Musculoskeletal and Joint Pain
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Meet with our top-ranking pain specialists.
Musculoskeletal and joint pain conditions we treat
- Arthritis: Painful swelling of one or more joints.
- Back and neck pain: Back and neck pain can have many causes, from herniated discs to spinal cord injuries to stenosis.
- Cancer-related pain: Pain that comes from cancer itself or the surgery, treatments and tests involved.
- Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS): Excess pain and swelling that lasts longer than normal after an injury to an arm or leg.
- Chronic pain: Ongoing pain that lasts longer than 6 months. Some common examples are frequent headaches, nerve damage pain, low back pain and musculoskeletal (bones, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments) pain.
- Diabetic nerve pain: A serious and common problem that can happen with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. It's a type of nerve damage caused by long-term high blood sugar levels.
- Fibromyalgia: Widespread muscle pain and tenderness. Often includes fatigue and altered sleep, memory and mood.
- Joint pain: Discomfort, aches and soreness in any of the body's joints. Sometimes, joint pain is the result of an illness or injury. Arthritis or inflammation (swelling) of one or more joints is also a cause of joint pain.
- Lupus: A disease where the immune system attacks its own tissues. It causes inflammation (swelling) in the body.
- Lyme disease: An illness caused by bacteria. It can be passed to humans through a tick bite.
- Migraines and other headaches: The pain can range from mild to severe. Migraines tend to cause pain on one side of your head. Symptoms include nausea, seeing spots or flashing lights, and sensitivity to light or sound.
- Musculoskeletal pain: Affects the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves and connective tissue. Can be in one area or widespread. Lower back pain is the most common type of musculoskeletal pain.
- Myofascial pain syndrome: Pain and tenderness in your muscles and fascia (thin, white connective tissue that's wrapped around every muscle). The pain is often related to one or more “trigger points.
- Nerve pain: Also called neuralgia or neuropathic pain, the pain can feel like stabbing, burning or tingling.
- Pelvic pain: Occurs mostly in the lower abdomen (stomach) area. Both men and women can have pelvic pain.
- Post-surgery pain: Can be caused by damage done to tissue by a surgical incision (cut), the procedure itself, the closing of the wound or any force that's applied during the procedure.
- Psoriatic arthritis: A kind of arthritis that tends to affect people with psoriasis.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: Another disease that happens when your immune system attacks your own body by mistake. It causes joint pain and can damage other parts of the body, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels.
- Shingles pain (postherpetic neuralgia): A painful, blistering skin rash caused by the chickenpox virus. The virus may be inactive in the body and later become active in the form of shingles. Postherpetic neuralgia is shingles pain that continues even after the rash has resolved.
- Sports injuries and weekend warrior pain: Sports injuries are often caused by overuse, direct impact or the use of force. This pain is sometimes called weekend warrior pain. It can happen to people who do intense physical activity mostly on weekends, when their bodies aren't regularly used to it.
- Work-related injuries or occupational injuries: Any injury or condition that happens while on the job.
Treatment options
Our caring team uses a holistic approach to relieve your pain. Advanced treatments include injections (shots), medicines, physical therapy, occupational therapy and more to restore you to better health. We can also connect you with behavioral health services to help you feel your best.
Here are some of the treatments we offer:
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Aromatherapy
A holistic treatment in which patients breathe in essential oils from plants to promote healing.
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Botox
A medicine that can help relax and relieve muscle-related pain and improve range of motion.
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Compounding creams
Creams applied directly to the skin to relieve pain and swelling.
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Dorsal root ganglion therapy
A stimulation therapy to help manage hard-to-treat chronic pain, often in specific areas of the lower body, like the foot, knee, hip or groin. Uses mild electrical pulses through the skin to help injured muscles or nerves.
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Epidural steroid injections
A shot that delivers anti-inflammatory (helps with swelling) medicine directly into the spine.
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Joint injections
Place medicine into a joint to reduce pain and increase range of motion. These are most often used for knees, hips and shoulders.
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Massage
Moving (by rubbing or kneading) the body’s soft tissues.
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Medical equipment
Examples include braces and trigger point canes (a massage tool used to relieve muscle tightness, aches and pains).
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Medication and medication management
A plan to help you take your medicines the right way for the most relief.
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Mental health support services and counseling
Dealing with pain can affect your mental health as well as your physical health. We offer referrals to behavioral health providers.
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Nerve block injections
Shots that can relieve pain by blocking pain signals coming from a nerve or group of nerves. There are specific types of nerve block injections based on the location of the pain.
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Nerve block medicines
Used to relieve pain. These medicines block the pain signal coming from a nerve or part of the body. An example is lidocaine patches.
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Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Used to treat inflammation. Examples include Advil, Motrin and Aleve.
