options that are available to end their pain. I hope to be able to provide readers with a portal that they can can use to educate themselves and facilitate treatment.

My specialty is my Interventional Spine Skills including cervical and lumbar epidural steroid injections, facet injections, medial branch blocks, Radiofrequency ablation, sympathetic ganglion blocks, spinal cord stimulator trials, sacroiliac joint injection, piriformis muscle block and musculoskeletal joint injection. I also perform many other procedures to alleviate acute and chronic pain.

I hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it and observing people from all over the world reading it.

– Matthew Grimm, M.D.

Category Archives: Manage pain

The Relationship Between Nerves and Pain

Many know that there is an obvious connection between nerves and pain. Do you ever wonder how and why you feel pain? How does your brain process pain? How your brain differentiates between the touch of a feather and the prick of a needle? In this article, we will discuss how your nervous system responds to pain and what you should do if you experience severe pain. But, the answer to these questions is not simple. Before understanding how nerves detect pain, you should know how the nervous system functions. Below, we will explain the complete process in simple words so you have an idea about what goes on when you feel pain.

What the Nervous System Does

There are two major components of your nervous system. The first part is the brain, which receives and sends signals, and the other part is the spinal cord, which transfers signals throughout the body. Both these systems combine to form the central nervous system. On the other hand, the peripheral nervous system comprises a motor and sensory nerves. The names are pretty self-explanatory when it comes to helping people understand their roles. The brain and spinal cord are the central commanding hubs, while sensory and motor nerves reach out to different parts of the body.

Nerves and Pain Relationship | Pain Doctor NYC

In simple words, sensory nerves send impulses to the body, indicating what is happening. It uses the spinal cord to transmit impulses straight to the brain. Once the brain processes the information, it sends signals to the motor nerves to act. The entire process is similar to a complex inbox-outbox mailing system.

How Nerves Identify Pain

Suppose you stepped on a pointy rock. Your sensory nerve of the peripheral nervous system immediately shares a signal from the nerves in your feet to the brain. That way, you can identify the difference between a soft toy and a sharp rock. Furthermore, the sensory nerve fibers differentiate between different items by producing varying chemical responses. That’s how your brain recognizes different sensations. There are different types of nerves in the body. The nerves that take signals associated with a light touch are different from nerves that respond to deep pressure.

When you experience an injury or almost experienced one, it can trigger special pain receptors. These are nociceptors, and they activate when your skin breaks. Now, you may wonder why you experience pain when you step on the rock, and the skin does not rupture. In this condition, the tissues in your foot compress and trigger the receptors. When these receptors are triggered, the impulse reaches the brain through the nerve and spinal cord. This entire process takes place in a fraction of a second.

How Spinal Cord Responds to Pain?

The spinal cord is a complicated bundle of numerous nerves. Every signal passes through the spinal cord before reaching your brain. The spinal cord works as a freeway that allows the motor and sensory impulses to pass through. The spinal cord acts as a message center, and it makes basic decisions such as reflexes. A region in your spinal cord, known as the dorsal horn, works as an information hub. It sends signals to the brain, which sends back signals to the affected area. The brain doesn’t send signals to the foot to move away from the rock. The dorsal region takes care of this activity. If your brain works as the CEO of your body, your spinal cord would be middle management.

Nerves and Pain Relationship | Nerve Pain Specialist

How Does the Brain Respond to Pain?

The spinal reflex takes place in the dorsal horn, but the brain still receives the pain signals. This happens because pain requires more than simple response and stimulus. The problem won’t be solved by removing your foot from the rock. Remember, you need to heal the affected tissue as well. Therefore, when the brain receives signals from the spinal cord, it associates the situation with previous emotions stored in the brain’s library. The pain signal enters the thalamus region, which again sends signals to other areas for interpretation. The areas in the cortex determine the source of the pain. Furthermore, it compares pain with other kinds of pain and defines the intensity. Your limbic system, which is your brain’s emotional center, also receives pain signals from the thalamus. Have you ever wondered why some pain makes you cry while other doesn’t? The limbic system manages the feelings associated with every sensation and generates a response. Furthermore, it increases your heartbeat and causes sweating. All because of a single pointy, sharp rock under your foot.

