Pain is a complicated and often debilitating medical problem that can significantly impact your physical and mental well-being.
If you're suffering from chronic back and neck pain, chances are you find it challenging to do a lot of basic activities, such as; playing around with the kids or taking your dog on an evening walk in the neighborhood.
We understand the challenges of living with chronic back and neck pain; that is why we've put together this article to help you find the best pain management doctors in Florida.
Interventional Pain Management is a discipline of medicine devoted to diagnosing and treating pain-related disorders mainly with the application of interventional techniques in managing chronic, persistent pain, independently or in conjunction with other forms of treatment.
Interventional pain management helps reduce and manage pain while also improving a patient's overall quality of life using minimally invasive techniques designed to diagnose and treat chronic back and neck pain. It also strives to help patients return to their daily lives with little to no reliance on medications.
Overview:
One of the physicians at Deuk Spine Institute, Dr. Bharat C. Patel's credentials include board certifications in sports medicine, physiatry, pain medicine, electrodiagnostic medicine, and interventional pain management. Fewer than one in 10,000 physicians nationwide are quintuple board certified. The highly respected Becker's Orthopedic, Spine, and Pain Management Review included Dr. Patel on their published list: The Best Pain Management Physicians in America. Becker's has also named Dr. Patel to their exclusive list of the "12 Great Physicians in Florida."
In 2014, Dr. Patel was chosen by the Chairman and CEO of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians to serve as an examiner for the national American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians examinations. Dr. Patel scored the highest of all physicians in the country when he completed the examination.
Dr. Patel graduated from Smt. N.H.L. Municipal Medical College in Ahmedabad, India, with a bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery. The degree is the equivalent of a Doctor of Medicine degree in the United States. Following that, he completed an internship in surgery at Sound Shore Medical Center of Westchester in New Rochelle, New York, a residency at New York University School of Medicine, and a fellowship in interventional pain management in Clearwater, Florida. Dr. Patel is a U.S. citizen and a registered Florida state medical care practitioner.
Dr. Patel performs both non-interventional and interventional spine pain management therapies. He treats arthritis of the spine and facet joint pain with injections for pain.
Patients travel from Orlando, South Florida, and the Space Coast to get treated by Dr. Patel because of his dedication to their health and wellbeing.
Learn more about Dr Bharat Patel
Schedule an appointment with Dr. Bharat Patel at Deuk Spine Institute
About the surgeon:
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian, also known as Dr. Deuk to his patients and colleagues, is a renowned neuro-spine surgeon and a true pioneer in minimally invasive, laser, and endoscopic back, neck, and thoracic pain treatment. Dr. Ara Deukmedjian, who grew up in Southern California, now practices at the Deuk Spine Institute in Florida.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian developed his laser procedure called Deuk Laser Disc Repair. Deuk Laser Disk Repair is the most advanced laser spine surgery in the world. This revolutionary procedure is an alternative to dangerous invasive surgeries like total disc replacement or spinal fusion.
Deuk Laser Disc Repair has had a 95% success rate with no complications in any patient, which is higher than any other surgery available today.
Dr. Ara Deukmedjian is a member of the; Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Surgery Department Chair, Parrish Medical Center, and Brevard County Medical Society (President, Board of Governors). He has also been awarded the ‘Patients Choice Award’ for consecutive years.
Learn more about Dr. Ara Deukmedjian
Schedule an appointment with Dr. Ara Deukmedjian at Deuk Spine Institute
Overview:
Dr. Anijar is a board-certified anesthesiologist with a specialization in interventional pain management, who believes that everyone has the right to a pain-free life. He trained with many of the world's leading experts in interventional pain treatment. He has conducted hundreds of spinal cord stimulator and peripheral nerve stimulator implants and has a strong interest in neuromodulation therapy. Dr. Anijar also has a lot of experience with regenerative medicine, and he only uses regenerative products that have a lot of clinical proof to back them up.
