Welcome to the website of Dr. Joseph Yazdi, a leading expert in the management and treatment of pain based in St. Louis. Here, we provide comprehensive insights into the nature of pain and the advanced treatment options available.

Pain serves as a critical signal from our body, alerting us to potential or ongoing harm. It is a complex experience, combining both sensory and emotional elements, often leading to what is known as suffering. Despite being a universal experience, pain is inherently subjective and presents unique challenges in its description and treatment.

In the United States, it is estimated that annually, between 30 to 40 million individuals experience pain unresponsive to common analgesics like aspirin or ibuprofen. This pain can stem from various causes, including initial incidents like falls or accidents, medical conditions such as arthritis or cancer, or it may exist without any prior injury or physical damage. Chronic pain, persistent and often linked with chronic health conditions, differs from acute pain by not being a response to active injury, thus being classified as "pathological."

Chronic pain not only affects physical health but can significantly impair one’s ability to work, engage in physical activities, or enjoy life. The economic impact of managing chronic pain is substantial, with costs nearing $50 billion annually.

As a neurosurgeon, Dr. Yazdi employs cutting-edge medical technology in treating conditions causing chronic pain. These include atypical facial pain, post-surgical spinal pain, phantom limb pain, stroke-related pain, and severe headaches.

One particularly distressing condition, trigeminal neuralgia, manifests as intense, electric shock-like facial pain. When medications fail, various surgical options are available, including:

Microvascular Decompression: A microsurgical procedure that relieves nerve compression, potentially reducing pain and restoring normal nerve function.

Radiofrequency Rhizotomy: This technique uses heat to treat pain, applicable to trigeminal neuralgia and spinal pain in the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar regions.

Glycerol Rhizotomy: Involves injecting glycerol to selectively damage nerve branches, disrupting pain signal transmission.

Stereotactic Radiation: Precision-targeted radiation that gradually forms a lesion in the nerve, interrupting pain signals.

Motor Cortex Stimulation: Often a last-resort option, it provides variable, often short-term pain relief.

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS): Involves placing an electrode in the brain, beneficial in reducing intractable back pain and other pain conditions.

Spinal Cord Stimulation: Delivers low-voltage electrical current to the spinal cord to block pain sensations.

Each of these procedures carries inherent risks and requires careful consideration of the patient's age, medical condition, and symptoms. Our goal at Dr. Yazdi's practice is to provide personalized care, ensuring the most suitable and effective treatment for each patient’s unique pain experience.