Acupuncture is a safe and effective complementary medical practice typically used in conjunction with conventional medicine or function medicine. Acupuncture is an alternative therapy based on traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Today it is widely used around the world to treat pain and manage many medical conditions.

The practice of acupuncture stimulates certain points on the body, called energy points, most often with a very thin needle penetrating the skin, to alleviate pain or help treat various health conditions. The overall objective is to achieve balance and restore the flow of energy, or Qi, to the patient to assist with the healing process. By increasing circulation and stimulation hormones are released that help the body respond to stress and injury. Acupuncture can be used to treat a broad range of conditions including psychological conditions, conditions of the eye, ear, nose and mouth, neurological conditions, gastrointestinal conditions, musculo-skeletal conditions, gynecological conditions and more.

Not every patient requires invasive care, and some patients benefit from chiropractic treatment. Our Chiropractors work directly with Brain and Spine physicians and other specialty staff.

Altered function in nerves may be caused by abnormal movement in the spinal joints irritating spinal nerves by direct pressure, reflex or inflammation. This irritation may cause muscle spasms, headaches, pain, and numbness or tingling, especially in the arms, hands or legs.

Chiropractic care often restores normal joint movement and relieves the mechanical stress put on nerves.

A new study suggests that chiropractic care, specifically neck and spine adjustments, may indeed lower blood pressure. For more details, please ask your primary care physician.

Our Primary Care Physicians of Internal Medicine and Family Medicine are equipped to deal with whatever problem a patient brings - no matter how common or rare, simple or complex. They are specially trained to solve puzzling diagnostic problems and can handle severe chronic illnesses and situations where several different illnesses may strike at the same time. They also educate patients on preventative health, wellness, substance abuse, and mental health.

In today's complex medical environment, our physicians take pride in caring for their patients for life. Together with our other Invision Health medical specialists, our Primary Care providers coordinate patient care through an integrated health care record in an effort to provide exceptional, comprehensive care.

Functional medicine is comprehensive care for complex chronic disease. Functional medicine involves understanding the origins, prevention and treatment of complex chronic disease. Functional Medicine practitioners look "upstream" to consider the complex web of interactions in the patient's history, physiology and lifestyle. By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more patient-centered approach, functional medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms.

The Invision Health Immunology and Metabolic Disease team is specially equipped to deal with whatever problem a patient brings - no matter how common or rare, simple or complex. Our Immunology and Metabolic Disease Team are specially trained to work with you and your unique situation.

Pain Management is an integral part of the Brain and Spine Center in Buffalo. Whenever possible pain will be handled through appropriate treatment and rehabilitation. Short term and post-operative pain may be treated through medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, or analgesic medications.

Occasionally, there may be a need for more aggressive pain management, and this will be discussed with the patient and/or referring physician. Our physicians may recommend epidural steroid injections for back pain, trigger point injections for musculoskeletal or myofascial pain, and injections into the joint spaces for joint pain and arthritis treatment.

For long term pain management, or pain that does not appear to improve with a standard treatment regimen, patients may be referred to certain specialists in the management of pain, or alternatively they may be offered treatment through highly specialized implantable devices that either deliver pain medication directly into the area where pain arises, or acts to block pain through eliminating the nerve impulses that cause pain. These devices called pain pumps and intrathecal catheters may be suitable for your pain, but you may be required to undergo a neuropsychological evaluation before that determination is made.

Neurology is the treatment of conditions of the nervous and vascular system. Advanced neurodiagnostic testing and new treatment options are available for our patients. Our Western New York Neurology staff specializes in the treatment of movement disorders such as Parkinson's Disease. Our Neurologists work hand-in-hand with other physicians in Buffalo NY and specialty services to allow you the greatest relief from symptoms and/or to slow down progression of disease, and whenever possible to allow for prevention of further medical ailments. Medication therapy, physical therapy, infusion (IV) therapy, or even a medical massage may be recommended to relieve muscle spasticity and pain. The goal is to find the best course of treatment or therapy for you.

The Neurosurgery staff of the Brain and Spine Center will perform a comprehensive evaluation to develop the best course of treatment for you, (whether surgical or non-surgical) and assist you in integrating your care with our Neurology team other specialties as appropriate. All of our Neurosurgeons perform general neurosurgery such as those through endoscopic, microsurgery and stereotactic and image guided surgery. The goal is to determine the least invasive means of treatment or surgery to restore function and improve quality of life. Our Buffalo area Neurosurgeons also perform highly specialized surgical procedures to treat patients that have suffered from an acute stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and peripheral nerve injury. In addition, spinal reconstruction and the treatment of skull base and spinal tumors are common.

Physiatry (fizz ee at' tree) is the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation. Physiatrists focus on restoring function. They care for patients presenting with acute and chronic pain, musculoskeletal problems like back and neck pain, tendonitis, pinched nerves and fibromyalgia. They also treat people who have experienced catastrophic events resulting in paraplegia, quadriplegia, or traumatic brain injury; and individuals who have had strokes, orthopedic injuries, or neurologic disorders such as multiple sclerosis, polio, or ALS.

The Physical Therapy staff of the Brain and Spine Center are skilled in the treatment of the entire body, not just conditions of the neck and spine.

Our Buffalo area Physical Therapists develop personalized rehabilitation programs designed to meet individual patient needs. The goal of treatment is to restore function and mobility, increase muscle strength, decrease pain and inflammation, improve flexibility, and resume normal activities.

Physical therapy treatments may include supervised and home exercise programs, heat, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and ice therapies. Physical modalities such as soft tissue massage, myofascial release, joint mobilization, and range of motion treatments may also be utilized. The Physical Therapist is your personal trainer for recovery and rehabilitation, regardless of the site of disease or injury.

Rheumatology involves the medical treatment of diseases of the immune system such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus and Scleroderma.

The Rheumatology staff of the Brain and Spine Center evaluates each patient to determine the appropriate management of many complex musculoskeletal and immune system conditions. These conditions are often very difficult to diagnose and the proper treatment must be chosen and then administered at the right time in the course of the disease. Each diagnosis requires a thorough history, physical exam and often many laboratory tests.