Dr. Anijar attended Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where he studied Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. He studied biomechanics, surgical oncology, and medical informatics at the University of South Florida in Tampa and published numerous research papers in these fields. He did his residency at the University of Florida in Gainesville, and then an interventional pain management fellowship at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, one of the country's first pain management centers of excellence.
Dr. Anijar is noted for being caring and compassionate for his patients as if they were members of his family. He tutors youngsters in math and science on a regular basis and arranges community health programs where parents and children can learn CPR. He is a firm believer in assisting those in need and has participated in a number of medical mission trips to disaster-stricken areas around the world.
Overview:
Dr. Ricardo Leano is a pain management and regenerative medicine specialist. With the lightest touch of medicine, he is dedicated to relieving pain and enhancing mobility and quality of life for his patients, with the goal of avoiding all side effects and making life as great as it should be. He enjoys getting to know his patients and learning about their interests, as well as their goals and problems.
Dr. Leano moved to the United States to continue his medical training after earning his medical degree at Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá, Colombia. At Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, he acquired a medical degree and completed his internship and residency training. He also graduated with honors from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, with a Master of Business Administration with a focus in health care and a recognition award for academic excellence. He went on to get his board certification in healthcare administration.
He enjoys motorcycles, boats, vehicles, playing guitar, and listening to classical music in addition to assisting patients. He also donates his medical abilities when and where they are needed, and collects funds to help communities affected by natural catastrophes.
Overview:
Dr. Maulik Bhalani is board-certified by The American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the American Board of Medical Specialties with specialties in interventional pain medicine, physical medicine, and rehabilitation.
He received his medical degree from Creighton University in Omaha, then went on to the University of South Florida to finish a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation and a fellowship in interventional pain medicine.
Dr. Bhalani is a member of several professional and regional societies dedicated to pain medicine, physical medicine, and rehabilitation, and he currently works as a clinical associate professor and faculty member for the University of South Florida's pain medicine fellowship and Department of Neurology.
His strong belief in lifelong learning has led him to seek more training and education in the most up-to-date spine and pain management technology, attending pain conferences around the country and bringing the most cutting-edge procedures back to his patients.
Dr. Bhalani enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, and teaching residents and fellow surgeons at the University of South Florida when he is not assisting his patients.
Overview:
Dr. Rafizad is a pain management specialist who is board-certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine. He is a trained, compassionate pain management specialist who provides state-of-the-art care to patients in the Irvine and Fountain Valley, CA areas for the relief of acute and chronic pain.
Dr. Rafizad did his internship and residency at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, then went on to UCLA Medical Center for a fellowship in pain management. He treats patients at the West Los Angeles Veterans Medical Center, where he is an attending staff physician for pain management and anesthesia.
Dr. Rafizad is dedicated to providing patients with specialized care that is tailored to their specific needs in order to provide long-term, substantial pain relief. His practice is now accepting new patients and accepts the majority of major medical insurance plans.
Overview:
Dr. Michael Willens is a Board Certified Anesthesiologist and Pain Management specialist who is dedicated to becoming a "steward of healing." He founded The Advanced Pain Management Clinic in order to restore the traditional values of medical practice.
Dr. Michael attended Michigan State University and majored in Psychology, Philosophy, Ethics, and Pre-Medical Sciences. He also graduated from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine with a medical degree.
He received his specialist training in Anesthesiology and Pain Management at the world-famous Cleveland Clinic Foundation after completing his intensive medical internship at the famed Detroit Henry Ford and Riverview Hospitals. He also studied Acupuncture at the university level.
In addition to being a husband and father of four sons, He is a professional photographer, an amateur astronomer, a musician, an artist,and a philosopher. He's also a member of a number of prestigious medical organizations and a frequent speaker at Florida Osteopathic Medical Association conferences.
Overview:
At his office, Alleviate Pain, Raviinder S. Parmar, helps his patients find relief, he employs the most recent advances in pain medication. He is board-certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine, provides comprehensive, compassionate care to the men and women of Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg, Florida, and the surrounding towns.
Dr. Parmar grew up in Naples, Florida, and attended the University of Florida for his undergraduate studies. He moved on to Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia to get his medical degree, where he acquired a passion for assisting individuals suffering from pain find relief.
