Some pain management professionals may argue that patients experience the most pain relief when they pair their interventional treatment with alternative therapies. This means that instead of just treating the patient’s specific pain-related symptoms, they’re managing their whole-body health and wellness. For example, chiropractic massages relax the muscles and ease mental stress. A chiropractor, like Dr. Steven Gutkin, may recommend a unique form of chiropractic massage called active release technique for patients with painful muscles and mental stress.

Active release technique is a chiropractor treatment that uses various hand pressure movements to manipulate soft tissues in the body. First, Dr. Gutkin will feel the muscles and tendons in the back for areas that are particularly tight. Then, he will get rid of adhesions caused by overactive muscles. Adhesions are when the fascia (connective tissues) in our bodies have scar tissue within them, which causes the muscles to stick together. People with adhesions may feel like a muscle is being pulled or pinched. In order to treat adhesions, Dr. Gutkin shortens and lengthens muscles and applies tension using his fingers.

Who can benefit from active release technique? Patients with:

• Athletic injuries
• Headaches
• Sciatica
• Herniated disc
• Plantar fasciitis
• Muscle overuse
• Shoulder pain
• Knee pain

So how does it work? Often, we feel pain or discomfort due to referred pain, or pain that originates from somewhere else and is felt in another part of the body. So, if a person suffers from knee pain, a chiropractor using the active release technique could work the calf and thigh muscles for a “release” of the knee. Similarly, for headache sufferers, patients could have their shoulder, neck, and back muscles worked in order to feel pain relief in their head. Even though patients may initially feel pain from the deepness of the technique, they could have less pain and increased mobility by the end of their session at Specialty Surgical Center.

Our pain management and chiropractic teams suggest using this technique alongside prescribed pain treatments. While it is okay to only use chiropractic care, you may experience better results by undergoing both active release technique and taking pain medication or going to physical therapy.

Specialty Surgical Center is located in Sparta, New Jersey, and our staff consists of board certified surgeons and anesthesiologists performing procedures in Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Spinal Care, Podiatry, Urology, Pain Management, ENT, Hand Surgery, Lithotripsy, Brachytherapy, GYN and Laser Surgery.

For more information about Specialty Surgical Center, call 973-940-3166 or visit our Contact Page.

Tonsillectomy is a procedure performed at Specialty Surgical Center by our ear, nose, and throat team. No matter how old someone is, anyone can get frequent throat infections, which is why both children and adults could need a tonsillectomy. Fortunately, this means that our physicians regularly perform this surgery, as it is very common. However, adults and children experience tonsillectomies in a different way.

The procedure for both adults and children is the same. The patient first stops taking all of his or her medication and fasts the night before surgery. The next day, the patient comes in and is put under general anesthesia. This completely makes the patient unconscious and they are asleep for the whole procedure. Then, using a scalpel, the surgeon removes the patient’s tonsils. Overall, the procedure takes about 20 minutes to an hour for patients both big and small.

The difference between adult vs. pediatric tonsillectomy lies in the recovery stage. Children only need a week or so to recover while an adult may need around two weeks before they can go back to work. This is because children heal faster than adults do. Studies have also shown that children are less likely to develop late-term bleeding days after their procedure. Post-operative bleeding is not a common side effect for adults, but it can happen a few days to a couple weeks after the procedure. Our physicians recommend drinking plenty of water and sticking to soft foods during recovery. Adults are generally prone to additional surgical complications like pain and dehydration after a tonsillectomy.

Some researchers believe that adults have surgical complications more than children because children are more likely to recover for the full amount of time. An adult, on the other hand, may need to return to their daily activities like working and speaking frequently to family members.

In order to manage pain, our surgeons may give you pain medication to take every few hours as directed. The pain will be worse the first few days after surgery and should lessen towards the end of the first week. Aside from medication, patients can suck on ice cubes, drink smoothies, or eat any other soft food that will allow them to stay hydrated.

Specialty Surgical Center is located in Sparta, New Jersey, and our staff consists of board certified surgeons and anesthesiologists performing procedures in Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Spinal Care, Podiatry, Urology, Pain Management, ENT, Hand Surgery, Lithotripsy, Brachytherapy, GYN, and Laser Surgery.

For more information about Specialty Surgical Center, call 973-940-3166 or visit our Contact Page

When people picture surgery in their minds, doctors with masks, oxygen, and IVs may come to mind. You may be wondering what IV stands for and what it does in the first place. It may be frightening to have tubes coming out of you, but it is extremely important during the procedures we do at Specialty Surgical Center. So why do you need an IV and what does it do? Our team is here to explain.

