Read About Arizona Pain Spinal Cord Stimulation Therapy

Arizona Pain Spinal Cord Stimulation Therapy is an exciting new treatment for patients! Arizona’s leading pain management practice announces new cutting-edge treatment option for chronic back and leg pain patients in Arizona

Arizona Pain (arizonapain.com) is dedicated to bringing cutting-edge chronic pain treatments to Arizona residents who need them. As part of that commitment, Arizona Pain is excited to announce that it is the first medical practice in the state to offer an innovative new therapy for chronic back pain and leg pain.

The Senza® SCS system, which delivers Nevro’s proprietary HF10 therapy (Nevro Corporation, Menlo Park, CA), is a recently FDA-approved spinal cord stimulator (SCS) that has demonstrated superior results compared to traditional SCS for the treatment of chronic back and leg pain.

100 million people in the U.S. suffer from a chronic pain condition. Chronic pain is the primary cause of adult disability in the U.S. Chronic back pain, specifically, is one of the most common reasons for missed time from work, with 80% of adults suffering from back pain at some point in their lives. There are a variety of treatment options for chronic pain, ranging from medication to surgery to interventional treatments, like spinal cord stimulation.

Traditional spinal cord stimulator therapy typically delivers electrical pulses that attempt to “mask” a patient’s sensation of pain by covering the area with paresthesias (tingling, pins-and-needles, and prickling sensations). HF10 therapy, on the other hand, relieves pain without paresthesias by using a higher frequency of electrical pulses, along with additional proprietary factors.

According to the FDA, HF10 therapy:

• Was found to have superior response rates and pain relief versus traditional SCS therapy in patients with back and leg pain
• Is approved for use without patient restrictions on motor vehicle operation while receiving therapy
• Is the only SCS therapy indicated to provide pain relief without paresthesias

Tory L. McJunkin, MD is the medical director of Arizona Pain and explains:

“Our practice is committed to finding the least invasive and most effective treatments to help those who suffer from chronic pain. HF10 therapy is an exciting cutting-edge treatment option for many who have failed other treatments. Our practice’s purpose is to provide hope and restore life for those who desperately need it.”

Arizona Pain is proud to provide this innovative new treatment option to chronic pain patients in Arizona.

About Arizona Pain

Arizona Pain was founded on a single premise—provide world-class care for those in our community, with a focus on research and cutting-edge treatment plans. For us, world-class care means providing the comprehensive and innovative treatments that we would want for our own mom or dad. It’s that simple.

Senza, HF10, Nevro, and the Nevro logo are trademarks of Nevro Corp.

Scottsdale, AZ., December 12th, 2014 –Volunteers from Arizona Pain’s charity organization, the Arizona Pain Foundation, will be hosting their 7th annual Christmas event for over 1,000 refugee children and their families this Saturday, December 13th, at City of Grace Church in downtown Phoenix. The “Christmas Party for Children Around the World” event will take place from 2:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m, and will benefit less fortunate families from other countries who have come to the Phoenix area with very few possessions.

The children come from countries that don’t typically celebrate Christmas, such as the Republic of Congo, Liberia, Iraq, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Nepal, and Somalia. Many of their families fled impoverished and devastating environments and escaped to the U.S. with only the clothes on their backs and whatever they could carry.

“These children are political refugees from all over the world, who have experienced civil wars, displacements, and of course terrorism,” says Dr. Tory McJunkin, co-founder of Arizona Pain (ArizonaPain.com) and the Arizona Pain Foundation. “Now, many of them will get to experience a traditional Christmas celebration for the first time, and we are thrilled to be a part of making that happen for them.”

Volunteers from the Arizona Pain foundation will serve alongside volunteers from Paindoctor, Inc., Arizona Medical Clinic, AZ Tech Radiology, Integrity Home Health, and City of Grace Church to provide all transportation, Christmas gifts, entertainment, and dinner for the children and their families free of charge.

“Each year we pause to reflect on how fortunate we are to live in this time and place,” says Joe Carlon, CEO of Arizona Pain and Paindoctor, Inc. “We are reminded in this season of giving that service to our community and providing to those less fortunate will largely define the legacy we leave behind. Pain Doctor and Arizona Pain are humbled by the success of this event, bringing Christmas to thousands in Phoenix each year, and we hope that our message and example continues to grow in the years ahead.”

For more information on how you can donate to these children and families, please contact Andy Le at Arizona Medical Clinic, 602-432-6579.