Nerves and Pain: Conclusion

Your brain also categorizes different kinds of pain. Some pain is acute, so the signals of this pain subside over time. But some pain can be chronic, so it stays for a long time. Therefore, it is essential to visit a pain management doctor if the pain stays for more than two weeks.

For diagnosis and treatment of the pain, visit Dr. Matthew Grimm in NYC. Give us a call at 646-862-5555 to make an appointment.

Pain Management

What are the best methods for pain management? Did you know that 80% of Americans experience back pain in their lives? No doubt, back pain can cause great discomfort and frustration, especially if you have been experiencing it for longer. Nevertheless, most backaches are acute; it lasts for a few days to weeks.

Backaches may interfere with your work, regular activities, and sleep, inhibiting you from living a quality life. While considering that, it is essential for you to undergo pain management, so that it relieves the distressing backache, enabling you to live your life to the fullest.

What Causes Back Pain?

Accident, aging, and strenuous activity can lead to spinal pain. While these are the major causes, here are some other common sources of spinal pain:

  • Overstretching of ligaments
  • Compression in intervertebral discs
  • Tearing of muscles or tendons
  • Discs degeneration due to aging
  • Compression or inflammation in spinal nerve route
  • Discs become swelled due to compression
  • Dislocation of the lower spine
  • Wear and tear in bones, discs, and joints
  • Inflammation of the vertebrae
  • Curvature of backbone
  • Narrowing of the vertebral column

What are the Treatment Options for Pain Relief?

When it comes to back pain, there are several treatment options that your pain doctor will recommend, depending on your condition. However, most medical professionals use multiple treatments that include new methods.

Physical Exercises

Stretches can help alleviate your back pain by strengthening your muscles that support your spine. Performing specific exercises for backache will help improve your backbone posture while promoting flexibility and mobility.

Complementary Approaches

Spinal mobilization and manipulation may work in improving your back pain. Other than this, acupuncture, massage, and yoga have shown effective results for spinal ache.

Medications

Your pain doctor may give you muscle-relaxing analgesics such as aspirins and acetaminophen to relieve your backache. Besides, you need to take anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs, such as ibuprofen to lessen the pain.

Radiofrequency Ablation

Your pain doctor may administer the pain relief medicine through radio waves. A medical professional inserts a needle into the affected nerve and zaps it with electric current with radio waves, which create short-circuits to relief pain.

Behavior Adaption

By learning the ways to keep your body posture proper while performing daily activities can help with back pain. Not to mention, pulling, pushing, and weight lifting can help mitigate your pain. Besides, proper diet, regular sleep, relaxation, and exercises can also lessen your spinal ache.

Spinal Injections

In severe cases, a pain doctor administers the steroidal anti-inflammatory injection in your spine. However, it provides the patient with short-term relief. Therefore, you may need multiple injections from time to time to reduce the pain.

Surgery

If none of the above mentioned treatments could help improve your condition while reducing your pain, then you probably have to undergo surgery. Your pain doctor will recommend it, particularly when other conservative methods have failed.

Why Do You Need to See the Pain Doctor?

If you have been experiencing chronic back pain that could not get better with at-home techniques, then you must consider seeing the pain doctor urgently. Note that, neglecting a long-term pain can lead you to further complexities.

The treatment for back pain needs to be administered properly. Matthew Grimm, top Manhattan Pain Doctor, is a specialized doctor that provides the patients with safe and effective treatments for backaches and musculoskeletal pain.

3 Relaxation Techniques to Reduce Pain

3 Relaxation Techniques to Reduce PainReducing pain isn’t an easy process, but for men and women experiencing chronic levels of pain, any solution is worth trying. Relaxing could be that solution. How can you relax when you are struggling with so much pain? It is not always easy to do, especially when the pain has you focusing specifically on it instead of on what is happening throughout your life. The fact is, if you can incorporate a few relaxation techniques into your day, you may be able to see a significant reduction in the amount of pain you have during that timeframe. These methods can help.

