Expert Pain Management Tailored to You

HealthPointe Centre for Pain, Spine & Sport provides advanced diagnostic and therapeutic services for a wide range of pain conditions. We’re committed to improving your quality of life.

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Pain Areas We Treat

Click on a condition below to explore details about the care we offer:

Acute Sprain/Strains

Patients are said to have sprain or strain injuries when they injure the soft issue or muscles in their bodies. Sprains are commonly known as injuries to bands of tissues that connect bones together while strains are injuries to muscles or bands of tissues that connect muscles to bones. Sprains and strains are often accompanied by swelling and patients will experience pain that can be tender and throbbing or can be felt as cramping or spasms.
Arthritis & Musculoskeletal Pain

Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Musculoskeletal pain affects bones, joints, ligaments, tendons or muscles. An injury such as a fracture may cause sudden, severe pain. A chronic condition like arthritis may also cause pain. If musculoskeletal pain interferes with your usual activities, speak with a healthcare provider. The right treatment can help relieve the pain.
Back Pain

Back pain is one of the most common reasons people go to the doctor or miss work, and is a leading cause of disability worldwide. It can range from a muscle aching to a shooting, burning or stabbing sensation. Back pain often develops without a cause that your doctor can identify with a test or an imaging study. Anyone can develop back pain, even children and teens.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway in the wrist of a patient that is surrounded by bones and ligaments on the palm side of the hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve in the wrist is compressed or crowded, leading to symptoms of numbness, tingling and weakness in the hand or arm.
Cervical Spine Pain
Cervicogenic Headache (CGH)

Cervicogenic headache (CGH) occurs when pain is referred from a specific source in the neck up to the head. This pain is commonly a steady ache or dull feeling, but sometimes the pain intensity can worsen. CGH symptoms are usually side-locked, which means they occur on one side of the neck, head, and/or face.
Chronic Headaches

A patient who has headaches as many days as not — at least 15 days per month — is said to have chronic daily headache (CDH). Not a specific type of headache, CDH is rather a descriptive term applied to any number of headache types. Headaches that can occur on a daily or near daily basis include Cluster,
Hemicrania continua, Idiopathic intracranial hypotension, Migraine and Tension headaches.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a broad term describing excess and prolonged pain and inflammation that follows an injury to an arm or leg. CRPS has acute (recent, short-term) and chronic (lasting greater than six months) forms. CRPS used to be known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) and causalgia. People with CRPS have changing combinations of spontaneous pain or excess pain that is much greater than normal following something as mild as a touch. Other symptoms include changes in skin color, temperature, and/or swelling on the arm or leg below the site of injury. Although CRPS improves over time, eventually going away in most people, the rare severe or prolonged cases are profoundly disabling.
Concussion

Patients are said to suffer from a concussion if they experience an injury caused by a blow or jolt to the head, often due to the body being hit in a manner that cause the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. Concussions are also often referred to as a type of traumatic brain injury or TBI. Concussion symptoms experienced by patients include headaches, nausea, balance or dizziness, sensitivity to light or sound, confusion and an overall sense of feeling unwell.
Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way your brain and spinal cord process painful and non-painful signals. While there is no cure for fibromyalgia, a variety of medications can help control symptoms. Exercise, relaxation and stress-reduction measures also may help.
Head and Neck Pain

Having neck pain alone is challenging enough, especially if it involves neck stiffness and reduced head mobility. When headache is also present, additional problems may include increased pain, visual disturbances, concentration issues, dizziness, or others. Getting an accurate diagnosis is important in order to create a treatment program to successfully manage the condition and reduce pain.
Lumbar Spine Pain
Migraine

A patient may be said to be suffering from a migraine if he or she has headache that can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation. Sometimes migraine pain will be specific to one side of the head. Patients with migraines may also experience nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine attacks can last for hours to days, and the pain can be so severe that it interferes with your daily activities.
Motor Vehicle or Work-Related Injuries

The different injuries resulting from a car accident can be as varied as the individual circumstances of each collision. Not all motor vehicle accident injuries are easily identified, but internal injuries can cause long-term and even chronic widespread pain.

