For Patients
Information
HOPITAL AFFILIATIONS
INSURANCE
Medicare
US Department of Labor
BCBS PPO
United Health PPO
Aetna PPO
Humana PPO
Workman’s Compensation
Personal Injury with or without attorney representation (ie. State Farm, Geico)
If you are wondering if your insurance is accepted, please contact the office at 708-628-8574.
PAIN MANAGEMENT RESOURCES
ASRA Treatment Options for Chronic Pain https://www.asra.com/page/46/treatment-options-for-chronic-pain
Knee Joint Fluid Replacement Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zcxVhsaV0c
Lubar Epidural Steroid Injection Video https://www.spine-health.com/video/epidural-steroid-injections-back-pain-and-leg-pain-video
Radiofrequency Ablation Video https://www.spine-health.com/video/lumbar-radiofrequency-neurotomy-video
Sacroiliaic Joint Injection Video https://www.spine-health.com/video/sacroiliac-joint-steroid-injection-video
FORMS
Kalina Pain Institute Intake Form
Kalina Pain Institute Medical Release Form PDF
Office Hours
MONDAY : 8:30 AM - 3 PM
TUESDAY : 11 AM - 6 PM
WEDNESDAY : CLOSED
THURSDAY : 11 AM - 6 PM
FRIDAY : 8:30 AM - 1 PM
SATURDAY : APPOINTMENT ONLY
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a patient expect from the visit?
Dr. Kalina will begin with a thorough history followed by physical exam. In addition, medical records the patient provides will be reviewed. A potential list of diagnoses will be discussed with the patient. A treatment plan will then be discussed. This may include prescribing medications, ordering imaging studies (i.e. X-Ray, MRI), referral for physical therapy, referral to additional specialists, and scheduling for procedures.
What is a pain clinic and what do they do?
A pain clinic is a location where doctors offer solutions to chronic pain. Conditions that generally respond well to pain clinic services are arthritis, back pain, and cancer. In addition, migraine headaches, shingles pain, and carpal tunnel syndrome pain frequently respond favorably to pain clinic treatments. Many primary care doctors refer their patients to pain clinics when they have exhausted other methods of pain relief.
Is pain management covered by insurance?
In general pain management services are covered by your insurance. Prior to treatment authorization may need to be requested.
What are some pain management techniques?
Our goal is to help you live your fullest life, with improved pain levels and function by managing your pain. We use several approaches to pain treatment:
- Medication management
- Physical therapy
- Interventional techniques
- Psychological therapies
- Alternative medicine including CBD
Our advanced treatment options include:
- Non-operative treatments for osteoarthritis of the shoulder, knee and hip, including intra-articular joint injections and genicular (knee) nerve blocks.
- Surgical implantation of spinal cord stimulators to treat chronic pain in the spine and in other areas of the body.
- Epidural steroid injection to help lessen the symptoms from degenerative discs or disc bulges.
- Radiofrequency Ablation to address osteoarthritic pain along the spine.
- Cancer pain treatment, including medication management to ease painful symptoms caused by the disease and treatment.
- Nerve blocks and other pain management options to limit pain from carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetic neuropathy and for post-herpetic neuralgia and shingles.
- Discussion of lifestyle modifications that can sometimes be used to improve pain caused by certain conditions.
What does interventional pain management mean?
What to expect from a pain management doctor?
You can expect a thorough evaluation, treatment options and ultimately a return to a higher level of function. The goal is to put a smile back on your face while you enjoy activities that once were not an option due to pain.
What To Expect from your Visit
Dr. Kalina will begin with a thorough medical history interview, followed by physical exam. In addition, medical records the patient provides will be reviewed. A potential list of diagnoses will be discussed with the patient. A treatment plan will then be discussed. This may include prescribing medications, ordering imaging studies (i.e. X-Ray, MRI), referral for physical therapy, referral to additional specialists, and/or scheduling for procedures.
Depending on your potential diagnoses, specialized medical tests maybe ordered. An imaging study will help identify the etiology of the patient’s illness. An X-Ray identifies joint and bone pathology. A Magnetic Resonance Exam (MRI) identifies soft tissue pathology without exposure to radiation. Blood work may be ordered to further identify specific inflammatory/disease markers.
Whether you are scheduled for an office-based procedure or at a surgery center, a thorough discussion of potential benefits and risks will be discussed. A skeletal model or images, if available for review, will help explain the exact approach and target to the procedure. Although most patients easily tolerate interventional pain procedures the patient may elect sedation, which may be used to calm nerves and provide a comfortable experience.
If the patient is to undergo an office based procedure, the patient will schedule a follow up at the office to re-evaluate the patient’s response to treatment. If the patient undergoes a procedure at a Surgery Center, the patient will be evaluated prior to discharge. Furthermore, if sedation is provided the patient will require a 30-minute–or longer–monitoring session in a recovery room prior to discharge.
If the patient is prescribed pain medications they will be required to complete monthly follow up evaluations prior to continuing the treatment. Dr. Kalina will make sure that the medication is reducing pain levels, improving function, and not resulting in significant side effects. Depending on the type of pain medications takenm, patients may be required to complete urine toxicology screens. Most patients will require a baseline urine toxicology screen prior to prescribing pain medications
Pain Management Treatment
We perform minor injections in the office. These include trigger point injections and injections into bursae (hip (greater trochanteric) bursa), ligaments (epicondylitis (Tennis and Golf elbow)) and knee joints (Osteoarthritis)
The most commonly performed procedures include low back (lumbar) and neck (cervical) epidural steroid injections (often coming from the side that causes the pain, called transforaminal epidural steroid injections), cervical and lumbar facet joint (medial nerve branch) blocks and radio-frequency ablations (destruction of nerves that supply the facet joints).
Less common are sympathetic blocks for RSD-CRPS (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy-Complex Regional Pain Syndrome), which are done for the upper extremity as Stellate ganglion block and for the lower extremity as lumbar sympathetic block. They are usually done in a series to maximize pain relief.
Patients who have previously undergone a spine operation and continue to have severe pain (especially in the extremities) could be candidates for a spinal cord stimulator system if all less invasive treatment options have failed.
Trigger Point Injections
The cause of your muscle pain or spasms may be one or more trigger points. Your health care provider may decide to inject the painful spots to relax the muscle. This can help relieve your pain. Relaxing the muscle can also make movement easier. You may then be able to exercise and strengthen the muscle and promote healing.
Epidural Steroid Injections
An epidural corticosteroid injection is a way to deliver anti-inflammatory pain medication quickly inside the body via a syringe.
Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
Hyalgan Injections
Botox