At the prominent Rothman Institute in Philadelphia, he did research and published multiple papers and chapters. After that, he did a surgical intern year at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago and an anesthesiology residency at Harbor UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Overview:
Dr. Daitch received his undergraduate degree from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster and then went on to Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to obtain his Medical Doctorate.
He's also been a strong supporter of attempts to educate the public and mentor his peers.
Dr. Daitch was one of just 150 physicians worldwide to receive Board Certification in Pain Management and Pain Medicine. One of the reasons The Lee County Medical Society gave Dr. Daitch the 2016 Physician Award for Citizenship & Community Service was because of his commitment to quality in patient care that reaches far beyond southwest Florida.
He has been the ConcertMaster of the Gulf Coast Symphony for two decades and has played since the age of five. He's also a judge at the annual Edison Science Fair in Fort Myers, and he encourages kids to explore science.
Overview:
Dr. Jassal graduated from the University of California, San Diego, with a bachelor's degree in biology.He then went on to earn his Doctor of Medicine degree at Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica, West Indies, before moving on to the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in Great Neck, New York, to complete his physical medicine and rehabilitation residency. At the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa, Florida, he completed his medical education with a pain medicine fellowship.
He was voted the #1 Tampa pain physician in 2018 and the runner-up in 2020 in the Tampa edition of Top Doctor. In 2018, he was named Pain Faculty Attending of the Year by the University of South Florida. For his research, he just received first prize at the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians' annual convention.
Dr. Jassal is now board-certified in both pain medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He uses his pain medicine expertise to assist people in managing even the most difficult pain. Dr. Jassal treats cancer pain, neurological pain, and musculoskeletal pain, as well as chronic and acute pain.
Dr. Jassal shares his knowledge with others while he isn't treating patients. He is an assistant professor in the University of Central Florida's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, as well as an assistant clinical professor in the University of South Florida's Pain Medicine Fellowship.In addition, he is actively involved in research to find new, minimally invasive approaches to manage spinal pain.
Overview:
Dr. Datta is a board-certified anesthesiologist with fellowship training in pain medicine. Prior to joining Florida Medical Clinic, she trained at the Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Weill Cornell, and Hospital for Special Surgery. Dr. Datta has experience caring for patients both in and out of the operating room, and has seen firsthand the negative impacts of chronic pain. She specializes in a variety of fresh and innovative approaches for treating back, chest, breast, muscular, and joint pain.
Meharry Medical College in Nashville was where she received her medical education. She is a member of several professional organizations and has a particular interest in functional medicine, oncologic pain, and joint pain.
Dr. Datta thinks that pain management should be comprehensive, patient-centered, and ever-changing to meet the needs of the patient.
She has contributed chapters in medical textbooks and continues to conduct research in the fields of inflammation and pain treatment.
Overview:
Dr. Richard C. Sims is an interventional pain management physician who is board certified. He brings to The Orthopedic Clinic a variety of services, including diagnostic methods to aid in the surgical evaluation of patients, innovative pain treatment techniques, and the insertion of implantable pain control devices.
Dr. Richard Sims graduated from Florida State University College of Medicine with a medical degree. Following his M.D. He completed an anesthesiology residency and a fellowship in multidisciplinary pain management at the University of Florida's Department of Anesthesiology.
He obtained multiple scholarships and awards during his undergraduate and medical degrees, including Chronic Pain Outstanding Resident of the Year. He has given presentations to fellow physicians across the country about his pain management studies and publications. Dr. Sims sees patients from all over the country at The Orthopedic Clinic.
He enjoys spending time with his family, swimming, tennis, and traveling in his spare time. He calls himself a "foodie" who enjoys trying out new places.
Overview:
Dr. Mauna is a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist who also practices pain medicine.She specializes in treating neck and low back pain with interventional procedures and spinal cord stimulation.
After completing a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency at the University of South Florida and a fellowship in Interventional Pain Management at Virginia Commonwealth University, Dr. Mauna joined the Pain Medicine Group.