A workplace injury can vary from something relatively minor, such as a small cut or bruise, to a fatal accident. One of the most common causes of workplace injuries are due to overexertion, slip and fall accidents due to debris or wet floors, falls from heights due to faulty equipment, getting entangled in a machine, repetitive motion injuries, hearing loss due to noisy environments and workplace violence.
Myofascial Pain
Neuropathic Pain
Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of bones wears down over time. Because of this, osteoarthritis pain often is felt in the joints eg. Hands, knees, hips and spine. It is often referred to as degenerative joint disease or “wear and tear arthritis”.
Post-Surgical Pain Syndromes

Post-Surgical Pain is defined as pain lasting more than 3 to 6 months after surgery. The pain differs in quality and location from pain experienced prior to surgery, and is usually associated with iatrogenic neuropathic pain caused by surgical injury to a major peripheral nerve.
Shoulder and Arm Pain

The shoulder has a wide and versatile range of motion. When something goes wrong with your shoulder, it hampers your ability to move freely and can cause a great deal of pain and discomfort. The most common cause of right shoulder and arm pain is an issue with your rotator cuff, such as tendinitis or bursitis. Other potential causes include fractures, arthritis, and cervical radiculopathy.
Sports Injuries

Sports injuries are commonly caused by overuse, direct impact, or the application of force that is greater than the body part can structurally withstand. Common injuries include bruises, sprains, strains, joint injuries and nose bleeds. Different sports injuries produce different symptoms and complications.
Thoracic Spine Pain

The thoracic spine (and can be referred to as middle or upper back) is the longest region of the spine and connects to both the cervical spine and lumbar spine. Pain in this region, is experienced as a dull aching pain, an electric shock-like pain or a sharp stabbing pain. The pain can be continuous or can come and go over time.
Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal Neuralgia is a condition characterized by pain coming from the trigeminal nerve, which starts near the top of the ear and splits in three, toward the eye, cheek and jaw. We have two trigeminal nerves for each side of our face, but trigeminal neuralgia pain most commonly affects only one side. The main symptom of trigeminal neuralgia is sudden attacks of severe, sharp, shooting facial pain that last from a few seconds to about 2 minutes. The pain is often described as excruciating, like an electric shock. The attacks can be so severe that you’re unable to do anything while they’re happening.
Whiplash Related Injuries

Whiplash is a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip. Whiplash is commonly caused by rear-end car accidents. But whiplash can also result from sports accidents, physical abuse and other types of traumas, such as a fall. The long-term effects of whiplash can include chronic pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulders, ongoing bouts of dizziness, ringing in the ears that is constant or comes and goes.

Services Offered

Explore our comprehensive range of services:

Concussion Clinic

HealthPointe’s Concussion Clinic is geared towards treating acute to sub-acute concussion cases that have occurred within the last 12 months. Typically, if a concussion happened longer than a year ago, the patient will be referred elsewhere, such as a psychologist, social worker, or special therapy.

Patients at HealthPointe can expect to have two exams on the day of their assessment, one by an athletic therapist and the next by a physiatrist or sport medicine physician. The athletic therapist will review the person’s history and perform cognitive tests that measure the patient’s memory, ability to draw, and ability to name items.

The athletic therapist and the physician will then conference, and the physician will meet the patient for a medical history and a physical exam. Following this, treatment recommendations will be made. Depending on the outcome of the examinations, the physician may or may not order further tests or prescribe medications.

Patients can expect to learn their test results and next steps, which may include therapy, medications, or further investigations, at this visit. They will leave with a treatment plan that may include activities they should and should not do, and further therapy recommendations. The entire visit will take 60-90 minutes.

If patients are in the “cognitive domain”, meaning they are having memory and concentration issues, they may be referred to our in-house neuropsychologist. A neuropsychologist’s exam is an additional fee, as it is not covered under Alberta Health Care.

Patients usually have a follow-up appointment with the Concussion Clinic’s physician. After this, they may return to their family doctor or depending on their recovery, they may require further follow up.
Diet & Nutrition Service

Change your pain with food and nutrition.

Clinical studies and medical practice have increasingly focused on the role of body inflammation as a precursor and maintainer of chronic conditions. As there are dietary factors that impact inflammation, it is important to know how food and nutrition patterns can reduce inflammation. There have been ways of eating that cultures around the world have shown to be healthy by a lower incidence of lifestyle diseases and longer life spans.

1:1 virtual consultation service is available to assist patients optimize their nutritional health to improve pain management. This is offered on a fee-for-service basis and reimbursable by many health plans.
Electromyography (EMG) Clinic

The HealthPointe Electromyography (EMG) Clinic is a diagnostic clinic for patients suffering from muscle- and nerve-related disorders such as numbness of the hands or feet, weakness, or nerve related pain. The EMG Clinic is operated by a neurologist or physiatrist certified through the Canadian Society of Clinical Neurophysiologists (CSCN). To access this clinic, patients must be referred by a physician or specialist.

Patients will undergo an assessment followed by a Nerve Conduction Study (NCS), which determines how well electricity moves through the nerves. Small, disc-shaped electrodes are taped to the skin and a low level of electricity is then sent through these electrodes. A computer will measure how quickly the signal passes from one electrode to another and assess the nerve and muscle function.

