California Pain Will Extend Treatment Capabilities in New Hacienda Surgery Center

By Nicole Zaro Stahl, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Chronic pain places a harsh burden on those it impacts. The often-debilitating discomfort not only inhibits daily activity but can trigger other ailments, from high blood pressure to depression or anxiety.

Fortunately, in large part due to the proliferating boomer generation, chronic pain management is getting a lot of attention in the healthcare arena, and medical advances have made life-changing treatment available.

Committed to improving his patients' overall quality of life, Navin Mallavaram, M.D., opened his practice, California Pain, in Hacienda last spring to provide a comprehensive approach to pain management. The double board-certified anesthesiologist is a specialist in Interventional Pain Management, which makes use of invasive techniques, such as injections, nerve blocks, and implantable nerve stimulators, in the effort to restore patient health.

While Dr. Mallavaram specializes in treating spinal pain, his extensive training, which included a fellowship at Columbia University's Manhattan Center for Pain Management in New York City, has equipped him to treat a wide spectrum of painful disorders.

"We typically see patients with chronic spinal pain, but they come to us for a wide variety of reasons," he says. In addition to age-related wear and tear, chronic pain can be the result of an on-the-job injury, an auto accident, or "weekend warrior" sports activities. "Sometimes, conservative treatment options like physical therapy or medication have failed, or surgery hasn't helped. Sometimes the patient wants to prevent surgery."

No matter what the cause, with every patient Dr. Mallavaram and his staff ask the question, "Is this the treatment I would want for my family if they were in pain?"

The most common treatment, he says, is a therapeutic injection to a specific area of the back, administered after diagnostic exams have pinpointed the source of the pain. Because the spine is such a sensitive area, for optimal patient safety advanced injections must be performed in a specialized facility, with the practitioner using live x-ray images to ensure the accuracy of the needle insertion.

Without the requisite equipment in the California Pain office, Dr. Mallavaram has been doing the procedures at other locations, in Pleasanton and in Fremont. Now, to accommodate a burgeoning patient base in search of pain relief, he is adding an on-site outpatient surgery center. The new 1,600 square foot facility, in the suite right next door to his original office, at 5924 Stoneridge Drive, is slated to come online in early September.

"Having this capability on-site will enable us to provide continuity of care to our patients and offer them greater convenience," he comments.

Continuity of care is important because usually some kind of rehabilitation is necessary after a therapeutic injection. To promote full recovery Dr. Mallavaram has assembled a team of other practitioners - including a physical therapist, chiropractor, psychologist, and, in the near future, a clinical nutritionist and an acupuncturist - to help patients regain their health.

For more information, visit www.californiapain.net.