In a move that’s created a network of fifteen clinics and ambulatory surgery centers, Central Texas Pain Center and Pain Specialists of Austin have merged under the name Pain Specialists of America. This network includes locations ranging from Waco down to San Antonio.

While every location will change its name and logo, this expanded ecosystem gives our team a more comprehensive set of resources to rely on. This means that though you may only see one doctor, you’ll have the experience and expertise of a much bigger staff.

If you suffer from chronic pain, call any of our 15 locations for a consultation. At Pain Specialists of America, we offer expert pain care, now even closer to home.

March 25-31 will mark the sixth annual National Physicians Week, seven days of acknowledgment ending in Doctor’s Day, a celebration of physicians’ dedication, hard work, impact on lives, and sacrifices for the public good.

The weeklong holiday not only recognizes the work of medical professionals in the present, but also commemorates the longstanding history of physicians, a story  27,000 years in the making.

Historians tell us that the first known healers showed up in cave paintings in what is now France, with ancient drawings depicting individuals using plants for medicinal purposes and performing rudimentary medical procedures.

With the Enlightenment Period of the 17^th Century came a surge in the natural sciences and a new knowledge of chemistry that disputed the premise that all things were made up of earth, air, fire, and water. By the 20^th Century, past strides and exponential growth in medical knowledge, techniques and tools combined to empower the modern physician in ways once unthought-of and inspire the scientific community to reach even greater heights in the fight against infirmity, injury and disease.

A lot happened in between, of course. Still, the point is that there have always been people who chose to dedicate their time and effort to relieving the pain and improving the lives of others, using whatever tools and knowledge available. The healers of the past would be astonished by the resources available to their counterparts today, but likely not by their dedication to their profession and patients.

Perhaps this is why we love to imagine physicians as superheroes in white coats, without capes but with the same fervent drive to correct what is wrong. This humble recognition of the positive impact physicians make has only further increased since the start of 2020 and the emergence of the global pandemic.

National Physicians Week marks a special time to reflect on the stresses these everyday heroes undergo, the years spent in training, the student debts they may have accrued, the increasingly hectic world of the ever-changing modern healthcare system and other sacrifices and obstacles they have to overcome.

With that top of mind, we recognize our own team members, who show up each day with smiling faces, a deep enthusiasm for positively impacting patient’s lives, and unmatched skills every day in their chosen field of pain management. We appreciate all they’ve done to get to this point, what they do for our patients and the ways in which they work diligently to advance our practices.

We’re proud of our doctors, and we encourage our patients to give them a shout-out, as well. Whether it be giving a carnation, writing a thank you note, or perhaps giving them a great online review, we really appreciate all of the kind remarks.

Happy National Physicians Week and Doctors Day to all medical practitioners and the people they serve!

Millions of Americans suffer from chronic pain. Many don’t have to. Are you one of them?

The truth is, people can become so used to being in pain that they accept it. They structure their lives around the discomfort or agony, which governs everything they do. They may have even sought some help in the beginning, but when “nothing worked,” they gave up trying. If this sounds all too familiar, take action now to make 2021 the year you took back control.

According to the National Institutes of Health, medical knowledge doubles every 73 days. That means constant introduction of new techniques and deeper insights into ailments and injuries, their causes and treatments. The science of understanding pain has benefited from this rapid advancement, resulting in the development of new therapies and multi-disciplinary approaches to pain management.

For instance, we recently wrote about the VERTIFLEX^® implant for lumbar spinal stenosis, a 30-minute procedure with the potential to provide lifetime pain relief in the affected area of the back for many patients. As it was approved by the FDA just five years ago, it may not have been an option when sufferers last sought solutions.

At PSA, we treat both acute and chronic pain. Treatment plans may include minimally invasive procedures, joint injections, regenerative medicine and sometimes medication.  Through an extended portfolio of resources, interventional therapies and advanced technologies, our experts at clinics across Central Texas customize targeted pain management solutions for speeding a patient’s return to a functional life.

Another example is Degenerative Disc Disease, which there are a number of treatment options for depending on its severity and naturally occurs with age. Treatments may include physical therapy, targeted interventional procedures, or more advanced spinal therapies. There are also more novel approaches, such as stem cell therapy.

The operative word here is “choice.”

This New Year, let us work with you to make the right choices to address your pain. From your head to your toes, from migraines to plantar fasciitis, our experienced and highly trained physicians and advanced practitioners will look at the condition – and you – to create an individualized roadmap to better days and greater health.

Call today for a free consultation, and from there, we will work together to get to back to life.