X

Blog

Chronic Pain & Psychology

Chronic and persistent pain is the most common reason Americans see a physician, today. Unfortunately, treatment isn’t straightforward, and people need specialized treatment for their unique conditions. According to reports from the Institute of Medicine, 100 million Americans struggle with chronic pain, affecting more people than diabetes, cancer, and heart disease combined.

At TriState Pain Institute, Dr. Benjamin Venger and the TSPI team work with patients of varying chronic pain conditions. With the best and most innovative treatments at our facility, TriState Pain is the leading pain management facility in northern Arizona. If you live in Las Vegas, Bullhead City, or Fort Mohave, Arizona and struggle with persistent pain,... Read more

Opioids & Adolescent Athletes

According to data published in a Pediatrics article, “Prescribing of controlled medications to adolescents and young adults in the United States,” the number of prescriptions of controlled medications including opioids has nearly doubled between 1994 and 2007 (3.5 percent in 1994 and 6 percent in 2007). To uncover the prevalence of medical use, misuse, and non-medical use of opioid medication, researchers assessed 1,540 adolescents involved in organized sports between 2009 and 2011 school years.

Based on collected data, adolescent males in organized sports had “higher odds of being prescribed an opioid medication.” These individuals are thus at a greater risk to misuse opioids and other controlled substances.

At TriState... Read more

Chronic Back Pain & Pregnancy

Back pain amidst the pregnancy process is a common and well-known condition. Pain in the lower back can inhibit someone from performing the actions necessary to live life. Not only does this pain affect pregnant women during the pregnancy, but also if not dealt with properly, it can last much longer after birth. Although frequent, back pain during pregnancy should be addressed carefully to create an easier experience and reduce the amount of risk or damage on the back.

Most common forms of pregnancy back pain are lower back pain and pelvic pain. There are many similarities between pregnancy back pain and non-pregnancy back pain; both can worsen with poor posture or lifting objects improperly. Pelvic pain is even more frequent... Read more

Obesity & Food Pleasure Signals

Over the past couple decades in the U.S. obesity rates have dramatically risen. There are several theories as to why this growth has occurred, but perhaps the most universal is the idea that obesity has increased with the growth of accessibility to food.

The development of fast food restaurants, food delivery, vending machines, and etc. have created this atmosphere where any type of food is right at your finger tips. Snacking and eating between meals have become just apart of our culture, many generations before this did not exist.

With this change in culture, psychological factors are also another key part of this issue. This accessibility has caused a new craving for pleasure, rather than for hunger. The term “hedonic... Read more

FDA Opioid Regulations

In the continuous battle against opioid misuse, the FDA is starting to uncover the origins of the problem and is attempting to implement new solutions. Opioids being the strongest pain killers, dependency affects around 5 million people in the U.S. Approximately 22,134 deaths occurred in 2010 resulting from opioids, which calls for action considering the percentage of patients prescribed opioids in the last 10 years has doubled and continues to grow.

A recent reinforcement of the effort has been the approval of the opioid Zohydro ER. This new pain management prescription is suitable for long-term treatment and does not include acetaminophen, the liver toxin in the majority of hydrocodone prescriptions. Zohydro is also an... Read more

Stay Cool This Summer & Avoid Dehydration Headaches

Dehydration is extremely common during these warm summer months. It is a slippery slope that can come about quickly and have unfortunate side effects that range from headaches to death in extreme cases. Dehydration is the term used when body is low in water, sodium, chloride, and potassium. All of these factors are imperative in order to function. Even if some water is consumed, these minerals can be depleted through energy exertion and sweating.

Symptoms of dehydration include fatigue, thirst, constipation, headaches, dizziness, discoloration of the skin, cramps, and dark urination. Considering the importance of maintaining hydration, it is beneficial to be knowledgeable of the early signs of dehydration, and ways to avoid it... Read more

Get tips on managing pain in the latest edition of Pain News

Download