Institute for Pain Diagnostics and Care
Safe and Proven Pain Treatment and Management
According to the American Pain Foundation, more Americans are affected by pain than diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The Institute for Pain Diagnostics and Care, a division of Ohio Valley General Hospital, offers the help of a leading expert in pain management-David Provenzano, M.D., Executive Director.
Until recently, pain treatment centers were thought of as a last resort for the more than 50 million people who suffer daily from pain. Patients would often be unable to find relief and would continue to suffer from pain without the knowledge that safe and effective treatment is available.
Now, the medical community is realizing that safe, effective pain treatment begins with pain experts whose knowledge, research and commitment can significantly reduce their patient's pain and return their lives back to normal.
At the Institute for Pain Diagnostics and Care, a leading facility for treating patients who suffer daily from pain, Board Certified pain treatment expert Dr. David Provenzano and his experienced staff are able to utilize advanced diagnostic techniques to assess the source of the pain and develop a multimodal and safe treatment approach that can significantly reduce a patient's pain. Dr. Provenzano's vision is to help patients with acute pain earlier in the care cycle to improve their treatment outcomes. By detecting and treating the source of pain as early as possible, Dr. Provenzano hopes to break the cycle of recurring pain and restore the patient's comfort level so they can return to participating in the activities that they enjoy.
Dr. Provenzano and the IPDC staff also bring vast research knowledge to every patient treatment plan. Dr. Provenzano has published several national articles that cover a wide range of pain related topics, has been a principal investigator on multiple drug development clinical trials and also has spoken and lectured throughout the U.S. on advanced pain and anesthesia procedures.
Conditions Treated
Dr. Provenzano and the staff at the Institute for Pain Diagnostics and Care treat patients who have a wide variety of pain-related conditions. These conditions can include neck- and back-related pain - such as degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, lumbar radiculopathy, post-laminectomy pain syndrome and spinal stenosis - as well as nerve and limb pain, that may include diabetic peripheral neuropathy, peripheral nerve pain, phantom limb pain, postherpetic neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia and facial pain. Dr. Provenzano and the IPDC staff also specialize in the treatment of cancer pain.
Treatment Methods
Dr. Provenzano and the IPDC staff develop a multidisciplinary treatment plan for each patient that may include physical therapy, medication management, cognitive behavioral therapy and minimally invasive procedures that are designed to ease the patient's pain, improve quality of life and restore function. From x-ray guided joint injections to nerve blocks, to implantable devices, Dr. Provenzano's pain treatment procedures are customized to the patient's needs. In certain cases, advanced procedures may be beneficial. Advanced procedures include:
Epidural Steroid Injection - Epidural steroid injections can help patients who suffer from neck, arm, back, and leg pain caused by inflamed spinal nerves. Epidural steroid injections may be performed to relieve pain caused by spinal stenosis, or a disc herniation. Targeted with visual guidance at a specific level based on MRI and physical examination findings, Dr. Provenzano injects pain medication into the patient's epidural space to reduce inflammation in and surrounding the spinal nerve roots and adjacent tissues. The goal is to reduce inflammation to accelerate the recovery process.
Radiofrequency (Rhizotomy) -Radiofrequency lesioning is a safe, proven means to interrupt the nerve supply to the facet joint and thus the pain signal. Under x-ray guidance, Dr. Provenzano can interrupt the patient's pain signal and reduce pain in individuals who suffer from facet joint related neck and low back pain.
Spinal Cord Stimulation - Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) involves the delivery of pulsed electric signals near the spinal cord to reduce and control pain for certain medical conditions. Spinal cord stimulation may be considered when medical management, surgical intervention, and physical therapy have not been effective in relieving pain. SCS may also be beneficial in treating inoperable peripheral vascular disease. Using this method of pain management, Dr. Provenzano can provide effective pain relief for many pain related conditions including:
- Post-laminectomy pain syndrome (persistant pain after neck and back surgery)
- Complex regional pain syndrome (previously known as RSD and causalgia)
- Peripheral neuropathic pain
- Pain from inoperable peripheral vascular disease
- Pain from inoperable ischemic heart disease
Spinal cord stimulation has been proven to be effective for many of these conditions with lasting results in terms of pain relief, pain medication reduction, and improvement in quality-of-life indices and satisfaction scores.
