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Joint Pain

Sara Goel, DO

Board Certified Interventional Pain Management Physician & Board Certified Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician located in Inner Loop, Medical Center, Rice Village, Houston, TX

More than 92 million adults have arthritis, a disease that typically leaves over 25% of its sufferers in severe enough pain to limit their activities. As an experienced doctor who is double board-certified in pain management and rehabilitation, Sara Goel, DO, offers the best in personalized joint pain relief for adults in the Houston, Texas, area. If your joint pain makes moving difficult and leaves you frustrated or depressed, don’t wait to learn about the latest nonsurgical solutions. Call the office or book your appointment with Dr. Goel through online scheduling now.

Joint Pain Q & A

What is joint pain?

Joint pain develops where two or more bones connect. Joints are multipart structures that include bone, cartilage, membranes, and cushioning sacs, and they’re supported and surrounded by ligaments, tendons, muscles, and other components. 

What causes joint pain?

Some common reasons for joint pain include:

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis, characterized by the gradual breakdown of cartilage within joints, causes severe joint pain for some 33 million Americans. Most adults over 60 have some amount of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis often affects large joints, including the hips, knees, spine (back), and shoulders. 

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when your immune system attacks joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can occur in any joints, but it’s most common in smaller joints like those in the hands and feet. Rheumatoid arthritis often causes severe swelling and joint deformity along with the pain. 

Bursitis

Bursitis develops when the tiny cushioning sacs around your joints, the bursae, grow inflamed. The inflammation triggers swelling and joint pain. Bursitis can occur in any joint, but it’s very common in the shoulders, hips, and elbows.

Among many additional possible causes of joint pain are tendon inflammation (tendinitis), fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), lupus, and psoriatic arthritis. 

Dr. Goel conducts a comprehensive evaluation to find the underlying cause of your joint pain. She performs a physical exam, reviews your medical history, and conducts advanced tests to give you the most personalized advice and customized pain management plan. 

What does a joint pain treatment plan include?

Dr. Goel offers multidisciplinary care that emphasizes nonsurgical joint pain relief. Your treatment plan typically includes:

Medication management

Dr. Goel can manage your current medication regimen with a focus on your bodywide health. She can even help you decrease pain medications like opioids so you can get out of pain without relying on habit-forming drugs. 

Physical therapy

Physical therapy can include special exercises to improve joint function and support, as well as pain relief methods like heat, ice, and therapeutic ultrasound. 

Interventional pain management

If conservative care isn’t adequate, Dr. Goel can recommend interventional pain management treatments like steroid injections to diminish inflammation, nerve blocks to stop nerve signals, or regenerative medicine injections to restore damaged tissue.

For intractable joint pain, there are also long-term options like peripheral nerve stimulators that intercept pain signals or radiofrequency neurotomy to disable the nerves that deliver joint pain signals.

Dr. Goel focuses on compassionately easing your pain so you can avoid major surgery like joint replacement.

There’s no longer a reason to suffer from joint pain, so call Dr. Sara Goel or click on the online scheduler now. 

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