About the Arizona Pain Foundation

The Arizona Pain Foundation, which was started by Arizona Pain’ physicians Dr. Paul Lynch and Dr. Tory McJunkin organizes community service and charitable events each year as a way of giving back to the Phoenix areas. The Arizona Pain Foundation is comprised of Arizona Pain’ employee volunteers and serves as a way for the employees of Arizona Pain to give back to those in need –both locally and abroad. This nonprofit foundation is funded solely by 5% of all proceeds from the Arizona Pain eight Phoenix-based clinics in Scottsdale, Chandler, and Glendale, AZ. Founded in 2009, the Foundation’s mission is to share the love of God by bringing compassion, healing, and resources to those in need. This is accomplished by supporting international missionaries, by supporting local nonprofit community work and by promoting prescription drug abuse resistance to youth in Arizona.

Originally published on PRWeb.com

Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB)

September 24, 2014

September is Chronic Pain Awareness Month – a time to work together in raising awareness about the effects chronic pain has on those who suffer from it. In honor of Chronic Pain Awareness Month, Arizona Pain (arizonapain.com), the premier pain center in Phoenix, AZ, will be hosting a free “Chronic Pain Awareness Expo” that will be open to the public. The expo will take place at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in the Grand Sonoran Salon A-D, (5350 E Marriott Drive, Phoenix, AZ), on Saturday, Sept. 27th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

This event will be for patients and caregivers alike to learn how to better manage chronic pain and their health. The expo will highlight a variety of pain management resources and the latest treatments for chronic pain – including holistic and alternative therapies, interventional procedures, mental health, cutting-edge studies, lifestyle products, local support groups and assistance services, and much more.

Health and wellness vendors will provide attendees with educational information and special offers. Representatives from local support groups will also be available for patients and caregivers to talk to.

“We understand that chronic pain can be overwhelming,” says Kristen Lavoie, events coordinator at Arizona Pain. “We want those who suffer from chronic pain in the Phoenix area to know that they are not alone – and that there are many services in the area to help them besides having to resort to pain killers.”

According to the American Academy of Pain Medicine, over 100 million people in the U.S. suffer from chronic pain. Pain affects more in the U.S. than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined.

“Fortunately in the last couple of years, there has been more media attention focused on the growing chronic pain epidemic, as well as the skyrocketing number of people who are dying from opioid overdoses out of desperation for relief,” says Dr. Paul Lynch. “It’s estimated that every 19 minutes, someone dies from an overdose – and opioid overdoses cause more deaths than car accidents. This is one of the reasons why I’m so passionate about educating the public on the many integrative, holistic, and alternative options to treat chronic pain.”

Through this free event, Arizona Pain hopes to provide valuable resources for those in pain, so they can find the help they need. If you plan to attend this event, please RSVP by visiting ArizonaPain.com

About Arizona Pain

Dr. Tory McJunkin and Dr. Paul Lynch founded Arizona Pain to specialize in pain medicine. They started the practice together after a close family member battled severe, debilitating pain. The team at Arizona Pain works together to provide relief for various types of chronic pain – including back pain, neck pain, facial pain, joint pain, hip pain, cancer pain, and many other chronic pain conditions. These specialists work with one mission in mind: “to change lives by delivering world-class pain management care that we would want for our own mom and dad.” Arizona Pain remains passionate about treating those who suffer from chronic pain – with the ultimate goal of providing hope and restoring life.

Chandler Award Program Honors the Achievement

CHANDLER August 21, 2014 — Arizona Pain has been selected for the 2014 Best of Chandler Award in the Chiropractors category by the Chandler Award Program.

The chiropractic department of Arizona Pain has been recognized as the Best of Chandler. Arizona Pain places a strong emphasis on the benefits of conservative care. Patients have direct access to the chiropractic department in each of the practice locations, and can schedule directly with the chiropractic department. We are honored to have this department be recognized for its excellent patient care, lead by Jordan Gliedt, D.C. — Chance Moore D.C.

Each year, the Chandler Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Chandler area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2014 Chandler Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Chandler Award Program and data provided by third parties.

Click here to read more about our Chandler Office!

About Chandler Award Program

The Chandler Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Chandler area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Chandler Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.

SOURCE: Chandler Award Program

CONTACT:
Chandler Award Program
Email: PublicRelations@localawards.org
URL: http://www.localawards.org

Originally published on PRWeb.com

The team at Arizona Pain, the premier pain management clinic in the Phoenix area, (www.arizonapain.com), states that the recent reports on the efficacy of epidural steroid injections for back pain are flawed.