#1: Visualization

3 Relaxation Techniques to Reduce PainVisualization is one of the fundamentals of improving pain levels. In short, you’ll want to close your eyes and visualize – actually see in your mind’s eye – something that represents pain to you. It could be a color or shape. It could even be a motion. Then, change the imagine in your mind to something that is more enjoyable and pleasing to you. This helps alleviate your pain.

#2: Write it Down

Keeping a diary is another way to reduce the amount of pain you have. It can help you to review your daily routine as well as the stressors that could be worsening your symptoms. It not only can provide insight into what is happening and causing increased pain, but it can give you some realization that can help you to feel better about your current situation.

#3: Consider electromyographic biofeedback

3 Relaxation Techniques to Reduce PainIn short, you’ll learn how muscle tension is worsening your pain and it can help you to control it. This can help you to see improvement. In addition, you can use self-hypnosis as a treatment option along with this understanding. It can help you to either transform your pain into something good or help you to refocus your thoughts.

The key here is to realize that you remain very much in control over the pain you feel. When you learn these types of pain relaxation techniques, you can see the pain improve. You’ll be able to see improvement in the way you feel as well as in your frame of mind. For many people with chronic pain, this type of relaxation can help to change their outlook and give them a new opportunity to feel better about their life and their future.

Contact our New York pain doctor today at 646-862-5555 to discuss your needs and to find out what treatment options may be exactly what you need.

Can Aquatic Therapy Help with Pain Management?

Can Aquatic Therapy Help with Pain ManagementFor some people, aquatic therapy is the best type of pain management solution. If the thought of jumping into a pool and going for a swim sounds like fun, and not hard work to relieve pain, think again. It can be both! This type of treatment provides you with numerous advantages and it provides an opportunity for you to see significant improvement to the way you feel without actually creating additional stress on your joints. For many people, this is the best type of pain management for their underlying condition.

What Are the Benefits of Aquatic Therapy?

The use of aquatic therapy is very common by pain management doctors because of how effective it can be. This process works to encourage natural healing of the musculoskeletal system. It can work for most people. It is effective for those who are of any age, who have any type of ability, and who have most types of diagnoses. There are many potential benefits to it. This type of therapy is often customized to meet the individual needs of the patient. Some of the areas of treatment that may help individuals include those suffering with:

    • Can Aquatic Therapy Help with Pain ManagementMuscle strength needs
    • Improvement or sustaining the gait
    • Improving endurance of muscle use
    • Body mechanic improvement
    • Coordination improvement
    • Functional improvement
    • Balance
    • Agility
    • Flexibility improvement
    • Posture

These types of conditions can be worsened by traditional workouts. For example, the process of working on a treadmill to improve gait can strain muscles with each step. This is due to the amount of force and motion. However, in the water, this does not happen. There is much less stress on the joints and muscles during a workout session. Most people also feel more relaxed and comfortable during therapy sessions when they are done in the water.

Why does this happen? The aquatic environment helps to encourage the injured muscle to improve in a safe environment. The muscle uses muscle memory without any impact or weight bearing to make the motions necessary. This also allows for the individual to use the water itself to help reduce their weight and its impact on the body.

Can Aquatic Therapy Help with Pain ManagementFor those who are struggling with pain, the use of aquatic therapy is generally a very good option. It is not the only option for pain management though. It is up to the individual and their doctor to seek out care that fits their needs.

Contact our New York pain doctor today at 646-862-5555 to discuss your needs and to find out what treatment options may be exactly what you need.

Why See a Specialist for Pain?

Why See a Specialist for Pain?Many men and women suffer from pain. For most people, pain comes and goes, as an injury heals. For others, there is a constant and chronic level of pain present. There are multiple reasons for this. In some situations, it is a direct result of injuries or disease.

In others, it is due to a neurological condition. In all situations, chronic pain is hard to simply live with, but most people don’t have to do so. With the help of a pain specialist, it is possible to get some help in dealing with the pain you feel.

What Can You Expect

There are about 50 million Americans in the United States living with chronic pain. This may make quality of life a concern. The thought of being able to do the things you love can make it difficult for you to see the long term in a good light. With the help of a pain specialist in New York, it may be possible to get those levels under control and find a way to improve not only quality of life but also your mobility.

