Brachioplasty, also known as arm reduction surgery, can take care of this problem. The success of the procedure often depends on how much excess tissue there is, and how much the anchoring system has already begun to sag.

Are the costs of Pain Management procedures covered by Insurance?

Our center accepts most insurance plans. You may submit information regarding your insurance carrier in the Patient/Inquiry department. Our staff will verify your insurance information and determine if your insurance covers the procedure. Insurance will be considered for this surgery if proper documentation is provided to substantiate medical necessity. You may also contact us at: Tel. 800-373-0731 and provide us your insurance information over the phone for verification.

Health insurance Coverage.

This procedure is FDA approved and performed widely throughout the United States. Most insurance companies will pay in full for the procedure. Our office will work with your health insurance company to determine your coverage and make all the necessary arrangements.

What insurance companies do you accept?

We accept a variety of insurance carriers and plans. During your initial consultation, you'll complete a Patient Questionnaire that contains a section on insurance coverage. You may contact our office directly prior to your consultation to discuss insurance coverage and verification. Please call us at:

Tel. 800-373-0731

Pain management is one of the most important aspects of care for chronically ill persons As with all health care issues, get qualified medical opinion regarding any suggested treatments. Pain management is a medical specialty. In our facility we have pain management specialist if your own physician seems unable or unwilling to provide adequate control for your pain.

Long-term or chronic back pain usually lasts for 3 months or more.  It tends to get worse over time, and it can be hard to determine the cause.

How the back is built

The back is a complicated, delicate construction comprised of muscle tissue, bones, and tendon that comprise the trunk from the neck to the pelvic area.  In the center is the spine, which supports the weight

The back is a complicated, delicate construction comprised of muscle tissue, bones, and tendon that comprise the trunk from the neck to the pelvic area.  In the center is the spine, which supports the weight of the body and shields the delicate nerves of the spinal cord, which controls the movements and sensations of all the areas of the body.

The spine contains 30 separate bones, each of which has a hole perfectly lined up to contain the spinal cord.  This cord begins at the brain stem and reaches just below the rib cage in an adult body.  Smaller nerve pathways, or “roots,” extend from the spinal cord through small openings in the vertebral bones.

Lower back pain: what’s the cause?

As the body ages, bone density and strength decreases.  The fluids that cushion the vertebrae begin to decrease, and the bones can rub together painfully.  

During this time, the back is particularly vulnerable from injuries resulting from heavy lifting and overstretching.  Muscles and ligaments can spasm, sprain, and strain easily, and sometimes a spinal disc can rupture or bulge.  This results in a compressed nerve, which can cause mild to severe back pain.

Lower back pain can be caused by nerve damage, muscle damage, or lesions in the bone itself.  Degenerative diseases such as arthritis, viral infections, disc disease or irritation, spinal abnormalities, or osteoporosis can also lead to back pain. In addition, lower back pain can originate from obesity, pregnancy, smoking, poor posture, lack of exercise, physical stress on the back, and sleeping in a straining position.

What conditions contribute to lower back pain?

There are many health problems that contribute to lower back pain.  These problems may require treatment by a doctor:

Ruptured (protruding, herniated, bulging) disc: The normal activities of the body constantly put pressure on the bones in the spinal column.  As the discs naturally weaken, bone or cartilage can be pushed out of place and interfere with the spinal cord.  This can cause intense pain.  According to statistics, most instances of ruptured discs take place in the lumbar (lower) area of the spine.

The most serious instance of this is referred to as cauda equina syndrome.  This occurs when bone or cartilage from the spinal column is shifted into the spinal canal area and interferes with the roots of lumbar and sacral nerves.   If not treated immediately, this condition can lead to permanent damage to the nerves.

Sciatica refers to when a ruptured disc puts pressure on the sciatic nerve.  This is the long nerve which reaches down to the pelvic area, carrying nerve endings to the legs and feet.  Compression of this nerve causes sharp pain in the back, buttocks, and legs.

Spinal degeneration can occur from natural wear and tear on the discs, and can result in narrowing of the spinal canal.  This can result in a stiff back after a person has awakened in the morning, as well as discomfort from standing or walking for a long duration.

Spinal stenosis can be caused by narrowing of the spinal canal, and it can make some people more likely to experience pain from disc problems.

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bone density steadily decreases.  This can lead to bones that are easily fractured and broken.

Skeletal irregularities, often from congenital birth defects, can cause unusual strain on the spinal column and the muscles and tissues supported by it.

Fibromyalgia is a disease that can be indicated by chronic pain in the muscular and skeletal structures of the body, as well as intense fatigue and particularly sensitive points in the spine, shoulders, neck and hip areas.  Other indications of this disease include stiffness, particularly in the morning, difficulty sleeping, and anxiety.

Spondylitis is a chronic back pain condition that is caused by an infection or inflammation between the bones in the spine.   Other conditions caused by inflammation are osteomyelitis (spinal bone infection) and sacroiliitis (sacroiliac joint infection).

How do doctors diagnose lower back discomfort?

Your doctor should start by taking a thorough medical history and physical.  This will usually help to pinpoint conditions and inherited predispositions that could be causing your pain.   The patient will outline the location of the pain, the date of its onset, and how long the symptoms have occurred, as well as any problems associated with movement. The doctor will also test the neurological system to learn the source of the pain and the correct treatment.

There are many ways doctors can diagnose lower back pain:

Discography is a technique which uses the injection of a specially designed dye into the spinal fluid.  The dye can surround the injured area and provide contrast in an x-ray, allowing the doctor to locate the injured area. 