Scottsdale, AZ. July 5, 2014 – Dr. Paul Lynch, co-founder of Arizona Pain, the premier pain management clinic in the Phoenix area (www.arizonapain.com) has responded to recent reports of a study concerning the efficacy of epidural steroid injections for back pain.

The study, published by Dr. Janna Friedly in the New England Journal of Medicine, examined the use of epidural steroid injections for moderate to severe central canal spinal stenosis (1). Lynch calls the study “incredibly flawed” and believes that it may lead to denial of care for many people that suffer from low back pain.

“There are several points that I would like to address concerning this study,” says Dr. Lynch.

“The study examined the use of epidural steroid injections for the specific condition of moderate to severe central canal spinal stenosis, which is a severe diagnosis. Patients with this condition are typically not the best candidate for epidural injections, and many patients with this condition need surgery. We typically do epidural steroid injections for conditions other than severe spinal stenosis – such as bulging discs or some other disc pathology, before surgery is necessary,” he adds.

In the study, Dr. Friedly chose to use lidocaine as the control substance for her injections.

According to Lynch, it has been established for many years that injecting lidocaine into the epidural space can decrease pain by washing out inflammatory mediators.

“When epidural injections were first invented by anesthesiologists, it was done with lidocaine only, as they found this could make sciatica go away,” says Lynch. “Years later, research suggested that mixing steroids with lidocaine was more effective. Either way, this study shows that epidural injections are efficacious whether done with injecting steroid or lidocaine and steroid.”

According to Dr. Ted Swing, research director at Arizona Pain, anesthetic injections without steroids were the standard treatment for this type of back pain until the 1950s, when steroid injections became the preferred treatment. Dr. Swing suggested that comparing two potentially helpful treatments “might reveal if one treatment is better than the other, but cannot be used to justify the conclusion that one or both treatments were ineffective.”

“The conclusions we can draw from this study to guide future treatments are severely limited by the use of anesthetic injections in the control group. In other words, this study cannot show that either treatment is no better than injecting nothing at all,” says Swing.

Dr. Swing went on to say the study did find that epidural steroid injections resulted in a 27% reduction in disability and a 39% reduction in leg pain after six weeks, compared to a 20% reduction in disability and 36% reduction in leg pain for anesthetic injections.

“These are potentially substantial improvements,” says Swing. “Unsurprisingly, the study found that epidural steroid injections were generally more effective than anesthetic injections, though the depending on the time point and outcome examined, this difference did not always reach statistical significance,” adds Swing.

Patients receiving the injections also reported greater satisfaction with their treatment than those receiving anesthetic injections alone. Friedly’s study also showed that the average pain actually decreased from 7.3 to 4.0 in the group that got steroids in addition to lidocaine.

Dr. Tory McJunkin, Lynch’s co-founding partner at Arizona Pain, also weighed in on the study, saying “I have a lot of patients that would love to see their pain go from 7.3 to a 4. However, 75% of the patients in this study received interlaminar injections instead of transforaminal injections, even though the literature is very clear that transforaminal injections work better – and this has been proven in multiple large trials.”

McJunkin also points out that this study involved only one or two injections instead of the recommended series of three performed in the interlaminar space (when transforaminal is recommended), yet the study still showed almost 50% pain relief.

Dr. Lynch suggests that the final problem with this study concerns the possibility of insurance companies using this case to deny care to patients who actually need an epidural steroid injection.

“I’m shocked it was published in the first place and more shocked at the media’s spin on the story thus far,” says Dr. Lynch. “When a patient is a qualified candidate for an epidural steroid injection, comprehensive care should be provided in addition. For those who do not qualify for an epidural steroid injection, or for those who prefer not to receive one, we offer numerous other comprehensive and alternative treatment options that are highly effective for treating chronic back pain as well, and we have seen great success with the most severe cases of chronic back pain.”

For more information on Arizona Pain’s many treatments for chronic pain, visit ArizonaPain.com.

About Arizona Pain

The team at Arizona Pain works together to provide relief for various types of chronic pain – including back, neck, facial, joint, hip, and cancer pain, as well as other ailments. These specialists work with one mission in mind: “To change lives by delivering world-class pain management care that we would want for our own mom and dad.” Dr. Tory McJunkin and Dr. Paul Lynch founded Arizona Pain to specialize in pain medicine after a close family member battled severe pain.  Arizona Pain remains passionate about treating those who suffer from chronic pain – with the ultimate goal of providing hope and restoring life.