Based on the gathered information from the assessment and the NCS, patients may undergo a needle electromyogram study. This study uses a special needle that is placed into the muscle to measure how much electricity is generated by the muscle at rest and during active contraction. Typically, the needle may be put in several different muscles during the study.

The EMG Clinic physician will provide an interpretation of the study as well as diagnoses and further recommendations to the patient and referring physician.
Independent Medical Exam (IME)

Independent Medical Exams (IMEs) are exams requested by third parties (i.e., lawyers or insurance companies) to confirm the diagnosis of an individual’s injuries sustained during an accident. HealthPointe does not accept direct requests from patients for IMEs.

During an IME, a client will be assessed by a physiatrist—a broad specialist of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, joints, ligaments, muscles and tendons—and a physiotherapist, if needed. The medical team will review any information provided by the third party about the client’s accident, related injuries, medical history, then perform a detailed physical examination. This allows our team to develop a plan for the client’s future medical care, rehabilitation, and potential adjustments in occupational or domestic duties.

HealthPointe’s physiotherapists and physiatrists will not provide any treatment or recommendations directly to the client following the assessment. Instead, once the exam is completed, which can take one-to-two hours, we will provide suggestions and assessment results to the requesting third party.

Additional Information for the Requesting Third Party
To assist HealthPointe in providing you a comprehensive and useful assessment, we ask that you collect detailed medical records, accident and injury reports, accounts of ongoing symptoms, and a relevant medical history for the client.

As a result of our assessments, we will provide recommendations pertaining to the client’s diagnosis, injury causation, impairment, occupational and domestic task difficulties, as well as future treatment recommendations.

It is the third party organization that assumes the costs for requesting the above information, assessments, and opinions.
Intake Clinic

For a number of HealthPointe patients, the Intake Clinic will be the first place they visit. Upon receiving a referral from a patient’s physician, our medical team will assess which of our services will best suit a person’s unique case. If it isn’t readily obvious which services should be activated, or if the presenting case appears to be complicated and may require a number of services, the patient will be asked to come to the Intake Clinic for a pre-screening assessment.

The assessment, which lasts approximately 30 minutes, will cover all relevant medical history and include a physical examination to ensure all pertinent illnesses have been ruled out and addressed prior to more comprehensive assessments within the clinic. This process allows HealthPointe medical professionals to gain a fuller understanding of the individual’s circumstances and expectations.

After the assessment the attending physician will provide a plan for treatment. This may mean sending recommendations back to the referring doctor for treatment, or a plan of which HealthPointe services the patient will be recommended to pursue.

This assessment is typically completed by a family physician with expertise in sport medicine.

Additional Information for the Referring Healthcare Professional
Our Intake Clinic allows us to clarify your patients’ needs, and determine the best course of action to provide them help. The Intake Clinic generally has shorter wait times than many of our other services, however no treatment will be provided at the time of assessment. The resulting findings help us to determine which services they will most benefit from. You will be provided a full summary of our findings and any recommendations for interim treatment.

HealthPointe services are by referral only.
Medication Management Clinic

HealthPointe’s Medication Management Clinic is here to help patients navigate medication as a treatment for pain. They may be referred to this Clinic when already-attempted pain-management methods have failed to improve their function and quality of life.

Patients will see a physiatrist or family physician with expertise in medication management for a 30-60 minute assessment. The physician will focus on the patient’s medication, medical history, addiction risk assessment, and what his or her expectations are of a new medication management regime. Registered nurses assist with prescription refills and monitoring for the potential of addiction or drug abuse.

Our goal is to provide patients with a medication management strategy that will improve their overall quality of life by reducing their symptoms and allowing them to increase their physical activity and productivity.

After a patient starts on a HealthPointe-guided medication management strategy, Clinic physicians will ensure he or she is stabilized and their quality of life and function has improved. When those factors are confirmed, the patient will be discharged to a family physician for ongoing care.

Additional Information for Patients
Our clinic will take into consideration past medication use, effectiveness, and drug interactions while creating a plan for patients. This ensures we can better predict the effectiveness of medication options and select those we determine will best reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.

The goal of the Medication Management Clinic is to reduce symptoms enough to allow an individual to become more active in an exercise program and maintain their psychological wellness.
Multi-Disciplinary Headache Clinic
HealthPointe’s Multi-Disciplinary Headache Clinic is a collaborative effort between our Neurology and PM&R Consult Clinics. This clinic has been designed to address patients who are experiencing components of neck pain and headaches simultaneously.