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Occupational therapy
Care that helps injured or disabled patients develop, recover and improve the skills needed for daily living and working. Learn more.
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Peripheral nerve stimulator
A treatment for chronic pain in the limbs. It can provide long-term relief of nerve and musculoskeletal pain conditions.
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Physical therapy
Care that helps ease pain and improves function, movement and overall quality of life. Learn more.
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Platelet-rich plasma therapy
Uses injections of a patient’s own platelets (blood cells that help blood clot) to speed up healing of injured tendons, ligaments, muscles or joints.
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Radiofrequency ablation
Uses heat from alternating current to target specific nerves. This temporarily turns off the pain signals on those nerves.
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Rehabilitation
Condition-specific care to help you regain the highest level of functioning. Learn more.
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Spinal cord stimulator
A device that helps treat chronic pain. Electrodes (like those in a pacemaker) are placed in the spine. Low levels of electrical pulses help change pain signals.
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Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
A therapy that uses a low voltage electrical current to provide pain relief.
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Trigger point injections
Treat muscle pain, trigger points or knots that form when muscles don’t relax. These injections are done most often around the neck, mid back and low back.
Your first appointment
Here’s what we need from you at your first appointment:
- Current medical records. Please ask your doctor to email or mail these to us.
- A list of medicines, vitamins and supplements you are taking. Please bring any current medication bottles with you to your first appointment.
- X-rays, scans or ultrasounds related to your diagnosis (health problem). Please ask your doctor to email or mail these to us.
- Health insurance information.
- Completed new patient forms.
Your extended care team
Our doctors, nurses and other specialists work together to understand your needs and create the best plan of care for you. Your team may include:
- Doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners focus on finding relief for your pain, oversee your care and recommend treatments.
- Physical therapists offer therapy to help with strength and movement.
- Occupational therapists help you face challenges with day-to-day tasks like opening jars and cupboards, using pens and phones, and more.
- Counselors help you cope with pain and manage stress.
Our Providers
Meet this location's providers and find the one for you. Use the filters to narrow your search.
Frequently asked questions
In many cases, our patients can avoid surgery. We use injections, medicines and the latest therapies to relieve your pain.
Not in every case. If medicines such as opioids or narcotics are needed to ease a patient’s pain, we follow strict Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. Patients must also follow our medicine policies. We understand that opioid overuse is a serious problem. We closely watch patients with an opioid prescription to keep them safe.
All our doctors are board certified in 2 areas – pain management as well as anesthesiology or neurology. They have also completed fellowships in their chosen fields.
It’s completely normal to feel sore after an injection. We recommend using ice at the site, 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off, for any discomfort. How much pain relief you will experience varies for each patient. It takes 7 to 10 days for most patients to feel full pain relief. Although some will get relief with 1 injection, others may require several injections to achieve the desired level of comfort.
Yes. We refer (send) you to specialists as needed for your care. The process is fast and seamless.
Our pain management experts will review your medical history and examine you to find the cause of your pain. We then create a personal care plan tailored to your specific condition. After your first appointment, we begin treating your pain. Most patients find relief from a mixed treatment approach.
We accept most medical insurance, including Medicare. All costs related to medical services are billed to your insurance company.
You will only receive a call back if we need more information from you. It takes 3 business days to process and fill all refills that are called in. Please note, the 3 business days will begin the day after you call in for your refill.
A prior authorization is when your insurance carrier needs more information to approve a prescription. It may take up to a week to get your medicine approved when your insurance carrier requests prior authorization. Please ask your insurance company what other medicines will be covered if your prescribed medicine is not approved. If you are told you need a prior authorization, call the office and give us:
- The name of your prescription that was denied
- Insurance information
- Prescription coverage: Rx bin number or group number
- Member ID (identification) number on your insurance card
- Pharmacy telephone number
- Spell your first and last name
- Date of birth
- Name of each medicine you need
- The best phone number to reach you
- Your pharmacy’s name and number
Patient resources
Below are some of the departments and facilities we partner with and may refer (send) you to. Together, we’ll work to provide the best possible approach to relieve your pain.
Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute
Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute offers specialized care for every musculoskeletal condition affecting your bones, muscles, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, joints and other connective tissues.
Learn moreAtrium Health Carolinas Rehabilitation
Whether you’re working to improve your range of motion or your ability to talk, Atrium Health Carolinas Rehabilitation will help you every step – and sound – of the way. They offer a wide range of condition-specific programs and services to help you or a loved one regain the highest level of functioning.
Learn moreAtrium Health Neurosciences Institute
Atrium Health Neurosciences Institute provides the region’s most comprehensive care for brain, spine and nervous system disorders. They combine the latest treatments with advanced research and highly respected specialty programs.
Learn more