Ref: Friedly JL, Comstock BA, Turner JA, et al. A randomized trial of epidural glucocorticoid injections for spinal stenosis. N Engl J Med.2014 Jul 3;371:11-21. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1313265) http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1313265

Originally published on PRWeb.com.

Larger Glendale pain management clinic announcement- Arizona Pain, the premier pain management clinic in the greater Phoenix area, opened a new Glendale office space to better accommodate their rapidly growing number of chronic pain patients. 

Glendale, AZ (PRWEB) March 12, 2012

The Arizona Pain Specialist team is proud to announce the opening of a new, more spacious Glendale pain management clinic. The decision to relocate their Glendale office is the result of a rapid increase in patients from the surrounding areas. This new office is located in suite D-101.

“We expanded to a larger office suite with an improved lobby, larger clinical area and designated ancillary space to continue to provide world-class medical care to our community and better serve our valued patients,” says Arizona Pain CEO Joe Carlon. “We are very fortunate to have so many patients place their trust in our hands, and, for Arizona Pain, this means an enhanced ability to deliver our comprehensive, integrated care model to our patients.”

With this move, patients and staff will now have almost twice as much space, totaling about 5,000 square feet. The main lobby has nearly doubled to accommodate the growing number of needed seats for patients and waiting family members. There are also five additional patient rooms, and the clinic is now conveniently located in the same building as the procedure center.

“We have quickly outgrown our previous office, and this will serve as a more spacious, refreshing environment for our patients and employees alike,” says Jared Komernicky, front desk manager at the Arizona Pain, Glendale.

Other amenities include more space for chiropractic care, providing room for patients to complete their exercise therapy, and separate rooms for acupuncture, as well as traditional chiropractic treatment. There is also designated office space for behavior health sessions and EMGs. An in-house office manager will help correspond with all neighboring doctors and professionals.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Kristen Wesley, Boost Medical, Phone: 708-807-0047

Arizona Pain Unaffected by National Recall of Compound Pharmacy Products, Ensures Patients’ Safety

Arizona Pain, the premier pain management center in the Phoenix area, remains unaffected by the recent nationwide recall on compounding pharmacy medical products. All four pain clinics in Scottsdale, Glendale, Chandler and Phoenix have been cleared of any risk related to the recall of such products.

Scottsdale, AZ – March 26, 2013 – Arizona Pain (Arizonapain.com), the elite comprehensive pain management clinic in the Phoenix area, has cleared all four of their pain management facilities from any possible risk of exposure to mold contamination due to products nationally recalled last week by two compounding pharmacies.

“Arizona Pain has confirmed through our compounding center, Avella Pharmaceuticals, that it was not amongst those with contaminated products,” says Leila Micklos, Director of Clinical Services at Arizona Pain.

Last week, both MedPrep Consulting Inc., in Tinton Falls, NJ, (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm344229.htm) and Clinical Specialties Compounding Pharmacy in Augusta, Georgia, (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm344831.htm) voluntarily recalled all lots of products repackaged and distributed by their pharmacies. This nationwide recall of the pharmacies’ products was conducted after concerns regarding practices at the initial site of compounding could not assure the sterility of the products.

“Arizona Pain values each patient’s safety,” says Micklos, “and we would like to assure patients that we utilize a compounding pharmacy accredited by the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board and at no time have our medications been affected by the recent recalls.”

Arizona Pain continues to uphold nationally recognized practice standards as a leader in the field of pain management, and specializes in cutting edge, minimally invasive procedures for all types of chronic pain. Their many non-surgical procedures have shown to be extremely successful in curing pain, including epidural steroid injections for back and neck pain.

Arizona Pain Now Serving Patients in Phoenix with New Pain Clinic

Arizona’s leading pain management center specializing in the treatment for chronic and acute pain has opened a new clinic in Phoenix at the Desert Ridge Medical Campus.

Scottsdale, AZ. – March 4, 2013 – PR Web –Arizona Pain (Arizonapain.com) is now offering those who suffer from acute and chronic pain world-class care at a new location in Phoenix at the Desert Ridge Medical Campus, which has opened as of March 4, 2013. The new clinic is located off the 101 and Tatum, at 20940 N. Tatum Blvd., Suite B-210, in Phoenix, AZ, 85050, and will be open Monday–Friday, 7am–5pm.

“We know chronic pain affects over a million people in Phoenix alone,” says Arizona Pain CEO Joe Carlon. “Our commitment to the patients in this community is to provide the world class pain care they would want for their own Moms & Dads, and our newest location in the Desert Ridge area of Phoenix allows us to better deliver that kind of care to patients in their time of need.”

