Frequently Asked Questions
Redding Pain Medicine is open Monday through Thursday between the hours of 7 am and 5 pm. We may close for a half hour lunch break during the midday.
We accept referrals from primary care providers and specialists. You may also refer yourself, although we require that every patient have a primary care provider.
In most circumstances, we will review your medical records, imaging, and diagnostic testing before deciding if you are a candidate to be evaluated at Redding Pain Medicine.
There are many reasons why pain may develop, and a solution may require lifestyle changes, dietary changes, interventions such as physical therapy, ongoing use of medications, or injections. The ability to heal yourself may be boosted with a regenerative treatment through our partner Biologic Spine Therapy ( Discseel, PRP or stem cells). In some cases, surgery may help modulate injured nerve pain (spinal cord stimulation, DRG stimulation, or Intrathecal pump therapy), or correct an underlying problem that may help you manage your symptoms.
- I’m numb and weak. This is likely a result of the use of sedation or local anesthetic and will slowly wear off over the next 24 hours. If you have increasing numbness or weakness following a procedure, call our office.
- I’m experiencing increased pain. A pain flare up can occur following any procedure due to irritation of the treated tissues. Conservative treatment with rest, ice, NSAIDs, and prescribed pain medication will usually resolve the episode in 24-72 hours. If these treatments are not effective, contact our office.
- I’m flushed or experiencing insomnia. This happens when you are sensitive to a steroid medication and will slowly resolve over several days. Please review this during your follow-up visit so that we can make adjustments to future treatments and reduce the risk of this happening again.
A diagnostic block is a procedure where a local anesthetic is injected to identify the precise tissue or structure responsible for your pain. These are typically done without any sedation as this interferes with your ability to interpret your pain during the test period. We do not expect any long-term reduction in pain. It is necessary for you to keep track of your pain scores immediately following the procedure and return this documentation at your follow-up appointment
Diagnostic injections are a test. If pain relief occurs, we expect it to be measured in hours. Sometimes an injection may be targeted to a specific area at the request of a surgeon as part of their evaluation. This is also a type of diagnostic test. A therapy or treatment injection is focused on where your pain is located. It may take up to 10 days for a steroid to take effect, while cell-based or orthobiologic (PRP or stem cell) treatments typically take weeks or months. If there is no relief from an injection, a plan may be developed to target a different area or pursue diagnostic testing.
Our practice accepts many insurance plans, including:
- Aetna (must verify plan type)
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Blue Shield
- Cigna
- Coventry First Health
- Health Net
- Medi-cal (Secondary Only)
- Medicare
- Partnership Health Plan
- Railroad Medicare
- Tricare
- WPS VA
Feel free to contact us for more detailed information about the plans that we accept.
The Discseel® Procedure FAQs
The Discseel® Procedure involves testing of each suspect disc, then treatment with FDA approved, highly purified and exact portions of fibrinogen and prothrombin, the two essential proteins involved in formation of fibrin to seal your leaking or damaged disc tissue. This allows organized healing to occur over the next 12 months with the potential to restore normal internal disc biology.
Any person with long-lasting lower back pain is a potential candidate. Patients who have had surgery and those who prefer to avoid surgery are potential candidates. This includes patients with sports injuries to their spinal discs.
Based on preliminary data we have collected thus far, we know that roughly 70% of patients treated with the Discseel® Procedure report a positive impact on both their chronic pain and in their physical function. Keep in mind that these are patients who have failed either all or most other treatment options.
The mild® Procedure FAQs
The mild® Procedure has a strong safety profile and has been performed on thousands of patients. Individual results may vary. The risk is thought to be equivalent to a spinal steroid injection.
Following the mild® Procedure, most patients return home the same day and typically resume self care activity within 24 hours and may shower after 3 days. Activity proceeds with no restrictions except as dictated by any post procedure pain, typically similar to recovering from an impact that causes a bruise.
Minimally invasive lumbar decompression, commonly referred to as the mild® Procedure, is an outpatient procedure that relieves pressure on the spine contents. Like a water hose that has pressure on it or a drinking straw with a kink in it, the spinal canal can narrow and compress the spinal canal nerves in the lower back. To restore space in the spinal canal and reduce the compression of the nerves—or in the case of the water hose and drinking straw, increase the flow—a physician performing mild® uses an imaging machine and specialized tools to remove small pieces of bone and thickened ligament.
The mild® procedure is different from traditional back surgery because it is an outpatient procedure that does not require general anesthesia, implants, stitches, steroids, or opioids. Typically completed in less than an hour, mild® can be performed through a single, tiny incision smaller than the size of a baby aspirin (5.1 mm) using only local anesthetic and light sedation. No implants are inserted. With a safety profile similar to an epidural steroid injection (ESI), but with lasting results, mild® addresses a major root cause of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and can be performed as a steroid-free procedure, which limits immunosuppression risks associated with ESIs.
The Vertiflex™ Procedure FAQs
The Vertiflex procedure is designed with patient safety and comfort in mind. Since FDA approval, over 20,000 people have been treated with the Vertiflex Procedure in the United States.
No. The Vertiflex procedure is done in an outpatient setting, which means you can go home the same day of the procedure. We recommend having someone accompany you after the procedure.
Anesthesia can differ from patient to patient depending on patient needs, but general anesthesia is not required for the Vertiflex procedure.
You will proceed with supervised physical therapy for six weeks following your procedure. Limits to bending and strenuous activity, including lifting anything over ten pounds, will slowly be modified until you are able to safely proceed unrestricted.
The surgical site may be sore for some days following the procedure. If you are experiencing any changes such as redness, bleeding, or swelling, report to your treating doctor during your follow-up visit, usually scheduled seven and 14 days after having the procedure.
The Vertiflex procedure is covered by Medicare in all 50 states.
Redding Pain Medicine
Reduce your pain with treatments tailored to you.
Learn more about our approach and treatments to reduce pain and restore function.