Why See a Specialist for Pain?A pain specialist can help in multiple ways. Generally, visiting this type of specialist means having a full physical and medical history. It is then necessary to learn what the underlying cause is and create a customized treatment plan that works for you. When you visit a specialist, you’ll be given the ability to learn about multiple pain treatment options.

Not all options work for everyone. In nearly all cases, the goal will be to understand the cause, treat the cause, and reduce the pain, but long term pain management may be necessary.

Most doctors do not see pain medications as a solution. When you work with your pain care specialist, you’ll learn of all of the options available to you for treating the condition and improving your pain levels. It’s important to know that a pain specialist focuses on the whole person, not just the one area of pain. That’s often one of the best ways to understand the underlying cause and treatment options that can provide you with the best level of care.

Why See a Specialist for Pain?For those suffering from chronic pain, seeing a pain specialist is nothing short of essential. With the help of a specialist for pain in New York City, it is possible to gain more control over your own quality of life.

Contact our New York pain doctor today at 646-862-5555 to discuss your needs and to find out what treatment options may be exactly what you need.

What Is Biofeedback for Pain Relief?

Biofeedback is an interesting and often helpful type of pain relief tool. If you are an individual who has experienced pain on a routine basis, this may be one of the best treatment options for your specific needs. Biofeedback focuses on providing you with what you cannot control on your own. By understanding how it works, you may be able to gain some sense of how this type of treatment may be right for your needs. Biofeedback focuses on providing a method for controlling what you do not usually control within your body. For example, your nervous system controls your heart rate, the temperature of your skin, and your pain. You do not consciously control what your blood pressure is, in other words. However, biofeedback is a type of therapy that works to give you more ability to harness the power of your mind to control pain that’s otherwise not commonly controlled in this manner. How Does Biofeedback Work in This Way? Biofeedback has been effective in the treatment of many conditions including migraines, incontinence, and chronic pain. It allows your brain to become aware of what’s happening within your body so that you gain better control over it. Doctors don’t know why it works for some people. However, it does help to improve relaxation and can help individuals who are experiencing worsening pain as a result of stress. During this process, electrodes are placed on the skin. These work to send signals to a monitor. That monitor will display information in a sound, flash or image. This represents your heart and breathing rate. It also relates to the temperature of your skin, your blood pressure, your muscle activity, and sweating. With the help of a therapist, you’ll learn how to control the various body functions. In this method, it allows you to turn down the brainwaves associated with the pain in your body. There are a variety of different methods used in biofeedback. Some may use deep breathing. Others benefit from muscle relaxation techniques. Imagery can also be helpful as can mindfulness meditation. The goal is to relax your mind so that you gain better clarity over what is happening within your brain. This, in turn, allows you to control your pain. For those experiencing pain that isn’t treated well otherwise, talk to your New York City pain doctor about the benefits of biofeedback.Biofeedback is an interesting and often helpful type of pain relief tool. If you are an individual who has experienced pain on a routine basis, this may be one of the best treatment options for your specific needs. Biofeedback focuses on providing you with what you cannot control on your own.

By understanding how it works, you may be able to gain some sense of how this type of treatment may be right for your needs.

Biofeedback focuses on providing a method for controlling what you do not usually control within your body. For example, your nervous system controls your heart rate, the temperature of your skin, and your pain. You do not consciously control what your blood pressure is, in other words. However, biofeedback is a type of therapy that works to give you more ability to harness the power of your mind to control pain that’s otherwise not commonly controlled in this manner.

How Does Biofeedback Work in This Way?

What Is Biofeedback for Pain Relief?Biofeedback has been effective in the treatment of many conditions including migraines, incontinence, and chronic pain. It allows your brain to become aware of what’s happening within your body so that you gain better control over it. Doctors don’t know why it works for some people. However, it does help to improve relaxation and can help individuals who are experiencing worsening pain as a result of stress.

During this process, electrodes are placed on the skin. These work to send signals to a monitor. That monitor will display information in a sound, flash or image. This represents your heart and breathing rate. It also relates to the temperature of your skin, your blood pressure, your muscle activity, and sweating. With the help of a therapist, you’ll learn how to control the various body functions. In this method, it allows you to turn down the brainwaves associated with the pain in your body.