IV actually only stands for one word: intravenous. This means that medicine will be given to you directly into your veins. It can go into veins in your hand (especially with children), inner elbow, and sometimes in the wrist. Our physicians will choose the spot based on which veins are easy to see so they don’t need to poke you several times in order to get the IV in. The needle is used to fit a tube called a catheter into vein for access to the medicine. The needle is removed after the catheter is in place. Once the IV is in place, you should be able to move your arm around without any pain because the catheter is flexible.

An IV can have many purposes. But for surgery, it is initially used for anesthesia. An IV may be administered about an hour pre-operatively so our anesthesiologists can put medicine into the IV to put you to sleep. After the surgery, an IV may be used to give periodic doses of pain medication. Sometimes patients feel nauseous after surgery, so medication to help the uneasy feeling can be put through the IV line as well. Other times, an IV is simply used to make sure you are getting enough fluid and remain hydrated.

Most patients do not experience any complications with their IV and it can be put in and taken out with very little pain, if any. However, infection can occur if bacteria enter into the body. To prevent this, the Specialty Surgical Center staff uses sterile needles and disinfects the skin before the IV is put in. Bacteria may be introduced if the patient touches their IV. Please let your anesthesiologist or physician know if your IV gets itchy, red, or irritated.

Specialty Surgical Center is located in Sparta, New Jersey and our staff consists of board certified surgeons and anesthesiologists performing procedures in Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Spinal Care, Podiatry, Urology, Pain Management, ENT, Hand Surgery, Lithotripsy, Brachytherapy, GYN and Laser Surgery.

For more information about Specialty Surgical Center, call 973-940-3166 or visit our Contact Page.

When a patient leaves the recovery room at Specialty Surgical Center, they are given a list of post-operative instructions. This list is critical to healing and avoiding infections once the patient gets home. The instructions are intended for use during the first few weeks of healing, but there is more to the road of recovery. Rest is a large component, but many patients are eager to get back to exercising. Fortunately, exercise is a great form of physical therapy! Some patients need physical therapy to strengthen their newly healed muscles post-operatively. This is because when patients are resting after surgery, their muscles get weak and need to be strengthened again to support the body. For those eager to get out of bed and back to their active lifestyles, they certainly can get back to exercising, but the amount of time they need to wait depends on their procedure.

Chiropractic – After a spinal adjustment or spinal manipulation has been performed, patients do not need to wait before exercising. Patients can exercise the same day, but he advises patients to be cautious. Muscles around the spine could be weaker so patients should start with a light work out. Avoid twisting the spine suddenly and remember to practice good posture.

Discectomy – Spine surgery takes a little longer to recover from. After the patient’s spine surgeon gives the ok, patients can start their physical therapy by doing light back stretches. When they feel ready, patients can start low-impact exercises like swimming or walking. Then, patients can move on to weight bearing exercises and other back strengthening techniques around the section of the spine where the surgery took place.

Vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty – These minimally invasive spine surgeries are most effective at relieving back pain and spine conditions when paired with physical therapy during recovery. Similar to discectomy, our physicians recommend strengthening exercises so the muscles can support the spine once the rest period is over. Additionally, patients can work on stability and balance.

Physical therapy is important in the recovery process because it helps patients transition back to an active lifestyle easier. Exercise increases the blood flow to the area to promote healing and functionality after a Specialty Surgical Center procedure. While we do recommend our patients exercise to gain their strength back, we strongly suggest using a physical therapist. Physical therapists are specially trained to find exercises that most help after your type of surgery. They also have tools on site like ice, braces, and more to help ease any pain. If any patient wishes to attend physical therapy after their procedure, our physicians would be happy to recommend a few in the Sparta, New Jersey area.

Specialty Surgical Center is located in Sparta, New Jersey and our staff consists of board certified surgeons and anesthesiologists performing procedures in Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Spinal Care, Podiatry, Urology, Pain Management, ENT, Hand Surgery, Lithotripsy, Brachytherapy, GYN and Laser Surgery.

For more information about Specialty Surgical Center, call 973-940-3166 or visit our Contact Page.

Facet joints are found all along the spine on both sides between the vertebrae. They can cause a lot of pain when damaged and can make moving the spine very difficult, and at times, seemingly impossible. There are a number of reasons something could be wrong with the facet joints, but they usually cause pain due to injury or degenerative disease.