She has specialized and extensive training in chronic pain issues, and she employs interventional and advanced treatments such as stem cell therapy to provide the greatest pain management options to clients in Central and South Florida.
Overview:
The American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation officially certified Dr. Paul Satia to practice pain medicine. He graduated from the University of Iberoamericana (UNIBE) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with a medical degree. He began his physical medicine and rehabilitation studies at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan, New York, followed by five years of specialist training at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, including a pain medicine fellowship. Dr. Satia joined Kennedy-White Orthopaedic Center in 2014 after practicing pain medicine at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Satia treats patients with acute and chronic pain using both interventional and non-interventional pain treatment. He also has a wide experience that allows him to use a multi-modal approach to treat diseases based on his expertise and training. He belongs to numerous pain management associations and has written over a dozen articles about pain treatment and rehabilitation.
Dr. Satia is proficient in Spanish, Hindi, and Punjabi, and in his spare time, he enjoys tennis, basketball, foreign travel, and constructing computers. Sarasota Magazine rated him a Top Doctor from 2018 to 2021.
When choosing the best pain management doctors in Florida, there are a few things you have to look out for. They include:
When choosing a pain management doctor, experience is an essential factor to consider. This is because an extensive background in interventional pain management is essential when dealing with chronic back and neck pain.
Finding an experienced and qualified pain management doctor will increase your chances of getting the proper diagnosis and treatment for your chronic back and neck pain. An experienced pain management doctor must have performed the various procedures/treatments for an extensive amount of time, resulting in:
When looking for a pain management doctor to treat your chronic back and neck pain, it is best to choose a doctor who is specialized in the type of treatment you need. This is where fellowship training comes in.
There are two categories of doctors, general physicians, and specialists. If you're suffering from chronic back and neck pain, your best bet is usually to seek out a specialist. A specialist usually spends years of training and education focusing on a specific aspect of medicine.
Fellowship training is essential to becoming a specialist physician. During the training period, the learning physician (known as the fellow) follows a specialist closely to train in a subspecialty, which in this case would be interventional pain management.
Being a specialist is a highly coveted route in the medical field, and many medical students want to be specialists, but only a few are chosen.
Typically, only the best and the brightest are picked from each medical program to be fellowship-trained.
So if you need a pain management doctor to treat your chronic back and neck pain, make sure that your doctor is a fellowship-trained specialist.
Board Certification is an extra step taken by pain management doctors who want to prove that they know the latest development in their field. It is taken by doctors who demonstrate great commitment to their specialty and lifelong commitment to learning. Board-Certification requires further, extensive specialty-specific training.
One of the bodies responsible for providing Board Certification to pain management doctors is The American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP). They maintain the highest standards of practice of interventional pain management. They do this by encouraging education and training in interventional pain management, including various interventional techniques, alone or in conjunction with other treatment modalities.
Pain management doctors who are board-certified attend training and assessment beyond what is required of them or their peers. They also work to improve the care they deliver to their patients.
Board Certification is not a legal requirement to practice. But pain management doctors who spend their resources, including their time and energy, to get board-certified are showing their commitment to being the absolute best in their respective fields.
How comfortable are you with your doctor on a scale of 1-10?
This is a question you should always ask yourself. If you're suffering from chronic back and neck pain and need a pain management doctor, you need to make sure that the doctor you choose makes you feel safe and comfortable.
When choosing a pain management doctor, you need someone who can answer your questions quickly, honestly, and in the least technical manner.
You should ask yourself the following questions if you want to know if you're comfortable with your doctor:
It is usual for people to look up information on doctors, dentists, and other medical services on the internet before engaging their services. It's estimated that over 74.6 percent of people do this.
Patient reviews on the internet help you to know how good of a service a pain management doctor provides to his patient.
To ensure you get an authentic review about a surgeon, avoid their websites (as most website reviews are carefully curated). You should go on google and youtube and do a simple search on the surgeon, and various reviews from independent sources would pop out.
