Stop the Pain and Restart Your Daily Activities.

Lumbar Frequency Ablation Available at South Central Pain Center

For 10 years, local resident Nancy Bingham has suffered with lower back pain. Every year the pain would intensify. Nancy set up an appointment with her internal medicine physician, Dr. Graham Rogers, at South Central Internal Medicine. After discussion and evaluation of other diseases she was being treated for, he scheduled a referral with Rayhan Tariq, MD. Dr. Tariq is a fellowship trained and board certified Pain Management Specialist at South Central Pain Center.

Nancy explains her story, “I have suffered with pain for years, but I continued to tell myself ‘I did not want another pain pill. I did not want to go to another doctor.’ However the pain became unbearable and limited my daily activities, so after consulting with my physician, I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Tariq. It was a wonderful decision.”

Nancy has been a LPN for many years. She has a background in long-term care and works for a healthcare facility in Meridian, MS. She has provided care for others and let her pain and health become secondary.

“Dr. Tariq worked with me to determine what was occurring on my spine. The correct diagnosis was found by doing a test block, and then he setup a process to relieve the pain which would help me long term with resuming daily activities.”

Dr. Tariq explains Nancy’s case: “Nancy presented with lower back pain. This pain intensified when she moved in a twisting and turning motion, sitting or standing for too long. Mainly, it was affecting her quality of life. Our goal was to improve her functional status and get her back to doing the things she enjoyed. When I examined her, I found the majority of her pain was stemming from her arthritic joints in the spine. The spine joints can become arthritic overtime, and twisting or turning motion aggravates this type of pain.”

To fully understand her diagnosis, Dr. Tariq performed a test nerve block that supply these particular facet joints. From the test, Nancy had more than 80 percent pain relief from her usual symptoms. This type of test block is not permanent, but South Central Pain Center offers a permanent treatment known as a lumbar radiofrequency ablation.

Radiofrequency ablation uses an electric current to heat up a small area of nerve tissue to stop it from sending pain signals. It can provide lasting relief for people with chronic pain, especially in the lower back, neck and arthritic joints. Dr. Tariq uses x-ray to precisely target the appropriate nerve. The procedure typically takes 15-20 minutes.

“This procedure is done with just a needle,” said Dr. Tariq. “There is no down time, no recovery time, meaning patients can go home the same day, there is no scarring. I use a live x-ray to perform this procedure very safely. These pain nerves’ only job is to supply pain sensations, so our goal is to permanently block those nerves. We use a small electric current through the specialized needle.”

Rayhan Tariq, MD
Pain Management Specialist
South Central Pain Center

The procedure interrupts the nerve supply from painful facet joints in the low back that may be the source of low back pain.

“After the ablation procedure, I have felt so good,” said Nancy. “I have been able to concentrate on things other than my pain or my disease. With the pain eliminated, I wake up in the morning, and think ‘okay, is the pain going to show up?’ But it is not going to show up because the ablation is working.”

When Nancy was asked about her quality of life after the procedure, she said, “I have been able to cook and no longer need to sit while cooking in my kitchen. I got out in the garden recently and was able to do a little gardening that I had not done in years.  I am 57 and I am able to get back to where I want to travel. I was not able to travel because I hurt too bad when I was in the car. Now I can get in the car and go. I feel like my life is back.”

At South Central Pain Center, we recognize how difficult and challenging it can be to live with chronic pain. Accurate diagnosis is essential for the most favorable treatment outcomes. Dr. Tariq is highly skilled at assessing the patients’ pain generators and providing comprehensive treatment options. Many pain clinics rely only on pain medications that limit patients’ quality of life because of side effects. Our goal at South Central Pain Center is to help you get back to your everyday life using minimally invasive procedures to minimize pain and reduce reliance on opioid medications.

To learn more about pain management services available, visit SouthCentralPain.com or call 601-425-7500. The facility is located at 1002 Jefferson Street, Suite 300, in Laurel.