What Is Biofeedback for Pain Relief?There are a variety of different methods used in biofeedback. Some may use deep breathing. Others benefit from muscle relaxation techniques. Imagery can also be helpful as can mindfulness meditation. The goal is to relax your mind so that you gain better clarity over what is happening within your brain. This, in turn, allows you to control your pain.

For those experiencing pain that isn’t treated well otherwise, talk to your New York City pain doctor about the benefits of biofeedback.

Contact our New York pain doctor today at 646-862-5555 to discuss your needs and to find out what treatment options may be exactly what you need.

What Can a Pain Doctor Do for You?

What Can a Pain Doctor Do for You?For those individuals suffering from pain, getting help – as soon as possible – is generally the only thing you can think about. It’s not easy to do, though. Often, over the counter medications do not provide long term relief and they have bad side effects when used too long. This, coupled with ongoing or increasing pain, makes the need to see a pain specialist very important. Yet, many people suffering with chronic pain fail to make the decision to see a pain specialist. They don’t realize the benefits that this type of provider can offer. The good news is a multitude of options exist.

 

Pain specialists can offer many types of help for you. Every person’s needs are different, though. The goal is always to provide comprehensive support based on your specific goals. What options can they offer? Options may include:

    • Diagnosis of chronic pain and the underlying causes of it; this is the heart of the process of resolving your pain
    • Support for management of chronic pain;
    • Treatment of the underlying condition if and when possible
    • Physical therapists work one-on-one with these professionals to address any concerns with mobility and improving functionality
    • Psychologists can help to deal with the impact on mental health that pain management often requires.
    • Alternative therapists can offer treatment options such as massage and acupuncturists, these are proven methods for improving pain levels

What Can a Pain Doctor Do for You?What is right for your individual situation? This depends, of course, on the cause and severity of your pain. For many men and women, it seems impossible to imagine a situation in which their health is better or improved. However, with the help of a pain specialist, there is hope in nearly all cases to see better ways to manage your pain. And, when it is not possible to resolve the pain at the cause, it is possible to learn methods for living your life. Teaching you alternative methods for achieving the same goals is often something pains specialists can offer to you.

What Can a Pain Doctor Do for You?If you are struggling in pain, reach out to a specialist. Find out what your options are and look for a way to resolve the underlying pain. For those who are in this situation right now, scheduling an appointment with our pain management team in New York City is the first step towards creating improvement in your quality of life and your pain levels.

Contact our New York pain doctor today at 646-862-5555 to discuss your needs and to find out what treatment options may be exactly what you need.

Treatments for Neuropathic Pain

back_pain-209266eeb85aceecdb900cc8d5899587Neuropathic pain, or nerve pain, can be debilitating. Many men and women suffer from this condition from various diseases or injuries. There are no proven treatments that work in all people. In some individuals, there are a few treatment options that can improve the overall way a person feels. While there is no way to prevent or cure neuropathic pain, you can reduce it in most cases. Most patients will need to try more than one pain treatment option to determine which is the overall best option for their needs.

How Can Treatment Help, Then?

Even though there may not be a cure for this type of pain, reducing it is often possible. It may be possible to balance the negative way you feel and side effects with more positive experiences. And, for many people, it may be possible to bring chronic pain under a more controllable level. The sooner you seek out these treatment options, the more likely you will be at finding a treatment that works long term. When neuropathic pain becomes more well established, it is very difficult to control at all. Managing it successfully at this point often requires more aggressive treatment options.

What Treatments Can Work?

Often times, the type of treatment needs to be specialized to meet an individual’s pain type and area. Some treatments may include the following:

  • img-neuropathicpain-png-fw_-225x300Pain medications: There are various types of medication that can be used both over the counter and through prescription strength. They can easy the muscle contractions felt, improve the transfer of pain signals to the brain, and even help to trick the brain into not feeling the pain.
  • Nerve blocks: There are various types of conditions nerve blocks can be used for. The goal is simply to shut down the nerve’s communication with the brain and, therefore, stop the pain sensation.
  • Pain pumps: For some people, the pain is continuously and very hard to live with. In these more extreme cases, it is necessary to have a constant treatment solution available, which is what pain pumps offer.

