Millions of people suffer from joint and back pain because they fear surgery. If that sounds familiar, we’ve got great news for you.
Most spine and joint pain doesn’t call for open surgery and the long recovery time associated with it. In fact, At SamWell Institute for Pain Management in Colonia and Livingston, New Jersey, Dr. Jay M. Shah specializes in noninvasive and minimally invasive techniques that repair damage and restore function.
He has dedicated his education and practice to creating a unique patient experience that considers every aspect of your health and life. This 360-degree approach enables Dr. Shah to customize your treatment plan to match your lifestyle and activity goals. For most people, this involves reducing pain and resolving the underlying cause quickly, so they can get back to the life they love.
Here’s a sample of Dr. Shah's many innovative, evidence-based spine and joint treatments. For a full list and description of his services, treatments, and procedures, we invite you to explore our website or schedule a consultation with Dr. Shah to discuss your needs.
Joint pain can stem from arthritis, injuries, or infection, affecting any of the bones, muscles, nerves, or ligaments in the joint. Traumatic accidents, repetitive movements, overuse, and degenerative diseases can all take their toll and leave your joints stiff and painful.
Once Dr. Shah diagnoses the source of your joint pain, he develops a treatment plan to heal it when possible. Meanwhile, he offers several pain-relieving treatments that allow you to comfortably participate in physical therapy and other healing treatments. Here are some examples.
Joint injections contain two medications: a local anesthetic, usually lidocaine, to numb the joint and bring immediate relief; and a long-lasting corticosteroid that reduces inflammation and, therefore, pain.
With the injection needle already in place, Dr. Shah often withdraws a sample of the joint fluid to analyze as part of the diagnostic process.
Another type of joint injection called viscosupplementation introduces hyaluronic acid, a gel-like substance, directly into your joint to replace lubrication, reduce friction, increase flexibility, and reduce pain.
With 33 stacked vertebrae forming your spinal canal and housing your spinal cord, your body’s nerve center, the odds of experiencing neck and back pain are high: Up to 80% of adults experience back pain, and up to 70% experience neck pain significant enough to interfere with
their ability to participate in daily activities. Here are some of the non-surgical treatments we use to relieve your symptoms and lower these statistics.
When pain emanates from the facet joints that link your vertebrae, Dr. Shah can stop the pain at its source with targeted injections. First, he determines the precise location of your pain and which nerves are involved.
If the pain stems from the joint capsule surrounding the facet joint, he injects medication to halt your body’s production of inflammation-causing chemicals and reduce your pain receptors’ sensitivity, decreasing the pain signals sent to your brain.
If the pain source is on the outer region of the facet joint, Dr. Shah may opt for a medial branch block to reduce the nerve’s ability to transmit pain signals.
Neck and back pain that doesn’t respond to conservative treatments may be good candidates for radiofrequency ablation, also known as a rhizotomy. During this procedure, Dr. Shah inserts a technology-embedded radiofrequency needle and targets the nerve causing the pain. He uses live X-ray technology called fluoroscopy to direct the needle to the precise location.
He then numbs the nerve with local anesthetic and activates the electrical pulse that gently heats the nerve and stops it from sending pain signals.
Arthritis, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, and pinched nerves can all benefit from an epidural steroid injection.
Like joint injections, epidural steroid injections contain two pain-relieving ingredients: lidocaine and a corticosteroid to eliminate inflammation. However, instead of injecting the medications into a joint, Dr. Shah targets the epidural space surrounding and protecting your spine.
He uses contrast dye and fluoroscopy for safety, precision, and accuracy. He may also flush the area with a saline solution to remove anything that may be triggering inflammation.
Chronic spinal pain can be difficult to treat. Although surgical intervention is often the best course, non-surgical options exist. Dr. Shah has extensive experience with spinal cord stimulation, and most of our patients report significant pain reduction after receiving the treatment.
SCS is an implanted device that delivers low-voltage electrical currents to your spinal cord, blocking pain signals. You start with a trial period, wearing an external device connected to leads that target the affected nerves in your spinal cord. If the trial treatment results in at least a 50-80% reduction in your pain, Dr. Shah considers you a good candidate for a long term minimally invasive implant of the tiny deviceto provide for long-term relief of your neck, back, and nerve pain
Dr. Shah specializes in minimally invasive procedures, including endoscopic techniques that enable him to perform the treatment through a narrow surgical tube.
For example, he can remove herniated disc material using a procedure called a discectomy. A tiny camera at the tip of the instrument guides his tools and allows him to complete the procedure through a small incision.
He can also treat lumbar spinal stenosis endoscopically using the minimally invasive lumbar decompression (MILD) approach. Here, he removes a portion of the vertebra to create more space, reducing friction and pain.
This is just a glimpse of the many minimally invasive and non-surgical treatments Dr. Shah offers. To learn about his other innovative treatments, schedule a consultation by calling either of our two locations or booking online.
