Head and Facial Pain

We are a multidisciplinary service specifically formed to treat difficult cases of head and facial pain, as well as movement disorders. Our goals are to provide cutting edge treatment for patients, collaborate and develop innovative ways to diagnose and treat these disorders, and further educate patients on the management of their condition. Our physicians are specialists in the following disciplines:

Neurological Surgery
Neurology
Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine
Pain Medicine

Neurological Surgery
Our neurological surgeons provide a range of inpatient and outpatient clinical services concerned with complex neurosurgical problems. Using surgical procedures, we are able to provide relief of symptoms caused by various disorders, such as trigeminal neuralgia. We are dedicated to providing exceptional patient care and participating in translational research.

Physicians
Steve Giannotta, MD
J. Peter Gruen

Areas of Treatment 

Procedures Performed

  • Microvascular Decompression
  • Ballon Macrocompression
  • Stereotactic Radiosurgery with Gamma Knife
  • Surgical Resection and Radiosurgical Treatment of Cranial Based Neoplasms
  • Clip Ligation of Cerebral Aneurysms
  • Surgical Resection or Radiosurgery for AVMS
  • Trigeminal Nerve Stimulator Placement
  • Occipital Nerve Stimulator Placement
  • Peripheral Nerve Stimulator Placement for Headaches

For more information on our services or to schedule an appointment, please contact Mary Ellen at (323) 442-6290.

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Neurology
Our neurologists are trained specialists in nervous system disorders, including headache and pain, especially neuropathic pain. Our approach focuses on multidisciplinary treatment, which means treatment with not only medications, but also physical and behavioral modalities, all aimed at improving the overall sense of well-being and alleviating pain.

Physicians
Soma Sahai-Srivastava, MD

Areas of Treatment

Procedures Performed

For more information on our services, please contact the Leslie P. Weiner Neurological Care and Research Center at (323) 442-5710.

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Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine
USC orofacial pain and oral medicine specialists deal with the diagnosis and management of a variety of disorders, including temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders and oral motor disorders. Our management modalities include topical and systemic medications, oral appliances, physical therapy and injections.

Physicians
Glenn Clark, DDS
Mahvash Navazesh, DDS
Parish Sedghizadeh, DDS
Saravanan Ram, DDS
Satish Kumar, DDS
Antonia Teruel, DDS

Areas of Treatment

Procedures Performed

  • Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) injections
  • Sleep Apnea Appliances
  • Trigeminal Nerve Blocks
  • Trigger Point Injections
  • Oral Mucosal and Bone Biopsies
  • Oral Appliances for Bruxism

For more information on our services or to schedule an appointment, please contact the Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine Clinic at (213) 740-3410.

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Pain Medicine
Our pain medicine physicians work to reduce the pain of patients suffering from chronic or persistent pain, such as chronic headaches, facial pain and neuralgias.  A wide variety of treatments are used, including medications, nerve blocks, implanted pain relieving devices, physical therapy, psychology and stress management, and occupational therapy. Additionally, the USC Pain Center specializes in the treatment of chronic neck and back pain, complex regional pain syndrome, herpetic neuralgias, neuropathies and neuralgias, and cancer related pain.

Physicians
Steven Richeimer, MD

Areas of Treatment

Procedures Performed

  • Spinal and epidural injections
  • Spinal facet joint injections and radiofrequency rhizotomies (joint denervations)
  • Implanted spinal and peripheral nerve stimulators
  • Botulinum Toxin Injections
  • Trigeminal and Occipital Nerve Blocks
  • Trigger Point Injections
  • Multidisciplinary pain rehabilitation program (outpatient)
  • Trigeminal Nerve Stimulator Placement
  • Occipital Nerve Stimulator Placement
  • Peripheral Nerve Stimulator Placement for Headaches

For more information on our services or to schedule an appointment, please contact the USC Pain Center at (323) 442-6202.

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