A facet joint block does two things: relieve pain and finding the true source of pain. Even though Specialty Surgical Center is known for surgical procedures to residents of New Jersey, a facet joint block isn’t a surgical procedure at all! It is actually an outpatient procedure that takes very little time. First, a physician will numb the area using an anesthetic injection above the facet joints, so patients might not even feel the bigger needle during the procedure. Then, using a fluoroscope (a type of X-ray device) in our office, the physician will guide the needle into the facet joint and release a dye. Without taking the needle out of the patient’s back, anti-inflammatory medication and anesthetic are put down the needle and into the facet joint. If more than one area of the back hurts, the physician may give multiple facet joint block injections in one sitting.

The procedure may relieve pain immediately or shortly after the procedure. But if patients do not feel relief, it means that the facet joints are most likely not the source of the pain. If this is the case, no harm should come as a result of the misdiagnosis. Patients do not usually experience negative side effects from a facet joint block if the facet joints are not the issue. However, some patients may feel a little soreness from the injection, but it should not last more than a few days. Over-the-counter pain medication can help, but always be sure to ask your physician about post-operative care just in case.

Similar to prescription pain medication, a facet joint block does not last forever. For some patients, the pain relief can last for several weeks, and for others, it could last months. Your pain management specialist at Specialty Surgical Center is available for follow up appointments to see how you are responding to the treatment and whether or not they recommend having the procedure repeated.

Specialty Surgical Center is located in Sparta, New Jersey and our staff consists of board certified surgeons and anesthesiologists performing procedures in Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Spinal Care, Podiatry, Urology, Pain Management, ENT, Hand Surgery, Lithotripsy, Brachytherapy, GYN and Laser Surgery.

For more information about Specialty Surgical Center, call 973-940-3166 or visit our Contact Page.

Caring for a skin graft after surgery is a little difficult because instead of taking care of one incision, you have to take care of both the skin graft and the donor site where the skin came from. Being on top of your post-operative care is extremely important because without proper handling, the skin graft can become infected or not heal properly. A skin graft may be needed to repair damaged skin on the body from burns, skin cancer, large wounds, and more, so the graft needs to stay clean in order to do its job without complications.

The first step to caring for a skin graft is caring for you! That means you need to keep up with any medications and rest often. Your physician may also detail any specific diets he or she wants you to pursue. You will meet with your surgeon after your procedure and get information about how long you should rest for and how often to take your medication.

Surgical dressing is often placed on the graft in the first stages of healing. It may be tempting to pick at it, especially if you feel an itch, but you need it to stay on for as long as your physician recommends (typically about a week). Keep the dressing clear from any dirt, but avoid getting it wet as this may be uncomfortable and cause it to come off. The physician may give you a new dressing or remove it depending on your progress at your follow up appointment. If the dressing is removed, he or she will tell you whether or not you can get the skin graft wet. Usually, Specialty Surgical Center physicians recommend gently washing the graft using a gentle stream of water and soap. Patients can avoid disrupting their skin graft by patting it dry with a cloth.

Caring for the donor site is very similar. Patients will have a dressing over the wound initially, but will be given instructions on how to remove it. If the dressing becomes difficult to remove, handle it with care. A little bit of water can be drizzled on to ease the bandages off. Bathing the donor site is very similar to the graft site when the bandages come off. You should avoid submerging both in a bath for long periods of time, but keep the areas clean using gentle products.

Remember to always be careful when handling the wound at both the graft site and the donor site. Always make sure you wash your hands before touching or handling the graft or any surgical dressings. If you have any questions about caring for or cleaning your skin graft, please call our Sparta office. Our physicians will be more than happy to answer your questions or repair any damaged grafts safely.

Specialty Surgical Center is located in Sparta, New Jersey and our staff consists of board certified surgeons and anesthesiologists performing procedures in Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Spinal Care, Podiatry, Urology, Pain Management, ENT, Hand Surgery, Lithotripsy, Brachytherapy, GYN and Laser Surgery.

For more information about Specialty Surgical Center, call 973-940-3166 or visit our Contact Page.

It’s understandable that some patients who need to have carpal tunnel release surgery worry about the condition coming back. After all, wrist splints and pain management techniques did not work and surgery is often a last resort. Our physicians want patients to rest assured that their pain can end at Specialty Surgical Center.