During a patient’s initial visit, he or she will be assessed by the physiatrist from a neck pain perspective and the neurologist from a primary headache disorder perspective. After the assessments, the physicians will conference and determine the best course of action, which may include further investigation, physiotherapy, neurology-based medications or interventions.

Patients will leave this appointment with a treatment plan for their family physician or HealthPointe physician(s) to enact.

Patients can expect to have a follow-up appointment, or phone call, within 3-4 months of initiating treatment.

Additional Information for the Referring Specialist
Please provide as much detailed information as possible in your referral. This enables our team to easily assess the eligibility of the patient.

Please include:

A general history of the patient’s symptoms, their nature, physical location, and timeline

What investigations has the patient had? (e.g., X-Rays, CT Scans, MRIs, trials of treatments, etc.)

Has the patient seen any other therapists, specialists, neurologists, or physiatrists before?

Is the patient actively seeing any specialists? Is the patient on, or has he or she been on, any medications?

Information above helps reduce the chance of multiple, parallel treatment streams occurring if the patient is currently under investigation by another physician.

Some patient referrals may be declined if the patient and family physician have not yet tried other treatments, investigations, or at least two preventative medications for several months before seeing the neurologist.
Multi-Interdisciplinary Clinic

HealthPointe’s Multi-Interdisciplinary Clinic is a comprehensive, collaborative team assessment of a patient when other interventions have failed to provide solutions. The Multi Clinic brings together an athletic therapist, a medications specialist, and a physiatrist to assess a patient with complex pain.

A patient will spend 30-40 minutes with each team member for a comprehensive assessment. A full assessment by the team can take up to three hours.

Our athletic therapist will assesses a patients’ movements: how well they move, their strength, and their function. The medications specialist reviews the pain medication, dose, and effectiveness of anything a patient may be taking. The physiatrist determines if any interventions are necessary, and also acts as the team lead who handles any follow-up sessions and recommendations to the patient.

Following the assessment, the three disciplines consult on the case and determine the next steps. Patients will be contacted by the end of the next day to book a follow-up appointment. In the follow-up session, the physiatrist will explain the cause of the pain and what the protocol will be moving forward. Review and follow-up with the athletic therapist and medications specialist will be determined on a case by case basis.

Our recommendations take into consideration cost effective, or free, community resources that address mental health support services, therapies, and general support networks.

The goal of HealthPointe’s Multi-Interdisciplinary Clinic is to provide patients with exercises and resources that empower them to feel better and eventually take control of their own lives and recovery.
Neurology Clinic

The Neurology Clinic assesses and treats patients with various headache conditions. Patients must be referred by their physician or another specialist.

The patient can expect to have a 45 minute assessment with our neurologist on his or her first visit. This will involve reviewing the patient’s medical history, any previously attempted headache treatments, and a physical exam. It is helpful for patients to review and bring their medical history or medical records to the appointment.

If appropriate, the neurologist will typically start the patient on medication and schedule a follow-up appointment 3-4 months later. This ensures the medication has had enough time to take effect.

If needed, further neurological testing and diagnostic investigations like MRIs, X-Rays, and CT scans are done externally.

Additional Information for the Referring Physician
It is important that patients have tried appropriate headache therapies before coming to HealthPointe’s Neurology Clinic. Due to the demand, some referrals may be declined if the patients have not tried at least two preventative medications for several months.

When providing a referral please provide as much detailed information as possible, including all tests, investigations, and previous medications prescribed.
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Consult Clinic
HealthPointe’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Consult Clinic is a collaborative clinic that has centralized treatment, services, and testing in one location. This has been done to make it easier for those seeking assessment to gain a comprehensive understanding of their physical health.

PM&R specialists, or physiatrists, are medical doctors who treat a wide variety of medical conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, joints, muscles, or tendons. A physiatry consultation takes between 30-60 minutes, depending upon the medical condition. The doctor will gather detailed information about the symptoms before performing a thorough physical exam to establish a diagnosis and potential treatments.

HealthPointe’s physiatrists work closely with other allied health professionals within our organization, such as physical therapists, registered nurses, and athletic therapy. This is extremely beneficial to our patients as it enables all parties to have direct communication with the teams and improves the level of understanding and outcomes.

Depending upon the physiatrist’s scope of practice, the following services are provided:

Electromyography (EMG), usually performed at the same time as a nerve conduction study (NCS), detects a disease that affects the nerves and muscles, as well as its location and extent of damage in the body

Ultrasound guided procedures

Fluoroscopy guided procedures are medical imaging processes that show a continuous X-ray image on a monitor so the body’s movement, a contrast agent (e.g., dye), or an instrument can be seen in detail through the body.

