Our Services

These include medical management, non-invasive or minimally invasive procedures, rehabilitation and behavior modifications. Many of these procedures are described and illustrated on our web site.

Advanced Pain Specialists of Southern California physicians are trained in the latest and most clinically proven interventional procedures for pain. If our doctors recommend a procedure for your pain, they will discuss it in detail with you beforehand, and answer all your questions.

Comprehensive Pain Evaluations

  • Rapid appointment scheduling
  • Board certified Pain Medicine physicians
  • Experts in treating most all chronic pain conditions
  • Wide range of treatment options available
  • Evidence based treatment guidelines referenced

Cancer Pain Management

  • Rapid assessment with fast pain relief strategies
  • Easy access to physician for phone consultation
  • Office works closely with primary treating doctor

Chronic Neck and Low Back Pain Management

  • Chronic neck and low back treatment for a wide range of causes
  • Conservative and advanced interventional treatment strategies available
  • Evidence based treatment guidelines referenced
  • Treatments provided by board certified experts with extensive experience

Occipital Nerve Blocks

  • For headache pain resulting from chronic neck pain
  • Can be administered periodically in office

Buphrenorphine (Suboxone) Therapy

  • Alternative medication treatment solution compared to classic opiates
  • Option to inpatient detox programs in select patients
  • Once or twice a day dosing for convenience
  • See link on education page

Acupuncture

  • Alternative treatment option to conventional medicine
  • Provided by licensed acupuncturist – Doctor of Oriental Medicine
  • Useful in many chronic pain conditions

Epidural Steroid Injections

  • For neck or low back pain unresponsive to physical therapy or medications
  • An anti-inflammatory class of steroid is administered to the spine
  • Less side effects compared to oral steroid dose packs

Selective Nerve Root Blocks/ Transforaminal Epidurals

  • Small amount of steroid is administered near the irritated nerve
  • For spine injuries causing shooting (radicular) pain in the arms or legs
  • Much smaller needle used compared to traditional epidural steroid injections
  • Fluoroscopic guidance used to assure accurate medication placement

Sacroiliac Blocks

  • Sacroiliac joint is a source of pain in up to 15% of chronic low back pain sufferers
  • For low back without numbness or lower extremity weakness
  • Fluoroscopic guidance used to assure accurate medication placement

Facet Block

  • For neck or low back pain that does not radiate to hands or feet
  • Injected into the spine joint or at the nerve branch for differential diagnosis
  • Fluoroscopic guidance used to assure accurate medication placement

Discography

  • Diagnostic procedure frequently requested by spine surgeons – Used along with MRI to identify painful discs
  • Helps to ensure the correct surgery – treatment option is provided
  • For both neck and low back injuries

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy/ Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Therapy

  • Experts in diagnosing and treating Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
  • Conservative and advanced treatment options available
  • Evidence based treatment guidelines referenced

Stellate Ganglion Blocks

  • Controls sympathetic type pain (like severe sunburn) in arms-hands
  • Local anesthetic is applied to nerves responsible for abnormal pain messages
  • Fluoroscopic guidance used to assure accurate medication placement

Lumbar Sympathetic Blocks

  • Controls sympathetic type pain (like severe sunburn) in legs-feet
  • Local anesthetic is applied to nerves responsible for abnormal pain messages
  • Fluoroscopic guidance used to assure accurate medication placement

Soft Tissue Pain/ Fibromyalgia Treatment

  • Treatments in combination with or after physical therapy
  • Acupuncture therapy available

Medication Management

  • Individualized based on history, tolerance, and type of pain
  • Medications provided with goal of limiting side effects or potential dependency
  • Guideline based opioid treatment in select cases
  • Office utilizes opioid “contracts”

Radiofrequency Neuroablations

  • Long term treatment with neck or low back pain relief up to one year
  • For patients who have had good relief with diagnostic facet blocks
  • Fluoroscopic guidance used to assure accurate medication placement

Vertebroplasty

  • Treatment of compression fractures in the spine
  • Out-patient procedure
  • Immediate pain relief common
  • Uses special cement to fix the cracks in the fracture

Chronic Abdominal Pain Management

  • Treatment strategies available based on medical condition
  • Management considers co-existing diseases

Intercostal Nerve Blocks

  • For persistent chest or rib pain from fractures, bruises, or surgery
  • Can be used to treat difficult pain from shingles in the chest-rib areas
  • Fluoroscopic guidance used to assure accurate medication placement

Alternative Medicine Therapies

  • Acupuncture available
  • Consultation-treatment with Doctor of Oriental Medicine
  • Biofeedback and yoga therapy referrals

Celiac Plexus Blocks

  • Used to help define causes of chronic abdominal pain
  • Can be used to treat pancreatic pain
  • Fluoroscopic guidance used to assure accurate medication placement

Pudental Nerve Blocks

  • Used for chronic pelvic pain conditions without clear cause
  • Requires prior referral-clearance from gynecologist
  • Fluoroscopic guidance used to assure accurate medication placement

Spinal Cord Stimulator Implants

  • Non-medication approach for select chronic pain conditions
  • Especially helpful for chronic nerve pain in extremities
  • Ideal for severe Complex Regional Pain Syndrome -also known as RSD
  • Non-surgical trial is done before permanent implant to help ensure good outcomes

Intrathecal Morphine Pump Implants

  • Long term treatment option for severe chronic pain
  • For patients who have failed conservative treatments and or surgery
  • Small, computerized pump placed in the abdomen
  • Pain medication is administered directly to the spine
  • Non-surgical trial is done before permanent implant to help ensure good outcomes

Percutaneous Disc Decompression

  • Minimally invasive treatment option
  • Used for painful disc injuries unresponsive to conservative treatment
  • Out-patient procedure
  • See link on education page

Botox Therapy for Chronic Pain

  • Indicated for cervical torticollis-neck muscle spasms
  • Useful for certain types of chronic headaches
  • Useful for severe chronic pain caused by myofascial trigger points

Supra Scapular Nerve Blocks

  • Useful to block shoulder pain to allow greater mobility with physical

Qualified Medical Examiner (Q.M.E.) Evaluations

  • Worker’s compensation claims
  • Rapid report turnaround
  • AME and IME evaluations also available
  • Lakewood, Santa Ana, and Rancho Cucamonga locations