Neuropathic pain is hard to manage, but should never be ignored or minimized. If you believe you are suffering from this condition, it is helpful to turn to a professional who specializes in pain management to offer a solution. Contact our pain management doctor in New York to get the help and support you need.

Why Do People Experience Pain Differently?

painIt’s frustrating to be told your pain isn’t that bad. What may actually be occurring is that you may be feeling pain differently from others around you. Sometimes, people are simply more sensitive to pain than others are. While you may be labeled a wimp, in truth, your ability to withstand pain stems from the structure of the brain, something you cannot control at all. Everyone experiences pain differently and once you understand why this is, you may feel better about reaching out for medical help through such situations.

What Determines Pain Sensitivity?

Studies have been conducted to try and pinpoint what causes pain and worsens it in humans. One study found that changes in the sensitivity to pain stem from differences in the amount of grey matter in your brain. Grey matter is a large part of the central nervous system. It is where most your brain’s neuronal cell bodies are located, which is how your brain communicates in regards to what hurts, where it hurts, and why it hurts.

The study found that those people who have less grey matter in their brain had a higher pain intensity rating and therefore were more prone to higher sensitivity than those who had more brain matter. More specifically, those with a larger amount of grey matter in the areas of the brain that control attention and internal thoughts are believed to be a trigger for higher pain levels.

Other studies tell us that people who report higher levels of pain are those that have more brain activity in the areas that control pain. This includes the primary somatosensory cortex, which is where pain sensations are transferred from the body. Additionally, cognitive factors also play a role. For example, those who have past experiences with pain, and different experiences of pain, are likely to have different pain tolerance levels than those that do not.

What Does It Mean to You?

painIf you feel pain, it means you need help. The amount of pain you feel may be very different from what other people feel. More so, you should not judge your pain sensitivity against another person’s when it comes to getting help. Rather, focus on finding the right type of pain management solution for your unique needs. Every situation is very different. When it comes to finding a solution, call the best pain doctor in New York.

 

Contact our New York pain doctor today at 646-862-5555 to discuss your needs and to find out what treatment options may be exactly what you need.

Manage Pain: The Benefit of Improving Flexibility and Aerobic Conditioning 

manage painYou’ve visited your doctor for your pain. Your doctor wants you to improve your flexibility and to incorporate physical therapy into your healing process. Your first thought is simple. How is moving the part of your body or stretching going to stop the pain that you feel every time you move? It may seem like more punishment than treatment, but the science behind this type of treatment is very clear.

For many people, to manage pain, you really need to improve your flexibility and aerobic conditioning. How can this help you?

Improving Flexibility

One of the ways that pain is reduced is by improving your overall flexibility. This is the body’s range of motion or level of movement. While it may make you feel sore initially, this type of treatment can actually help you to gain better movement. In some cases, it can help to strengthen muscles that need it, helping them to support the limitations of other areas of your body. When you hurt, your body naturally finds ways to accomplish things with less pain. Over time, this creates uneven muscle development and that can lead to problems overall. Flexibility therapy can help.

Improving Blood Flow

manage painAerobic conditioning helps in many ways. First, it can help you to get your heart pumping at a stronger and healthier level. Second, it works to burn calories and helps you to maintain a healthy way.

Additionally, even as you start off very slow, you will be improving muscle function and reducing pain feelings with each workout or routine. You are helping nutrient rich oxygen-filled blood to get to all areas of the body, helping to minimize pain and helping nerves to function at the right level.

If you are facing pain on a daily basis, whether from disease, illness, or chronic conditions, you can get the help you need. When you work with a pain doctor, you are likely to be given a treatment plan that is all encompassing, focusing on all pain causes and treatment options. This type of personalized but all-inclusive treatment can give you the best possible solution and the highest level of pain relief. Every situation is quite different and a customized treatment plan is best.

Contact our New York pain doctor today at 646-862-5555 to discuss your needs and to find out what treatment options may be exactly what you need.