General Practitioners

• Osteoporosis
• Arthritis
• Fibromyalgia
  Fibromyalgia syndrome affects the muscles and soft tissue. Some of the symptoms of this condition include chronic pain in the muscles, fatigue, sleep problems, and painful tender points or trigger points at certain parts of the body. Widespread pain is definitely the most common symptom of fibromyalgia. This pain that is felt all over the body is a deep, sharp, dull, throbbing or aching pain felt in muscles, tendons, and ligaments around the joints. Another key characteristic of fibromyalgia are painful trigger points. These area located around joints and are tender when pressed with a finger. It is the tissue around the joints that are painful for these patients, not the joints themselves. The next major complaint of fibromyalgia is fatigue. Chronic fatigue sometimes make patients feel like they are run down or have symptoms of the flu.
• Medical Weight Loss

Psychiatrists

• Depression
• Anxiety

Radiologist

• MRI
  Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, is a chronic neurological syndrome characterized by a severe burning pain, pathological changes in the skin and bone, excessive sweating, tissue swelling, and extreme sensitivity to touch. There are two types of CRPS, Type I and Type II. CRPS is best described in terms of an injury to a nerve or soft tissue that does not follow the normal healing path and it does not depend on the magnitude of the injury. Physicians can diagnosis this condition with a thorough history and physical exam with the patient, bone scan, sympathetic nervous system tests, x-rays, and an MRI.
• X-Rays
• Computed Tomography
  Ou will be given medication to help you relax. A local anesthetic is applied to numb the area of the back to be tested. A needle is inserted from the back, and into the nucleus pulpsus, the very center of the intervertebral disc. A fluoroscope makes it possible for a doctor to see on the screen your spine and the needle as it moves. The doctor watches the screen as the needle is inserted to make sure it goes into the correct disc space. Once the needle is inside the disc, a small amount of fluid is injected to cause an increase in pressure. More than one level is tested to determine which levels are normal. If this test causes pain that is similar to your back or leg pain, it is a good indication that the disc is causing problems. Dye is inserted into the disc, and a CT scan is done to see a cross section of the disc. The procedure lasts about 40 minutes.

Surgeons

• General Surgery
  Faris Abusharif, M.D. is a native of Chicago, born and raised in the southwest suburbs. He completed undergraduate studies at DePaul University in Chicago. He received his medical degree from The Chicago Medical School. He completed 2 years of general surgery residency at St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago. He then completed his Anesthesia residency at the University of Illinois and subsequently completed his Pain Management fellowship also at the university of Illinois. He has been practicing Pain Management since 2005 and has developed an outstanding reputation among his patents and peers.
• Orthopedics
  Amy Beckman is a physical therapist who graduated from the University of Chicago in 1991. She has extensive experience in orthopedics with advanced training in orthopedic manual therapy and functional capacity evaluations. Amy is also a member of the American Physical Therapy Association. She is dedicated to improving the quality of patient lives and focusing on progressing each individual patient to their full potential.
• Sciatica
  Sciatica refers to the pain that begins in the hip and buttocks and travels into the legs. Typically this condition is also accompanied by low back pain. True sciatica occurs when a herniated disc compresses one of the roots of the sciatic nerve. Often a patient will have a previous history of lower back pain beginning a few days or weeks before the leg pain occurs, then the leg pain becomes worse than the back pain, and in some cases the back pain will completely disappear. Lying down is usually the most comfortable position, while sitting, standing, heavy lifting, or sneezing can aggravate the pain.
• Pinched Nerve
  Post laminectomy syndrome, or failed back surgery syndrome, is described as a condition occurring in patients who have not had a successful result with back surgery or spine surgery. Spine surgery is only able to accomplish two things, decompression of a pinched nerve root or stabilization of a painful joint. Unfortunately, back surgery cannot eliminate a patient’s pain completely. Some of the reasons that pain can persist after a back surgery include preoperative nerve damage that does not heal after a decompressive surgery. Also, nerve damage can occur as a result of a surgery causing residual pain.

Physical Therapists

• Physical Therapy
  Treatments for neck pain can vary based on the patient and treatments tried and failed in the past. These can range from medications and cervical pillows, to physical therapy and possibly surgery. Each patient is different and the physicians at Pain Treatment Centers of Illinois work to make sure each treatment plan is tailored to the individual patient to produce the best outcomes possible. The goal is to get each patient back to living life the way they should, pain free.
• Occupational Therapy
  There is no one single treatment plan for a patient with arthritis. Our doctors will work to develop a management plan designed to minimize the patient’s specific pain and improve the function of their joints. A cornerstone of therapy for any form of arthritis is physical therapy and occupational therapy to maintain joint mobility and range of motion. The proper kind and amount of this therapy will vary depending upon the underlying cause and upon individual factors that your physician will discuss with you.
• Back Pain
• Manual Therapy
  After a history and physical exam with your physician and reviewing MRI’s or other imaging studies, there are treatment options available for this condition. Generally treatment is focused on conservative measures first. These can include rehabilitation and some conservative pain management techniques. These techniques can include exercise, manual therapy, spinal cord stimulation and/or an implanted pump to deliver pain medication.