This new clinic space is comprised of 3,586 square feet with a spacious waiting room and seven clinic rooms, providing comprehensive pain care for patients all under one roof. Dr. Jack Anderson, a double-board certified Interventional Pain Physician and Anesthesiologist, will be the attending physician on site.

Dr. Anderson’s passion for helping those who suffer from chronic pain, along with his expertise in emergency medicine, diagnostic radiology and pain management, make him uniquely qualified to help those in need. Dr. Anderson completed his first residency in Emergency Medicine at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, California, and became a practicing Emergency Medicine Physician in 2005 before returning for training in the Diagnostic Radiology Residency program at Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center.

“Dr. Anderson has been recognized professionally as a thought leader, mentor and compassionate colleague,” says Dr. Tory McJunkin, co-founder of Arizona Pain. “We are confident in his skills of leading our Phoenix Pain Team and are proud to have him on board.”

Dr. Anderson and the team at Arizona Pain utilize a conservative, minimally invasive approach to comprehensive care, and offer safe, highly effective and alternative treatments for various pain conditions. In addition to this new Phoenix location, Arizona Pain has three other clinic locations in Scottsdale, Glendale and Chandler. Appointments to see the top-notch team at one of these four clinic locations can be made by calling 480-563-6400.

“It’s an exciting time at Arizona Pain,” says Carlon. “This is the first of many announcements we will be making this year about expansion and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to serve the community at our fourth location in the Phoenix Metro Area.”

About Arizona Pain

The team at Arizona Pain is dedicated to providing relief for various types of chronic pain, including back, neck, facial, joint, hip and cancer pain, as well as other chronic pain conditions. These specialists work with one mission in mind: “to change lives by delivering world-class pain management care that we would want for our own mom and dad.” Dr. Tory McJunkin and Dr. Paul Lynch founded Arizona Pain after a close family member battled severe, debilitating pain. Arizona Pain remain passionate about treating those who suffer from chronic pain, with the ultimate goal of providing hope and restoring life.

Pain Clinic Now Offering Revolutionary Neck and Back Pain Treatment

Originally published on PRWeb.com

The leading pain clinic in Arizona is now offering a ground-breaking treatment that often provides over a year of consistent relief. Arizona Pain now treats chronic neck and back pain with radiofrequency ablation (RFA). As one of the most innovative pain treatments developed in the past 20 years, RFA provides significant hope to those suffering from chronic pain and desire to avoid surgery.

Scottsdale, Glendale & Chandler, Arizona (PRWEB) November 19, 2012

For individuals suffering from long-term neck pain after a car accident with whiplash or back pain from arthritis, an RFA may allow people to need less pain medication, get back to work, and play with their kids. The treatment may be performed on multiple arthritic levels in the same setting. Both the arthritic lumbar and cervical spine respond well to RFA, and there is new research showing the sacroiliac joint receives pain relief as well with the treatment.

“Studies have shown a 60 to 90% success rate in well-respected publications such as The Spine Journal”
– Dr. Tory McJunkin

Radiofrequency ablation, also known as radiofrequency neurotomy, is an outpatient procedure that deadens the tiny nerve endings that provide sensation to arthritis joints. By eliminating these small nerve endings, which are known as medial branches, the patient experiences pain relief results that may persist for 12 to 18 months. Eventually, the small nerve endings may grow back. At that point, studies confirm that a repeat RFA typically works well again.

Spinal surgery is often not the best answer for back pain due to spinal arthritis. The reason is that multiple levels are usually affected, and no effective joint replacement exists for the spine like it does for hips and knees. Fusing multiple arthritic levels entails risks that often outweigh the benefits achieved.
Therefore, having a procedure that allows patients to avoid surgery while achieving substantial long-term pain relief has been revolutionary in the world of pain management. A radiofrequency neurotomy is a low risk procedure, and studies have shown a 60 to 90% success rate in well-respected publications such as The Spine Journal.

Along with this cutting edge procedure, Arizona Pain offers several additional non-operative treatments including medication management, physical rehabilitation, acupuncture, chiropractic manipulations and spinal decompression therapy. The combination of alternative and traditional options allows for individualized treatments, which have lead to over a 90% success rate overall.

Arizona Pain accepts a considerable amount of insurance options including Medicare, BCBS, Aetna, Cigna, United and Humana along with Personal Injury, Worker’s Compensation and many more. The clinics serve a broad area including Florida with Board Certified and Award Winning pain doctors and chiropractors.

