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FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to common questions about pain management and NJ Pain Care Specialists

What distinguishes NJ Pain Care Specialists from other pain management practices?

With so many different pain practitioners in the area, why should you choose NJ Pain Care Specialists? The short answer is Dr. Harris Bram’s 20 years of experience, advanced technology and compassion for his patients.

Dr. Bram is a board certified anesthesiologist with fellowship training in pain management. He started the acute and chronic pain services at Monmouth Medical Center 20 years ago and 4 years later conceived, developed and founded a successful pain management group. In September 2012, he opened NJ Pain Care Specialists to provide the highest quality interventional pain management services for patients in Central, Eastern and Southern New Jersey.

Today, NJ Pain Care Specialists offers a variety of interventional and minimally-invasive procedures to help alleviate pain. Dr. Bram personally evaluates and examines every patient who comes to NJ Pain Care Specialists, working closely with your other physicians to develop the best course of treatment for you.

What is Interventional Pain Management?

Interventional pain management is the branch and severity of their pain of pain-related disorders. “Interventional” techniques are minimally-invasive procedures that include injecting an anesthetic medicine or steroid around nerves, tendons, joints or muscles; spinal cord stimulation; insertion of a drug delivery system; or a procedure with radio-frequency ablation or cryoablation to stop a nerve from working for a long period of time. These techniques may help patients:

  • Reduce the duration and severity of their pain
  • Enable increased activities at home and work
  • Overcome isolation
  • Learn new skills for coping with pain
  • End sleep problems
  • Rehabilitate injuries
  • Improve their quality of life
Which types of physicians practice pain management?

Anesthesiologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons and physiatrists most frequently specialize in pain management.

How do these different types of pain management specialists differ?
  • Anesthesiologist – Often the leader of a team of other doctors who work together to help manage pain. The team may include orthopedists (specialists in prevention or correction of injuries or disorders of the bones and skeletal system), nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physical or rehabilitation therapists and others.
  • Neurologist – Specialist in diagnosing and treating diseases of the nervous system.
  • Neurosurgeon – Doctor who performs surgery on the nervous system.
  • Physiatrist  Specialist in physical medicine, which deals with the treatment, prevention and diagnosis of disease by physical means, such as manipulation, massage and exercise.
In the field of pain management, what types of pain treatments are used?

Non-invasive or Minimally-invasive Procedures – Non-invasive surgery is any procedure that does not require penetration into the body either through an incision, cut or piercing the skin. Minimally-invasive surgery can involve small incisions to enter the body through the skin or through a body cavity or anatomical opening

Medications – Chemical substances (or products made from them) that are intended for use in the medical diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of disease.

Physical Therapy (PT) – A branch of rehabilitative health that employs specially designed equipment and exercises to help patients of all ages regain or improve their physical abilities. PT is appropriate for a range of conditions and injuries, including musculoskeletal birth defects, injuries, sciata, after-effects of surgery and post-stroke problems.

Acupuncture – A type of health care from China that goes back some 2,500 years. The general theory of acupuncture is that there are patterns of energy flow (Qi) through the body that are essential for health. Disruptions of this flow are believed to be responsible for disease. Acupuncture claims to correct imbalances of the flow at identifiable points close to the skin by stimulating anatomical locations with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated manually or by electrical stimulation.

Can MRI’s and x-rays always identify the source of pain?

Not in every case. That’s why, when you come to your first appointment at NJ Pain Care Specialists, we’ll learn as much about you, your overall health and your current pain as possible. We’ll record your background information and conduct an in-depth interview. Afterwards all your information – including existing MRIs and x-rays – will be reviewed by Dr. Bram, and he will then follow up with a focused and detailed physical examination. If necessary, he will recommend additional testing to help identify the source of your pain.

Finally, Dr. Bram will address any questions or concerns you may have. Most importantly, you’ll know that you’re in good hands from your first treatment through your final session…and beyond!

How does NJ Pain Care Specialists treat chronic pain once its source is found?

Dr. Bram will recommend the most appropriate minimally-invasive procedure to relieve your painful condition, including:

  • General Body
  • Neck, Back & Spine
  • Shoulder, Hip & Knee – Joints

Learn more about what to expect when you visit our office.

How will NJ Pain Care Specialists help you get back to a normal life?

Dr. Bram and his staff will work closely with your other healthcare providers to develop the best course of treatment. “Patient care is not controlled by the clock,” Dr. Bram explains, “but by the need to give every one of my patients the attention required to properly and accurately diagnose his or her medical condition, and to develop the most effective and efficient treatment to eliminate or relieve pain.”

At NJ Pain Care Specialists you’ll receive the immediate, ongoing and follow-up care and compassion you deserve.