Vertebroplasty - Under x-ray guidance, Dr. Provenzano injects bone cement into a fractured vertebra in order to stabilize it. Patients usually see significant pain relief typically within 48 Hours but results are often immediate. Patients have also reported an increased range of motion and can usually return to previous levels of activity.
Intrathecal pump treatment - Patients with cancer who have not found adequate relief through conservative pain therapies may benefit from intrathecal drug delivery, or a "pain pump." Intrathecal drug delivery is a method of giving medication directly to the spinal cord. Dr. Provenzano surgically implants the pump under the skin of the abdomen that delivers pain medication through a catheter to the area around the spinal cord.
Recent evidence also suggests that a pain pump may be a treatment option if other traditional methods have failed to relieve pain symptoms. Because the medication is delivered directly to the spinal cord, symptoms can be controlled with a much smaller dose than is needed with oral medications. The goal of a drug pump is to better control pain symptoms and to reduce oral medications; thus reducing their associated side effects. Individuals suffering from cancer pain who undergo the treatment may experience a reduction in pain, an increased survival rate, as well as overall improvement in activities of daily living.
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All advanced procedures are performed with visual assistance through ultrasound or fluoroscopy.
Looking Forward
With the mindset that he has only begun to scratch the surface of pain evaluation and treatment, Dr. Provenzano has a steadfast dedication to research and education that promises continued growth in pain medicine and management.
The Institute for Pain Diagnostics and Care recently opened a new office in the North Hills at Mt. Nebo Pointe Drive. For more information about the institute for pain diagnostics and care, call (412) 777-6400 or visit www.ifpdac.org.
Meet the Expert
Board certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine, David Provenzano, M.D., Executive Director of the Institute for Pain Diagnostics and Care at Ohio Valley General Hospital, is also a teacher, author, lecturer and researcher. Above all, however, Dr. Provenzano is passionate about patient care, as he offers both a vision and resolve that establishes a higher standard for pain evaluation and treatment in the Pittsburgh area.
Dr. Provenzano, a Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Colgate University, worked as a research assistant at the Musculoskeletal Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh. He was also a surgical intern at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia where he completed a rotation in acute pain services and found his inspiration. While working with the acute pain service, Dr. Provenzano first experienced the personal fulfillment of making an impact on patients' lives by relieving their pain and improving or reestablishing their ability to function.
Sharing the Gift
Dr. Provenzano lectures nationwide at various pain forums and presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting in New Orleans in October of 2009. At this meeting, he presented on various pain topics such as fluroscopic versus ultrasound views for chronic pain and the management of continuous peripheral nerve catheters from placement to removal for acute pain management following outpatient surgery.
Dr. Provenzano also presented on various pain treatment topics at the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Annual meeting in San Antonio in November of 2009, such as spinal cord stimulation benefits for peripheral vascular diseases, the history and evolution of spinal cord stimulation, discography, PPD, IDET, and Nucleoplasty, and current methadone therapy guidelines.
Dr. Provenzano has also been selected to serve on the American Society of Anesthesiologists Subcommittee on Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain. The American Society of Anesthesiologists is an educational, research, and scientific association of physicians organized to raise and maintain the standards of anesthesiology and improve patient care. The mission of the subcommittee is to advance the practice of anesthesia and acute pain through research and educational opportunities and ensure the specialties maintain a strong presence on Capitol Hill and other local government organizations.
Dr. Provenzano also serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor for the Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy. In the school of pharmacology, he lectures on the topic of anesthesia to students. He also serves as an Adjunct Clinical Instructor for the Physician Assistant program. At Robert Morris University, Dr. Provenzano serves as one of two external members of the Robert Morris University's Institutional Review Board. He is currently filming a DVD to advocate others about spinal cord stimulation and intrathecal pump treatment. Dr. Provenzano has also begun his two year term as President of the Board of Directors for the American Chronic Pain Association.
Patient Education (new newsletter added)
Click here to download the latest edition of Pain Medicine and Management, the quarterly newsletter from the Institute for Pain Diagnostics and Care. This issue focuses on cervical radicular pain and the methods Dr. Provenzano and his staff use to combat this pain.
To request additional information on the Institute for Pain Diagnostics and Care, complete the form below and a representative from the Institute for Pain Diagnostics and Care will contact you within one business day.
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