Home

We are pleased to announce that Northridge Pain Specialists (NPMS) team is now offering comprehensive multi-discipline treatment modalities for a variety of intractable chronic pain syndromes.

Our Board Certified pain management physicians are specialized in the management of patients with chronic back, neck and limb pain; failed back and neck syndrome; complex regional pain syndrome (RSD); headaches; spasticity associated with brain and spinal cord injuries; post surgical pain, arachnoiditis, pelvic pain as well as pain associated with cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and vascular insufficiency

The NPMS team offers a wide range of treatment modalities including Conservative Treatment, Physical Therapy and Psychotherapy, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Regional and Peripheral Nerve injections, Intradiscal Electrothermal Coagulation, Spinal Endoscopy and Radiofrequency Neuroablation as well as Spinal Cord Stimulator and Intrathecal Pump Implant.

Northridge Pain Management Specialists physicians are performing the most advanced therapies in Pain Management at the freestanding, state of the art, four operating rooms facility, Northridge Surgery & Pain Management Center. It is the only center in the Valley which provides a comprehensive approach for Pain Management as well as other outpatient surgical services.

We are committed to offering our patients personalized and compassionate treatment plans tailored to their individual needs.

LOW BACK PAIN

Low back pain has considerable consequences. In terms of lost productivity, medical expenses and workers' compensation benefits, back pain costs tens of billions of dollars annually in the U.S. It afflicts more than 65 million Americans each year and is one of the main reasons patients visit their primary care practitioners.

Generally, low back pain is categorized by etiologic mechanisms and duration. Depending on duration, low back pain is described as acute (lasting up to 6 weeks), sub-acute (lasting from 6-12 weeks), and chronic (lasting more than 12 weeks). Additionally, depending on etiology, low back pain is described as mechanical or secondary. While etiology varies, patients who are obese, in poor physical condition, or who lift heavy objects are at greater risk for developing low back pain.

A comprehensive plan for the treatment of acute, sub-acute and chronic back pain should address the underlying etiology and should include both pharmacological and pharmacological therapies, such as patient education, short-term bed rest, exercise, heat/cold treatments, hydrotherapy, physical therapy and surgery.

Initial therapy for acute and sub-acute low back pain typically includes limited rest combined with appropriate exercise and education. Prolonged bed rest is not recommended as it weakens muscles. Therapies may also include NSAIDs, steroid injections, analgesics, muscle relaxants, or antidepressants.

While most low back pain patients recover quickly, their pain often reappears. Eventually, fifteen percent of these patients will develop chronic low back pain. Chronic low back pain is treated initially the same as acute low back pain. In a typical case, initial therapy includes activity as tolerated and acetaminophen or NSAIDs. It may also include muscle relaxants and opioids-if the patient signs a pain contract.