PAIN MANAGEMENT IN LAS VEGAS

What is Dr Thaker’s Pain Management Philosophy?

Though an exact cause of pain has not been found by during prior health care the patient has received, this does not mean that a ‘pain generator’ does not exist. The patient is still in pain despite the lack of an exact diagnosis. It is not the patient’s doing, that the exact cause of pain can not always be determined. Would someone short of breath be dismissed simply because no one could not determine why? Yet this can happen to patients in pain without an exact cause every day across the country. Pain can still be treated for the patient. In ‘procedural pain management’, we are able to utilize procedures rather than long term medications in most cases. This is the cornerstone of Dr Thaker’s philosophy of pain management in Las Vegas. Contact us here for an appointment.

Diagnostic Strategies

VIDEO: Pain Management in Las Vegas- Dr Thaker describes our philosophy of care for pain treatment

How is Listening the key to medical diagnosis?

It surprises many people, but listening is the key to diagnosis in pain management. More so than any complex technology or even the physical examination. In fact, most of the time in medicine, a working diagnosis comes from a careful history. Your evaluation by Dr Thaker begins with a thorough directed history that you provide yourself. We ask also that you arrive with relevant treatment records in hand and or the contact details to obtain them. Further exam and sophisticated technology serve only to confirm this diagnosis in many cases. Thus simple listening is first and perhaps most valuable to our pain management treatment plan.

What is Point of Care Ultrasound?

Apart from our physical examination, Dr Thaker offers you, in the comfort of our office the ‘point of care’ or ‘bedside’ ultrasound. No separate trip is needed to the radiology center waiting for many hours. We use ultrasound to examine painful areas of the body, joints, limbs and musculoskeletal system. Handheld ultrasound also offers image guidance for injections of joints and soft tissues, increasing precision and safety. We obtain further imaging from radiology centers when needed.

What are Nerve conduction studies?

Dr Thaker also offers specialized diagnostic studies called ‘nerve conduction studies’. Electromyograms and nerve conduction studies are called “EMG” sometimes. This extends the physical exam of the pain management patient. These studies allow examination of the nerves, their connection to the muscles, and the muscles themselves. A small device produces and records tiny electrical impulses, to measure signals in nerves and muscles. The tiny needles often do not produce even a single drop of blood. Dr Thaker uses these studies to diagnose pain. ‘EMG’ is well established. EMG plays an important role in diagnosis of pain in limbs, hands, in the neck or back, carpal tunnel, and other areas.

Treatment Strategies

INTRO VIDEO: pain management in Las Vegas by Dr Thaker
TREATMENT VIDEO: pain treatment strategies in Las Vegas by Dr Thaker
REGENERATIVE VIDEO: regenerative medicine in Las Vegas by Dr Thaker
SUMMARY VIDEO: summary of pain management in Las Vegas by Dr Thaker

Do you offer ‘Conservative Care’, what does this term mean?

Conservative care is Dr Thaker’s philosophy to try safest and most effective treatments first. Many patients can delay or avoid procedures with more risks and cost using this approach. Further, Dr Thaker has a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic treatments to offer in our own offices. These services are garnered from his seven years of training in surgery and medicine, as well as pain management training for the office setting. As a private practice physician, Dr Thaker has the freedom to use all of the valley’s health care resources for pain management. This is without regard to the company or ‘brand’ of the resource. When physical therapy, other specialists, or even inpatient care is required, Dr Thaker can work with any other offices for the best results for you.

What is Visco-elastic treatment, does it really lubricate joints?

Visco-elastic injection treats joint pain that has failed prior therapies. This is injection of natural components found in healthy joint fluid, in a prepared product. For example, we inject the knee for arthritis. Many patients think of this as ‘oiling up the knee’. Hyaluronate is often the key substance. In healthy joints, hyaluronate lubricates and gives shock-absorbing quality to joint fluid. It is essential for proper functioning of joints. Hyaluronate through a simple injection can relieve joint pain and inflammation. After other treatments have been tried, insurances often cover this cost.

What are some Anesthetic and Anti-inflammatory Treatments for pain?

At times an injection into the spine, joint, or other area of the musculoskeletal system is of great value. Medications may include lidocaine, such as for trigger point injections. Trigger points are painful areas of muscle that can produce pain. They can even be physically felt by a skilled examiner. Also, steroid injections are well known to calm inflamed joints and tissues. They are often used alone or in combination with lidocaine, or other regenerative treatments. In summary, treatment areas may include trigger points of muscles; joint spaces of the spine, upper or lower limbs; the sacroiliac joints of the gluteal ‘butt’ area; facet joints or other spine related injections.

How do we use Regenerative Medicine for Pain Management in Las Vegas?

Regenerative medicine uses the bodies natural substances to heal injured areas and restore function. At the forefront of regenerative therapy for pain management is Platelet-rich plasma or ‘PRP therapy’. PRP naturally harnesses your body’s own regenerative powers. We take a small sample of your own blood, and concentrate this plasma in a special centrifuge to harvest the growth factors that come from platelets. Then ‘PRP’ is then injected into the areas of concern, such as a painful joint, stimulating natural regenerative processes.

Why is an accurate diagnosis so important to Dr Thaker?

Dr Thaker teaches that the key for determining how best to use PRP and other treatments, is asking the most specific question possible. As an example, we would not ask ‘does PRP work for joint pain’? Of course it may work, it depends. Rather, following our thorough evaluation, the question becomes ‘would PRP work for medial compartment degeneration of your knee?’ By making a specific diagnosis and developing a unique treatment plan, Dr Thaker can produce lasting results with regenerative medicine. Insurances may cover certain diagnoses for PRP, as testament to its effectiveness.

Does Dr Thaker Prescribe Pain Medications?

With such a variety of treatments, medications may be minimized or avoided all together for many patients. In addition, Dr Thaker has taken the extra step of obtaining a special permit, called DEA-X certification. This allows safe discontinuance of opioid pain medication, to rehabilitate patients from prior opioids. Finally, for longer term medications, we use the safety of a carefully structured treatment plan. We include frequent face to face visits, for reassessment and monitoring, which is fundamental to our approach.

What do we offer for Procedural Pain Management in Las Vegas?

• peripheral joint injections
• lumbar spine procedures
• nerve blocks, botox, and trigger point injections
• neurodiagnostics- EMG and NCS
• musculoskeletal ultrasound
• PRP (platelet rich plasma) and regenerative therapies
• viscoelastic supplementation
• advanced wound care and grafting
• personal injury, attorney lien
• disability evaluation, independent medical exam, case review
• migraine and complex pain syndrome care
• detoxification in specific cases (DEA X permit)

Towards this end, Dr Thaker is board certified by both ABFM (an ABMS board), and Pain Management by the AAOPM (non ABMS). Dr Thaker completed five years of surgical training in total (2 general, 3 orthopedic) with training in both operative and nonoperative pain treatment. He is also board certified as an Independent Medical Examiner by the ABIME, 2022-2023, for his opinions given to patients or other physicians. Dr Thaker has similarly performed compensation and pension exams for his opinions to help our service members for the Department of Defense. For insurances accepted, see here.

Dr Thaker also enjoys teaching fellow doctors and staff, his techniques in PRP, botox, and other pain treatments as a continuing medical education course director. He has taught several hundred physician students, when time permits him to direct courses throughout the region several times a year. If you are a clinician and would like to arrange a one on one preceptorship with Dr Thaker, please contact us.

No guarantee of results is made or implied. Individual results may vary. Some photos may contain models, not practice patients. All sales final. Other terms may apply, inquire.