But not long after being discharged, Bradd was back with progressive severe lower back pain making walking difficult.
“He was in terrible pain,” Carol Bradd, Marvin Bradd’s wife, said. “Several weeks out and he was still in terrible pain. That led us to Dr. Zhang.”
Rui Zhang, MD, is a non-surgical spine specialist with the Carle Neurosciences Institute. Dr. Zhang also specializes in interventional pain medicine. Patients have various non-surgical pain management options, including physical therapy and injections, after identifying the cause of their neck and back pain.
Patients from across central Illinois have access to innovative and alternative pain management options for cancer-related pain, pelvic pain, post-traumatic pain, injuries and more at several Carle Health locations in Champaign-Urbana, Bloomington, Olney and Peoria.
Dr. Zhang performed a clinic exam and interviewed Bradd to diagnose his pain. She noted that Bradd’s pain increased when walking and standing, only lessening when he would sit or lie down.
“I believe the source of his pain was persistent left L5 radiculopathy,” Dr. Zhang said. This condition is the result of a pinched nerve or irritated nerves in the spinal column that causes pain and muscle weakness.
In Dr. Zhang’s opinion, the first step to healing was a transforaminal epidural steroid injection in the region between the lumbar and sacral spine. An MRI ruled out post-operation infection that could be a contraindication in applying this type of treatment.
“The steroid was dexamethasone,” Dr. Zhang said. “A strong anti-inflammatory and has a direct nociceptive effect. They administered via epidural injection route.”
Both Bradd and his wife were very pleased with the results of the treatment. Bradd now experiences physical activity with only minor discomfort and no longer uses his walker.
Dr. Zhang will continue to track the effectiveness of this treatment and explore more pain management options if needed. But for now, Bradd and his wife are happy with his improvement.
“Her expertise of knowing where to put those shots was what did this amount of good,” Marvin Bradd said. “The placement of them was right on [where the pain was coming from].”
For more information on interventional pain medicine or pain management, visit Carle.org.
Categories: Redefining Healthcare
Tags: Back, Carle, Experience, Health, Institute, Interventional, Management, Medicine, MRI, Nerve, Neuroscience, Neurosciences, Non-surgical, Pain, Patient, Treatment