Conditions Treated
Dr. Jerry Sobel is a board certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) specialist that treats a wide variety of acute and chronic musculoskeletal problems. As part of your evaluation Dr. Sobel will perform a comprehensive evaluation including a detailed history and physical examination, review pertinent diagnostic imagining studies (X-rays, MRI and CT scans),and if available review EMG studies and spinal injection records if available. Dr. Sobel is a firm believer in making the correct diagnosis first and then developing an individualized treatment program based on a person’s lifestyle, work, desires for treatment and cost of care.
The following is a list of some of the conditions that Dr. Jerry Sobel treats on a regular basis. If you do not see your health problem them please call the office and inquire.
Low Back Pain
Low back pain is one of the most common complaints that physicians see in their practices. It is estimated that up to 80% of the worlds population will experience low back pain at some time during their lives. The good news is that the majority of sufferers get better in a few weeks to months. Low back pain can be the result of a muscle strain, osteoarthritis, disc degeneration, disc bulges and protrusions and sciatica.
Neck Pain
Pain located in the neck is a common medical condition. Neck pain can come from a number of disorders and diseases and can involve any of the tissues in the neck. Examples of common conditions causing neck pain are degenerative disc disease, neck strain, osteoarthritis, cervical spondylosis, spinal stenosis, poor posture, neck injury such as in whiplash, a herniated disc, or a pinched nerve (cervical radiculopathy).
Sciatica/Pinched Nerve
Sciatica is a symptom. It consists of leg pain, which might feel like a bad leg cramp, or it can be excruciating, shooting pain that makes standing or sitting nearly impossible. You might also feel weakness, numbness, or a burning or tingling ("pins and needles") sensation down your leg, possibly even in your toes. Less common symptoms might include the inability to bend your knee or move your foot and toes. Sciatica might be a symptom of a "pinched nerve" affecting one or more of the lower spinal nerves. To learn more click here.
Spinal Stenosis
Lumbar canal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal or the tunnels through which nerves and other structures communicate with that canal. Narrowing of the spinal canal usually occurs due to changes associated with aging. Symptoms include pain, numbness or weakness in the legs, groin, hips buttocks and lower back. Symptoms usually worsen when walking or standing and might decrease when lying down, sitting, or leaning slightly forward.
Sacroiliac Joint Pain
The sacroiliac (SI) joint can be a source of back pain for many patients. The joint is composed of the sacrum (bottom portion of the spine) and the iliac crest (part of your pelvis). The joint only has a few degrees of motion however, it uses the limited motion to act as a shock absorber for stresses moving from your back to your pelvis.
It is believed that pain is most often caused by either increased motion or increased stress through the joint. This typically presents as low back pain localized to one or both sides. It can also cause pain into the buttock or even mimic 'sciatic' pain shooting down the back of the leg. It often hurts to sit or stand for long periods with weight shifted to the affected side, and sleeping on the involved side can be painful as well.
Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain becomes an increasingly common problem especially as we age.The tendons and ligaments that help support the shoulder are subject to wear and tear and sometimes pain can start with just the simplest of movements. Those that play racket sports also commonly complain of pain in and around the shoulder. While there are many structures around the shoulder that can cause pain, e.g. tendons, ligaments, joints and muscles, pain can also be referred from the neck or even the abdomen.
Tendinitis
Both acute and chronic tendinitis can be debilitation problems for many people. Tendinitis usually arises from overuse injuries and those become chronic because the person continues to try and push through the pain. Chronic tendonitis can last months if not years and can be difficult to treat. The most common areas for tendinitis include the outside and inside of the elbow (Tennis and Golfer’s elbow), the outside of the hip, the front of the knee and the Achilles tendon. The Tenex device has revolutionized the treatment even for those that have suffered from this very painful condition for a year or more.
Carpal tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome typically starts with tingling and numbness in the thumb, index and middle fingers but some patients feel those sensations in the whole hand. Symptoms are worse at night and can wake you up from a sound sleep. Other complaints include dropping objects and a burning pain into the same fingers. If this goes on too long it can cause permanent injury to the median nerve which passes through the wrist on the way to the hand. The gold standard for diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome is an EMG test of which Dr. Sobel performs.
Hip Pain
Pain can be localized in the front, the side or the back of the hip area. Pain on the front can be related to the hip joint, pain on the side from bursitis/tendinitis and pain in the back can be from a pinched nerve in the lower back. Hip joint pain can result from osteoarthritis or a labral tear. The labrum is a rim of soft cartilage that surrounds the acetabulum (hip socket). The labrum adds to the stability of the hip by deepening the socket. It also protects the joint surface. These tears can occur from an injury but are more likely related to a condition known as Femoral Acetabular Impingement or FAI.
Knee Pain
Knee pain is the second most common musculoskeletal problem for which people see a doctor. The pain can occur at any age from the very young to the very old. Causes of pain are quite varied and include osteoarthritis, pain from the kneecap because of injury or poor alignment, cartilage (meniscus) injuries and ligament tears (anterior cruciate ligament/medial collateral ligament) . Tendinitis of the patellar tendon on the front of the knee, also known as jumper's knee can be seen in basketball and volleyball players.
Arm Pain
There are many causes of arm pain. The most frequent being a pinched nerve from the neck and shoulder problems. In fact, sometimes a cervical nerve irritation can mimic shoulder problems and visa versa. Other causes of arm pain include carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome (irritation of the “funny bone” nerve or ulnar nerve at the elbow), radial tunnel syndrome and a heart problem.
Leg Pain
The list of potential causes of leg pain is very long. Some of the more common include sciatica (not to be confused with injury to the sciatic nerve), pain from the hip joint or the bursae/tendons (the bony bump on the outside of the hip), a knee injury or osteoarthritis, reduction of blood flow, entrapment of nerve in the leg (peroneal and sciatic nerve), fracture and bone tumors.