Also, you'll find patient reviews on forums like Reddit or quora. The more negative review a surgeon has, the more you should consider staying away from them.
Once you have your list of pain management doctors, the next step is consultation.
Consultations are essential because they allow you to ask your pain management doctor all the necessary questions and help you understand the problem, available treatment options, and the next steps.
Chronic pain can be overwhelming. This is why you should be as well informed as possible.
If a pain management doctor dismisses your need to have a consultation, that's usually a sign for you to find a new doctor. Pain management doctors who care about your wellbeing will take extra time to examine you carefully.
During your consultation, you should expect the following things
Also, during the consultation, these are questions you can ask to help you get a better understanding of the situation:
If you're not comfortable with the treatment recommendation, or the doctors' services, It is important for you to get a second opinion.
Getting a second opinion helps you to make an informed decision regarding the best treatment for your chronic pain. You'll be able to assess the benefits and risks against other alternatives.
Many people opt for interventional pain management due to a lack of surgical alternatives. The best surgical alternative to interventional pain management for those suffering from back and neck pain is Deuk Laser Disc Repair.
Deuk Laser Disc Repair is the most advanced laser spine surgery in the world. It is used as an alternative to dangerous invasive surgeries like total disc replacement and spinal fusion.
This revolutionary procedure was developed by Dr. Ara Deukmedjian, a renowned neuro-spine surgeon and a true pioneer in minimally invasive, laser, and endoscopic back and neck pain treatment.
Deuk Laser Disc Repair is a form of endoscopic spine surgery performed in a state-of-the-art outpatient surgery center under sedation while the patient relaxes. This procedure does not compromise or weaken the health and integrity of the spine.
In over 15 years of performing this procedure and with over 1,300 patients treated, there has been a 95% success rate with no complications in any patient.
To get started, Deuk Laser Disc Repair requires a very small incision, less than a quarter inch long. A cylindrical rod called a dilator is inserted in the small opening to gently spread the muscle to create a small passage and guide through which the surgery is performed endoscopically. The tip of the dilator is advanced into the symptomatic disc through the tear in the annulus where the herniation originates, and a tube called the retractor slides over the dilator and is carefully positioned into the painful disc. The rest of the entire Deuk laser disc repair surgery will occur inside this narrow tube.
To access the spine, an endoscopic camera is inserted into the tubular retractor to allow the surgeon to guide the laser inside each symptomatic disc. This process ensures that bones and surrounding tissues are not damaged, unlike traditional spinal fusions, microdiscectomy, and artificial discs.
The Holmium YAG laser used in the Deuk laser disc repair is manipulated accurately with millimeter precision under endoscopic visualization to remove only painful inflammatory tissue from the disc. The laser is precisely used to remove damaged disc material that is causing the pain.
Once the laser has removed the inflamed painful part of the annular tear and the herniated nucleus pulposus, the endoscope and tubular retractor are removed, leaving less than one-quarter inch incision in the skin, which can be closed with a single stitch and a band-aid.
The total time for the Deuk laser disc repair surgery is one hour, and the patient is in recovery for about 45 to 60 minutes before being released to go home. Hospitalization is not needed and the risks of hospital-based surgery are avoided.
Also, with the Deuk laser disc repair, there’s no loss of normal movement, and the flexibility of the disc and joint is preserved. With endoscopic Deuk laser disc repair there is no fusion, metal implants or biological material added to the spine. The procedure is all natural allowing your body to heal the herniated or bulging disc itself.
After the surgery, the Deuk laser disc repair patient is back home, enjoying life with a speedy recovery allowing normal activities without pain. Another advantage of Deuk laser disc repair is that no opioids or powerful narcotic painkillers are needed after surgery. Open spine surgeries like microdiscectomy, laminectomy, artificial disc replacement and fusion all cause so much internal trauma that patients are in severe pain after surgery and must take painkillers for weeks after their surgery but not with Deuk laser disc repair.
If you are suffering from back or neck pain, send us your MRI scan for a free review or schedule an in-person appointment at our clinic in Florida to learn more.
