We have all been there. We have been at the breaking point as a result of pain, whether it is the dull, continuous throbbing type or the excruciating kind that prevents sleep and any semblance of normal living. Dr. James Padula has over 25 years of experience in treatment of spine and joint pain and also trains other physicians in the field. At Interventional Pain Professionals of Florida, there is another Pain Management Specialist, Dr. Christine Klepp who diagnoses from “head to toe” and is known for the adage, “If it hurts, she cares.” Two other surgeons are Dr. Brian A. Cole (Orthopedic Spine Surgeon) who has performed over 10,000 spine surgery procedures in his last 24 years of practice and Dr. Dennis Jones, extremity surgeon.
Interventional Pain Professionals of Florida (IPPFL) focuses on the treatment of spine and extremity injuries. They concentrate on evaluating, treating, and preventing pain. Dr. Padula begins with conservative approaches and moves to minimally invasive procedures if necessary. He has been practicing medicine since 1996 and in 2008 he began to focus on muscular-skeletal pain. He grew up in Long Island and was recruited by Bethesda Hospital but has always practiced in Broward and Palm Beach counties in Florida.
Thanks to referrals, Dr. Padula’s practice has grown to a total of about 3,000 patients. Dr. Padula said, “We do injury care; It is our forte and we treat neck, lower back, knees, ankles, wrists, shoulders, and hip injuries as a result of ‘slip and falls’, motor vehicle accidents, sports and failed surgeries.” He added, “We do more repairs than replacements.”
When a patient comes to IPPFL, the source of pain is identified first, then the doctor decides which possible pain management tool is best for the patient. Minimally invasive treatments such as medications, epidural injections, facet joint injections, trigger point injections, cortisone injections, PRP and stem cell injections, nerve blocks and more are utilized first and foremost before surgery. Most of these injections produce minimal pain, and are performed in-office. Somewhat new on the horizon are amniotic injections which are similar to stem cell injections, that are administered into joints, ligaments and tendons, and is approved by Medicare. The companies that produce the amniotic fluids have highly scrutinized production to ensure purity.
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is also used in certain cases. This is a medical procedure in which part of the electrical conduction system of the heart, tumor or other dysfunctional tissue is ablated, that is, destroyed, by using the heat generated from medium frequency alternating current. For pain management, radio waves are sent through a precisely placed needle to heat an area of the nerve. This prevents pain signals from being sent back to the brain. RFA is considered for long-term pain conditions, especially of the neck, lower back or arthritic joints that haven’t been successfully treated with other methods.
Lastly, many spine implant companies are developing innovative technologies that include robotic endoscopic tools for use by spine surgeons. If spinal surgery is needed, be assured in knowing that IPPFL has the best spinal surgeons and technology available, with specialties in cervical disc replacement and lumbar endoscopic disc repair, as well as lumbar disc replacement. Dr. Padula said, “We treat all of our patients like family. We offer the best pain management care available by using the most advanced, least invasive treatment options available in the industry.” For more information or to make an appointment, visit ippfl.com or call 561-461-7272.
