Pain Management

You don't have to live through your pain alone.

R. Jake Measom, MD a pain medicine specialist at Uinta Medical Group works to ease pain and allow you to live in as much comfort as possible.

Low back pain is a common problem. It’s estimated more than 80 percent of the U.S. population will experience such pain at some point in their lifetime, according to research published in the journal Neurologic Clinics. Today, over 100 million Americans experience chronic back pain, which can make everyday life and daily activities almost unbearable.

Pain can be helpful when it is acute — sudden onset and short-lived — as it serves as an alert of damage to the body. If an alarm triggers, we want it to stop! If pain continues for a long period of time, it can cause a significant physical and emotional impact. Ongoing pain can also impact different organ systems including heart rate, nausea, vomiting, sleep deprivation as well as the healing process.

Diagnosing Causes of Back Pain

Low back pain can be caused by an inflamed disc, which is a soft cushiony kind of material located in-between the vertebra facet joints. It can also be due to a nerve issue, such as sciatica, muscles and other soft tissues and often caused by trauma, auto accidents, falls, as well as normal wear and tear which is called degeneration.

Diagnosing low back pain can sometimes require an MRI scan, but imaging does not always reveal what is causing the pain. According to Dr. Measom, “A number of studies have shown that a herniated disc does not always tell us whether it is the cause of pain.”

Sometimes pain can originate from a different area. That is why whenever Dr. Measom sees a patient, his aim is to complete a full examination of the patient to diagnose the cause of the pain so that treatment can be targeted for that particular case.

Time to See a Specialist

Many back pain complications will resolve themselves, but you should see your physician or pain specialist if the pain is getting worse, radiating down your legs, causing weakness in your legs, or creating bowel or bladder incontinence. Dr. Measom believes to make a good diagnosis he focuses on the patient history, physical exams, and diagnostic testing to treat the pain.

“Our minimally invasive approaches aim to reduce pain and improve the patient’s quality of life,” Dr. Measom says. “We use the newest developments and latest research to treat our patients.”

Such treatments can include epidural injections, nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation which kills the nerve to help with pain. There are also new techniques using electronic devices to mask the pain.

If you are experiencing the following symptoms, please consult one of our providers to see how we can help:

• Back pain (including pain caused by degenerative disc or joint disease, sciatica pain and spinal stenosis)
• Joint pain (including the hip, shoulder, knee and elbow)
• Headaches and migraines
• Neck pain
• Post-surgery pain
• Post-accident pain
• Complex regional pain
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Thoracic pain
• Myofascial pain
• Post-herpetic neuralgia (shingles pain)

Our techniques and procedures may reduce acute or chronic pain and improve your quality of life. If you experience persistent pain that keeps you from the activities you enjoy, call 307-789-9355 to schedule an appointment.