FAQ

We accept Medicare and take most insurances.  We accept all PPO insurances and we are In-Network providers for Blue Shield, Sharp Community Medical Group, UCSD Physician’s Network, and UCSD Medical Group Affiliates.    We are happy to see any out of network PPO patients and we will work with your insurance to ensure that our costs are fair.

Dr. Scott is a medical doctor and a specialist. He has completed residency and fellowship training for the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal problems.  Dr. Scott has a special interest in treating problems associated with the spine, but he is not a spine surgeon. Only a small percentage of persons with back or neck pain require spine surgery. Dr. Scott has worked closely with spine surgeons his entire career and has no hesitation referring to a surgical specialist when conservative measures are unlikely to help or when they have already been exhausted. Dr. Scott typically reviews X-ray and MRI films directly with his patients.  He also reviews his diagnosis and treatment recommendations directly with each patient before moving forward with any care plan. He is able to provide the appropriate medications, therapies, and nonsurgical treatments, including diagnostic and therapeutic injections.

These tests, also known as electrodiagnostic tests, are meant to diagnose injuries/illness of the nerves in the arms or legs, hands or feet, or neck or back. Dr. Scott completed post-graduate medical training in peripheral nerve injuries and disorders and is board certified to complete electrodiagnostic studies. The studies require the application of small electrical stimulations to the forearms and hands or to the legs and feet to measure nerve functions. They also include the placement of a small acupuncture type needle into several muscles of the affected body parts. These tests are uncomfortable, but well tolerated for most persons.    Scott has had each one of these tests completed on his own person and understands the degree of discomfort they may cause. He takes every precaution to avoid excessive discomfort and he typically applies a local anesthetic to the skin prior to needle testing. Testing typically requires 45 minutes of time.

Simply put, a cortisone injection is an injection that includes cortisone (corticosteroid), which is the most potent injectable anti-inflammatory available. Most injections provided by physicians include a cortisone medication along with a local anesthetic. Trigger point injections are injections into the superficial musculature meant to reduce muscle tension and pain. Trigger point injections typically do not require the addition of cortisone to be effective. Rather, they include the anesthetics Lidocaine and Marcaine only. Occasionally Dr. Scott determines that a patient will benefit from the addition of cortisone to the trigger point injections.

Dr. Scott holds the highest qualification for the completion of electrodiagnostic studies, board certification by the American Board Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine. This certification is typically offered to physical medicine specialists, such as Dr. Scott, and to neurologists who have expressed post-graduate interest in completing electrodiagnostic studies, who have completed additional post-residency training, and who have passed the required board certification every 10 years. Dr. Scott is interested in the diagnosis of spinal nerve and peripheral nerve injuries that occur as the result of direct trauma, sports injuries, or repetitive stress injuries.

Dr. Scott does not treat chronic pain with opioids.

In many cases, yes.   Any period of rest is dependent on the type of injury and the type of work.  Scott typically recommends a half to full day of rest following the procedures. Ultimately, the purpose of most spinal injection procedures is to reduce pain and increase functional capabilities, including exercise and work activities.