Arizona Pain Responds to Alarming Media Reports on Prescription Drug Epidemic

Arizona Pain, the nation’s premier pain management clinic, emphasizes the importance of proper protocol for opioids in response to national media reports on the alarming rate of prescription drug-related deaths. Pain Physicians Dr. Tory McJunkin, M.D., and Dr. Paul Lynch, M.D., encourage greater patient education on opioid risks and ensure patient safety by using a 12-step protocol when prescribing narcotics for pain management.

Scottsdale, AZ. – Nov. 19^th, 2012 – The pain management physicians at Arizona Pain have responded to recent media reports by the L.A. Times and CNN on prescription drug-related deaths by encouraging increased physician-patient education on the role of opioids for pain management.

Both the November 11, 2012 L.A. Times article “Legal Drugs, Deadly Outcomes” and CNN’s November 18“Deadly Dose” documentary, addressed the skyrocketing prescription drug epidemic in the United States. Statistics report that every 19 minutes someone dies from a narcotic-related overdose. More people die from prescription drug-related deaths than in fatal car accidents, making prescription drug-related deaths the number one cause of accidental death in the United States.

“Opioid abuse has been a very important issue to us since the inception of Arizona Pain,” says Dr. Paul Lynch, M.D. and co-founder of Arizona Pain. “We have always been a leader in this discussion, designing the 12-step opioid protocol in 2008 which has become the safest protocol in the industry.”

Lynch states that besides the risk of death related to misuse, extended use of opioids can lead to dependence, addiction and increased tolerance of the pain medication itself, which in turn may encourage patients to take higher doses. In addition, he says recent data shows that instead of relieving pain, taking increased dosages of pain medication only heightens pain receptors in some situations.

To ensure patient safety, Arizona Pain providers follow a 12-step opioid protocolwith a compliance checklist for long-term opioid therapy. The Arizona Pain team only prescribes opioid medications when the patient’s pathology warrants such a use, when the patient satisfies specific criteria and when the patient has failed other, lower risk treatment options.

“While we understand that opioid prescriptions play an important role within pain management, and oftentimes prove to be beneficial for a lot of patients, we pride ourselves on being aligned with the supporting research and believe in low to moderate dose opioid therapy,” says Dr. Tory McJunkin, Lynch’s partner in co-founding Arizona Pain. “Having treated over 30,000 patients over the last five years, we have never had an overdose death due to our stringent protocols.”

McJunkin states that opioids can be prescribed in some circumstances, and many of Arizona Pain’s patients are treated with these medications, however, great care must be taken to ensure safety.

“These are not benign treatments — our team goes to great lengths to describe the risks of these medications when they are prescribed,” says Dr. McJunkin. “We typically do not prescribe high doses of opioid medications as research continues to show that this regiment has much greater risks for patients with few long-term benefits as compared to lower doses,” adds Dr. McJunkin.

According to a recent study conducted by the Arizona Pain’ Research Department, 69% of Arizona Pain’ patients were able to reduce their opioid dosage with the help of non-narcotic medication, and 52% came completely off of opioids.

“Opioid risk assessment is the single most important thing we can do to decrease death due to opioids,” says Dr. Lynch. “Every physician should look for signs of abuse, check board of pharmacy reports, run urine drug screens, etc.” In addition, Lynch warns patients not to mix pills such pain pills, sleeping pills, anxiety pills, etc.

Arizona Pain aims to help their patients by providing other treatment options first before providing pain medications. Many of these alternatives to opioids can help a patient with their pain without requiring any medication at all, which means that they can continue to live a productive life without potentially harming themselves by using or abusing opioid medications.

As the prescription drug epidemic reaches new heights, and prescription overdoses kill more people than heroin and cocaine, Arizona Pain believes that this problem is preventable.

“We see many people saying they need narcotics, and sometimes we must have a very honest discussion with them, offer them a better solution for their pain, and help get them off opioids,” says Dr. Lynch. “Patient wellbeing and safety is our top priority, and at Arizona Pain, we strive to treat every patient as we would our own mother or father.”

About Arizona Pain

The team at Arizona Pain works together to provide relief for various types of chronic pain, including back, neck, facial, joint, hip and cancer pain, as well as other ailments. These specialists work with one mission in mind: “To change lives by delivering world-class pain management care that we would want for our own families.” For more information on Arizona Pain, visit Arizonapain.com.