Interventional Physiatry
Your backbone is made up of several bones, called vertebrae, and the cushions between them, called intervertebral discs. The spine protects your spinal cord and allows you to stand and bend. A number of problems can change the structure of the spine or damage the vertebrae and surrounding tissue. Arthritis or disc problems in the spine, for example, can cause pain in the back. Other spine conditions may “pinch nerves”, which can lead to pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in the arms or legs.
What is an Interventional Physiatrist?
Interventional Physiatrists are medical doctors who focus on acute and chronic problems of the musculoskeletal system and treat a spectrum of spine disorders. They take a non-surgical approach to spinal care to relieve pain and restore function.
At OAH, we are proud to have two leading physiatrists on our team, Dr. Pietro Memmo and Dr. Vincent Codispoti. Each is board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and has additional fellowship training in Interventional Pain Management. Dr. Memmo and Dr. Codispoti are responsible for diagnosing and treating painful spinal conditions in a conservative, non-operative fashion, with minimal use of opioids. Their approach to patient care includes:
- Diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal conditions
- Prescribing physical therapy and medications
- Performing ultrasound-guided injections in an office setting
- Conducting the most advanced, fluoroscopically-guided, minimally invasive spinal injections at one of our ambulatory surgical centers in either Hartford, Glastonbury or Rocky Hill
- Performing electrodiagnostic studies as part of the evaluation of patients with disorders of the peripheral nervous or musculoskeletal systems
At OAH, we have performed over 30,000 spinal procedures accurately, safely, and without issue. These minimally invasive procedures are done in state-of-the-art surgical centers, under sterile conditions, with fluoroscopy (a live X-ray machine) and with a dedicated and compassionate nursing staff.
Common Spinal Conditions
Our physiatrists focus on the non-surgical management of a wide range of spinal conditions with a particular focus on image-guided injections. They treat people of all ages who suffer from bone, joint, muscle, or nerve ailments that cause pain and impair normal functions. Patients may seek care for the diagnosis and treatment of symptoms associated with:
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Radicular pain/Sciatica
- Spinal stenosis
- Facet pain
- Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
- Sports injuries
- Arthritis
- Herniated disc
- Pinched nerve in the neck or back
- Work injuries
Diagnosis
We pride ourselves on first being “compassionate diagnosticians” and strive to definitively diagnose the source of your pain and to provide you with a broad spectrum of treatment options. Only after a firm diagnosis can the appropriate treatment begin.
What to Expect
At your first office visit, your Physiatrist will conduct a full initial assessment, which will include an extensive history and physical examination, as well as imaging studies such as spinal X-rays.
For patients who require it or do not respond to initial therapy, additional imaging studies such as CT scans and/or MRI studies may be ordered to assess a more comprehensive spinal anatomy.
Nerve Conduction Studies and Electromyography, commonly referred to as an EMG, is an additional diagnostic test that may be used. This is a minimally invasive test used to diagnose neurological conditions and assist in determining where the source of the pain originates from and the severity of the pain. Drs. Memmo and Codispoti have performed a combined total of over 10,000 EMGs in their careers.
Treatment Options
Physiatrists take a multidisciplinary approach to non-operative musculoskeletal care. Initial treatments may include a round of customized and sport-specific physical therapy to address deficiencies in flexibility and strength, as well as a trial of basic analgesic medications. Most patients respond favorably to this initial intervention.
Depending on the injury and the response to treatment, minimally invasive image-guided spinal injections may be administered to treat pain and restore function. Physiatrists perform many different types of spinal procedures from the neck to the tailbone. These injections are used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Types of injections include, but are not limited to:
- Epidural steroid injections
- Selective Nerve Root injections
- Medial branch blocks
- Facet rhizotomy/Radiofrequency lesioning
- Sacroiliac joint injection
- Coccygeal injections
- Hip injections
- Discography
- Trigger Point injections
- Bursa injections
- EMG nerve conduction studies