Computerized tomography (CT) is a procedure that is fast and painless.  It is usually utilized when a ruptured disc, spinal stenosis, or vertebral damage is thought to be the source of lower back discomfort.

X-ray imaging can be performed in the conventional or enhanced manner to determine the source of back pain.  Conventional x-rays look for breaks in bones and vertebrae.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to assess the lower back area for bone disorders that cause degeneration, as well as disorders in the surrounding tissues, muscles and ligaments.  The MRI works by manufacturing a magnetic field around the body that is powerful enough to affect the water molecules in the body, causing them to realign and making the internal organs visible with special equipment. This is a noninvasive, painless procedure that can identify problems that may need quick treatment through surgery.

Electrodiagnostic procedures refer to techniques such as electromyography (EMG), studies in nerve conduction and evoked potential (EP). EMG is used to determine the electrical output of a nerve, and it can assess whether weakness in a muscle is the result of injury or nerve damage.

Thermography is done by using devices that measure temperature changes between areas of the body or between areas within a particular organ.  It can determine whether a nerve root is being compressed or interfered with.

Ultrasound imaging utilizes sound waves to create images of the structures within the body.  This technique is especially useful in showing disruptions in ligaments, muscles, tendons, and other back tissues.

Bone scans can be utilized to diagnose infection, fracture, or bone disorders.  It works by injection of a small amount of radioactive substance into the bloodstream.  This material builds up in the bones, centering in areas with abnormalities.  Images are scanned and analyzed by a computer, and assessed to measure abnormal blood flow, abnormalities in the metabolic activities of bones, and to identify diseased joints.

What are the effective treatments of lower back pain?

Most of the time, pain in the lower back can be greatly improved without the use of surgery.  Alternative treatments include analgesics, reduction of inflamed areas, improving the proper functioning and muscle tone of the back, and preventative measures.

 Spinal manipulation is a treatment in which professionally trained specialists physically manipulate the back to adjust the spine and improve the back’s natural mobility.  These professionals do not use surgery or drugs as part of their treatments.

If lower back pain is not improved by this technique, the following treatments are available:
Interventional therapy improves long-lasting pain by intercepting nerve signals between problem areas of the body and the brain.  This technique can utilize local anesthetics, steroids, or more complicated stimulation of the spinal cord. It is not without its drawbacks, however; if steroid injections are overused, it can lead to further damage to back function.

Traction is a technique in which weight systems are used to put constant or intermittent pressure on the skeletal system to gradually force the bones into an improved alignment.  This approach is generally not prescribed for acute back pain.

Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are low-invasive, simple outpatient procedures that seal vertebral fractures that result from osteoperosis. Vertebroplasty involves three-dimensional imaging techniques that aid the doctor in inserting a needle into the vertebrae.

When the back pain is unimproved by these therapies, surgical procedures can be used to treat serious back problems and injuries.  Some of these procedures are simple enough to be performed in outpatient surgical center and some require a hospital stay.

 Discectomy is a surgical procedure that alleviates pressure on a nerve from a ruptured disc.  In this procedure, the surgeon uses a small portion of the lamina (the bony spinal canal roof) to manipulate and remove the obstructing bone or cartilage.

• Foraminotomy is a surgical technique that clears and widens the spinal passage where nerve roots extend from the spinal canal.  Ruptured or age-thickened discs can cause this passage to narrow, which can put pressure in the nerve and result in intense pain, lack of feeling, and chronic weakness in extremities.  During this procedure, small pieces of bone are removed from the nerve area through a small incision, which allows the surgeon to remove interfering bone or tissue and relieve the stress on the nerve.
• Spinal laminectomy (or spinal decompression) is a technique in which the lamina is removed to widen the spinal canal.  This results in relieved pressure on the nerve roots and on the spinal cord.
• IntraDiscal Electrothermal Therapy (IDET) is a technique that uses heat to alleviate pain that comes from a ruptured disc.  During this procedure, a specially designed needle is inserted into the problem area using a catheter.  It is then heated to a high temperature for approximately 20 minutes.  The heat causes the wall of the disc to thicken and strengthen, sealing it and reducing its interference with the spinal cord.
• Nucleoplasty is a technique that makes use of radiofrequency energy to treat instances of herniated discs that are not too severe.
• Spinal fusion strengthens the spinal canal and keeps the body from performing painful movements.  The spinal discs that are between two or more vertebrae are taken out, and then the vertebrae are fused using bone grafts or metal supports and screws.
• Rhizotomy –is a technique during which the nerve root is cut near its entrance to the spinal cord so that pain transmissions to the brain are blocked, and Dorsal root entry zone operation, during which the neurons in the spine that deliver the pain messages to the patient’s brain are destroyed through surgery.
• Other surgical techniquesused to alleviate the most severe forms of back pain are Artificial spinal disc replacement surgery is a technique that is still under development.  It will primarily benefit patients with degenerative disc disorders. During this procedure, the surgeon removes the damaged disc and inserts an artificial disc made of medal and plastic, about the size of a quarter.  Patients considered ideal for this procedure are between 20 and 60 years of age, have only one diseased disc, and do not have a degenerative disease like osteoporosis.  The ideal patient should not have had back surgery in the past, and should have had no success with previous back treatments.  This surgery appears to have a shorter recovery time and fewer complicating factors than other widely used surgeries to alleviate back pain.