The good news is that according to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, carpal tunnel syndrome rarely comes back after surgery. However, it is possible for patients to still experience carpel tunnel syndrome symptoms after their procedure. If patients still feel pain in their wrists or have a loss of sensation in their limbs, another condition could be causing the pain. There are a number of reasons why this could happen. First, the referring doctor could have mistakenly believed that the pain is coming from the median nerve. However, the surgery is not a loss. The endoscopic procedure can look into the wrist and see if another source could be causing the pain. Additionally, our skilled surgeons can help release the nerve by removing anything pressing into it, but sometimes the nerve is too damaged for repair. It’s important for patients to come to Specialty Surgical Center soon after their diagnoses to prevent advanced carpel tunnel syndrome from developing.

However, both of these circumstances are extremely rare. In most cases, the minimally invasive wrist surgeries we do are very effective at getting rid of carpal tunnel syndrome permanently. We believe that following the surgery, patients can live a life free of wrist pain. Before then, patients may experience a little soreness post-operatively.  To reduce pain after the procedure, our physicians and nurses will give you a guide on how to take care of your wound. Keeping the area clean is key to avoiding post-surgical pain and irritation from infection. Additionally, we can refer patients to a physical therapist to promote a faster recovery once the area is just about healed. Finally, be sure to rest your wrist often! Keep the wrist in a neutral position and use your hands as little as possible when recovering. Your wrist will be weaker following the surgery and will  need plenty of time to rest.

The bottom line is that patients most likely won’t have to deal with wrist pain after carpel tunnel release syndrome, but they may feel a little pain after the surgery. Patients can take measures into their own hands by practicing good post-operative habits and resting when necessary, but they can also help manage their pain with over-the-counter pain medications until the incision site heals. If patients have any questions or concerns, they are more than welcome to call our Sparta office.

Specialty Surgical Center is located in Sparta, New Jersey and our staff consists of board certified surgeons and anesthesiologists performing procedures in Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Spinal Care, Podiatry, Urology, Pain Management, ENT, Hand Surgery, Lithotripsy, Brachytherapy, GYN and Laser Surgery.

For more information about Specialty Surgical Center, call 973-940-3166 or visit our Contact Page.

When a patient with diabetes comes in to Specialty Surgical Center, there is a certain level of precaution that must be taken. While it is unlikely that anything will go wrong during the surgery, patients with diabetes are at an increased risk of surgical complications. Because of this, we need patients to notify us about their condition so we can properly accommodate to ensure the patient’s safety.

There are a few things that diabetics need to be aware of before surgery. First, when the body is under stress, there could be an increased risk of hyperglycemia, also known as high blood pressure. Hyperglycemia inhibits the body’s ability to heal incision wounds, so recovery time could take longer if the patient gets high blood pressure during the surgery. Additionally, patients could be more prone to infection or diabetic ketoacidosis.

In order to prevent the risk factors from becoming a reality, your surgeon will give you specific pre-operative instructions. During this appointment, you should be able to find out if you can take your insulin the night before or the morning of the surgery. We typically tell patients not to have food or beverages in the hours leading up to the surgery, but the surgeon may give you other instructions based on how you should handle your blood glucose level. Finally, you’ll want to be sure to check and see if you can continue taking your diabetes medication in the weeks before your surgery.

Fortunately, since Specialty Surgical Center performs outpatient surgeries, your risk of infection is significantly lower compared to a traditional hospital. Outpatient surgery also means that you will be home sooner, so the body will not be under as much stress. However, during your stay at our facility, we may monitor your blood sugar frequently and we may administer insulin intravenously in order to keep levels healthy.

As for post-operative care, we advise all patients to look for signs of infection and to keep the wound clean. Since diabetics are more prone to infection, we recommend paying extra attention to the incision and all dressings for signs of infection including redness, itching, excessive drainage, and more.

If you have any questions or concerns, we would be happy to speak on the phone to put you at ease about having surgery while living with diabetes. During your call, we will be able to address questions specifically catered to your procedure.

Specialty Surgical Center is located in Sparta, New Jersey and our staff consists of board certified surgeons and anesthesiologists performing procedures in Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Spinal Care, Podiatry, Urology, Pain Management, ENT, Hand Surgery, Lithotripsy, Brachytherapy, GYN and Laser Surgery.

For more information about Specialty Surgical Center, call 973-940-3166 or visit our Contact Page.