Joint injections

Spasticity management for patients facing nerve damage in the central nervous system causing all muscles to contract at once, such as with cerebral palsy, a stroke, or multiple sclerosis.

Disability assessments
Rapid Assessment and Intervention Clinic

Rapid Assessment and Intervention Clinic allows physicians to refer patients directly for fluoroscopic and/or ultrasound guided injections and procedures. Patients will have the opportunity to have an assessment and injection in the same day. HealthPointe will strive to see patients referred directly for fluoroscopic and/or ultrasound guided procedures within 4 – 6 weeks of receiving the referral.
Sport Medicine Clinic
The Sport Medicine Clinic is a subset of the general PM&R Clinic with a sport medicine focus. Our sport medicine physicians hold a diploma in Sport and Exercise Medicine (Dip. Sport Med) through the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine (CASEM). We treat patients who are 16 years of age and older who are coping with an injury due to recreational or competitive sports activity.

Typically, patients will come to the Sport Medicine Clinic directly by referral from a family physician, specialist, or physiotherapist.

During their first appointment, patients will be seen by a sport-medicine physician to gather a complete history, review existing X-rays or imaging, and to perform a physical exam. From this consultation, patients will be given an account of the problem and a plan going forward. This may include further diagnostic investigations or a management strategy that may comprise physiotherapy, medication, injections, modified activity, or other recommendations.

This assessment takes about 45 minutes, depending on the injury. Since each appointment and treatment is highly individual, the physician will follow up as needed.

Patients should wear appropriate clothing that allows the physician to see and handle the affected body part.

Additional Information for the Referring Specialist
Please provide as much detailed information as possible in your referral. This enables our team to easily assess and triage our patients.

Please include:

Brief history of the injury

Relevant diagnostic investigations

A summary of treatment to date,

Classify the injury as a sport-related injury or ongoing pain

Classify the injury as acute or chronic
Ultrasound Guided Injection Clinic

The HealthPointe Ultrasound Guided Injection Clinic utilizes ultrasound guidance to perform procedures to treat pain due to joint, tendon, ligament, nerve and other musculoskeletal conditions. Ultrasound guidance improves the accuracy of delivering medications (cortisone, Hyaluronic Acid, Platelet Rich Plasma, etc.) into the targeted structure, while avoiding hitting nerves, joint cartilage, or surrounding vascular structures. This ensures patient safety and comfort, and improves the effectiveness of the procedure.

In order to access the Ultrasound Guided Injection Clinic, patients must be assessed by a HealthPointe physician to determine the causes of the patient’s symptoms, response to prior treatments, and order any required diagnostic imaging.

Treatment may require single or multiple appointments, and each appointment takes approximately 20-30 mins. Patients are asked to wear appropriate clothing that enables the doctors to access the area(s) they are treating.

A follow-up appointment will be arranged to assess the response to the injection and determine the best course of action.
X-Ray (Fluoroscopy) Intervention Clinic

HealthPointe’s X-Ray Intervention Clinic offers a wide range of pain-reducing treatments to offer relief when other interventions and therapies have failed. The focus of our physicians in this clinic is to administer X-Ray guided treatments for patients dealing with persistent pain.

Patient’s will have an assessment by a HealthPointe physician to determine if they are a candidate for a procedure. Procedures may be diagnostic or therapeutic.

Diagnostic procedures are conducted to identify pain generators and to assess candidacy for therapeutic procedures. Once completed, patients are responsible for tracking their pain levels. If there is a reduction of pain, the treating physician will discuss therapeutic intervention options with the patient. If there is no reduction in pain, patients may be asked to return for further diagnostic procedures or to discuss non-interventional options.

If a therapeutic intervention is selected, an appointment will be booked. On the day of the procedure, an Intervention Clinic nurse or physician will do a brief clinical assessment to ensure the patient is still eligible. If everything is in good standing the doctor will perform the procedure.

Once the procedure is complete, the patient will be provided a plan moving forward. A diagnostic procedure will require a pain diary to be filled out by the patient and returned to the clinic. A therapeutic procedure will usually require a follow-up (nurse phone call or in-clinic with a physician) in 6 – 12 weeks.

It is important to be aware that these procedures do not change the underlying issue that is causing pain. Any procedure done in the Intervention Clinic is an attempt to reduce pain so that patients can return to an active lifestyle via an active rehabilitation program.

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With locations in Edmonton, Red Deer, and Tofield, expert care is always close to home. Find a HealthPointe clinic near you and start your path to relief.

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Expert Pain Management Tailored to You

Pain Areas We Treat

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