The days leading up to surgery can be nerve wracking. You have to do a lot of pre-operative work in order for everything to go smoothly, so you stopped taking blood thinners, prepared to fast before surgery, and went to all of your pre-operative appointments. But sometimes, you cannot prepare for some unexpected turns. Many patients, especially this time of year, get sick before their procedure. What are you supposed to do?

For starters, even though getting sick can sometimes be unavoidable, it doesn’t hurt to be proactive. This means that in order to prevent getting sick, our experts recommend drinking plenty of water and eating nutritious meals full of essential vitamins.

It’s important to note that, while it is likely that your surgery will be rescheduled, it is possible that the surgeon will go ahead with surgery. Our team wants patients to be in the best health to avoid complications during surgery, but if the procedure is urgent, the surgeon may go ahead with the surgery depending on how sick the patient is. We urge our patients to call their surgeon immediately if they become sick or develop any new health condition. The surgeon will then let you know if he or she wants to proceed with the surgery.

Patients should call right away because Specialty Surgical Center does not accept cancellations from anyone other than a doctor, and we want patients to be able to get a new surgery date scheduled as soon as possible.

We consider many factors when deciding to move forward with surgery or not at the currently scheduled date. As previously mentioned, we take the urgency of the procedure into account first. Many of our urogynecology procedures, tonsillectomies, radiation oncology, and more may need to be performed without hesitation. Next, we take into account how severe the illness is. We may reschedule for chest pain, difficulty breathing, bronchial or flu-like symptoms, but the surgeon may go ahead with the procedure if the patient only has a few symptoms. For example, a scratchy throat may turn into an illness, but if that’s the only symptom present at the time of the surgery, we may go ahead and proceed.

Specialty Surgical Center is located in Sparta, New Jersey and our staff consists of board certified surgeons and anesthesiologists performing procedures in Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Spinal Care, Podiatry, Urology, Pain Management, ENT, Hand Surgery, Lithotripsy, Brachytherapy, GYN and Laser Surgery.

For more information about Specialty Surgical Center, call 973-940-3166 or visit our Contact Page.

Cubital tunnel syndrome is far less known than carpal tunnel syndrome even though they are very similar conditions. Both conditions are a form of nerve damage or irritation. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve in the wrist is pinched or damage, and cubital tunnel syndrome is when the ulnar nerve in the elbow is irritated. People often wonder how to tell which nerve is damaged. An easy trick is to follow the numbness. The median nerve will cause numbness in the thumb, pointer, middle finger, and wrist while the ulnar nerve causes tingling in the forearm, pinky, and ring finger.

Symptoms

Both cubital and carpal tunnel syndromes are associated with tingling and numbness. Patients may feel like their arms and hands are weak and that they can’t squeeze their hands as tightly. In cubital tunnel syndrome, symptoms may feel better when the arm is straight, and worse when leaning on the elbow. Carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms may feel better when resting or icing the wrist and worse when extending the fingers.

Causes

The two conditions are both caused in part by lifestyle. This means that the little things you do throughout your day and the choices you make can lead to nerve damage or entrapment.

For example, cubital tunnel syndrome is caused by excessively leaning on your elbows. This is because the ulnar nerve is located near the funny bone. Another common way to irritate the nerve is to sleep with your hands under your pillow. Prolonged elbow bending puts pressure on the nerve and could result in cubital tunnel syndrome.

Carpal tunnel syndrome can be caused by anything that strains the wrist – including typing for long periods of time! However, since this condition is more well-known than cubital tunnel syndrome, we know that it can also be caused by the bones inside your wrist. If the bones are out of place or grew back incorrectly after injury, they may be pinching the median nerve.

Treatment

Carpal and cubital tunnel syndromes are treated very similarly. The patient first tries conservative treatment. Physicians may prescribe medication to reduce any inflammation that may be trapping the nerves, or they may see if symptoms subside after resting the elbow and wrist. However, if those methods do not reduce numbness or weakness, Specialty Surgical Center is here to help. We have two talented hand surgeons on staff that can perform carpal tunnel release surgery, a minimally invasive technique to help free the median nerve from being pinched. They can use this method to perform nerve repair if necessary.

Specialty Surgical Center is located in Sparta, New Jersey and our staff consists of board certified surgeons and anesthesiologists performing procedures in Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Spinal Care, Podiatry, Urology, Pain Management, ENT, Hand Surgery, Lithotripsy, Brachytherapy, GYN and Laser Surgery.

For more information about Specialty Surgical Center, call 973-940-3166 or visit our Contact Page.