Welcome to the HPS web site 

Jason, Sarah, Dr. Dobecki, Dr. Huntley

Tawnie, Joyce, Debra, Felisa, Marbella, Andrea

Joelle, Nicole, Amada

You will find information about our practice, directions to the facilities, medication information, policies, forms to fill out, information about interventional pain procedures, and links to other sites.

Our practice specializes in the comprehensive management of chronic pain.

Dr. Huntley, Jason, Sarah, Dr. Dobecki

Dr. Michael Huntley has practiced Interventional Pain Medicine in San Diego since 1991. He is board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology with subspecialty certification in Pain Medicine.

Dr. Douglas Dobecki is a board certified pain management specialist and was a former Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSD before joining Huntley Pain Specialists. Dr. Dobecki completed his fellowship training at UCSD and has an extensive background in comprehensive pain management, interventional therapies, and neuromodulation.

Jason Graeme, PA-C has worked in the specialty of pain management since 2002.

Sarah Mott, PA-C has worked in the specialty of pain management since 2009.

Their compassionate, comprehensive approach to his patients is without comparison. Jason and Sarah provide initial consultations, established office visits, maintenance of implantable therapies, pain medicine education, and medication management.

Pain Consultation

Most patients have already been seen by their primary care physician and other specialists by the time they present to our pain program. Many patients are self referred. Please feel free to contact our office to setup your initial evaluation. Patients are initially seen for a consultation by Jason Graeme, PA-C. Please complete our new patient questionnaire and see our instructions for your initial consultation. By completing the questionnaire you help us to better understand your history allowing us to formulate the best plan for you based on the information provided. Depending on your history we might recommend: additional studies,  medication management, an interventional pain procedure, physical therapy, or behavioral therapies. Adequate time will be allowed to answer all of your questions.

Painful Conditions and Diagnosis

Most referrals are for pain arising from the spine. Please see the anatomy section for a better understanding of the numerous components of the spine. There are many sources of spinal pain including the:

Facet joint (facet arthalgia/arthritis)

Intervertebral disc (discogenic pain, disc herniation, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis)

Nerve root (radiculopathy)

Sacroiliac joint (sacroilitis)

Ligaments, muscles (tendonitis, overuse syndrome)

       Patients are also seen for:

Neuralgias/neuropathies (post-herpetic, vascular, diabetic, occipital, intercostal)

Complex regional pain syndrome/reflex sympathetic dystrophy

Headache

Piriformis syndrome

Arthritis

Pelvic, bladder, rectal pain

Myofascial pain

Failed back surgery syndrome

Interventional Pain Procedures

Interventional pain injections target the suspected source of pain. Most procedures are done with the use of fluoroscopy to improve the accuracy and results of the procedure. Sedation is often utilized to improve your comfort. However, most procedures are not uncomfortable and can be done without sedation. Dr. Huntley will review your history and response to treatments on the day of the procedure. He will review the procedure and answer all questions. If you elect to have sedation, you may not remember many of the events of the procedure. We therefore may have you follow up in the office to access your response to the procedure and guide further therapies.

Injections can be therapeutic by injecting steroids (reduce pain and inflammation) and/or a local anesthetic. Injections may be diagnostic. If there is pain relief with the injection of a local anesthetic then the source of the pain can be identified. Injections may to destructive in order to offer longer periods of pain relief.

Epidural Steroid Injections

    Cervical epidural steroid injection

    Thoracic epidural steroid injection

    Lumbar epidural steroid injection

Transforaminal Steroid Injections

    Cervical transforaminal injection

    Thoracic transforaminal injection

    Lumbar transforaminal injection

Joint Injections

    Facet Joints

        Cervical facet joint injection

        Thoracic facet joint injection

        Lumbar facet joint injection

    Sacroiliac Joint

    Knee Joint

    Hip Joint

    Shoulder Joint

Discography

    Lumbar discogram

Sympathetic Blocks

    Stellate ganglion block

    Celiac plexus block

    Lumbar sympathetic block

    Hypogastric block

    Ganglion of impar block

Radiofrequency Nerve Ablations

    Cervical facet radiofrequency denervation

    Thoracic facet radiofrequency denervation

    Lumbar facet radiofrequency denervation

    Sacroiliac joint radiofrequency denervation

    Cervical radiofrequency sympathectomy  

    Lumbar radiofrequency sympathectomy

    Intercostal radiofrequency denervation

Nerve Blocks  

    Ilioinguinal

    Occipital

    Suprascapular

Percutaneous Disc Decompression

Epidural Blood Patch

Trigger Point Injection 

Spinal Cord Stimulation

Intrathecal Infusion Pump 

Please see our section on procedures and the link to evidence based guidelines for more information.

Instructions for Your Procedure

Please see our sections on pre-procedure and post-procedure instructions.

Medication Management

Many patients will require the use of medications to help manage their pain to an acceptable level. It is unreasonable to expect complete relief of symptoms with medications. Our goal is to provide medications that will help to make the pain tolerable. If we take over the prescribing of  your pain medications, you will be required to complete a medication management agreement. Pain medications are to only be prescribe by our office, taken as prescribed, and refilled during normal business hours. You must be seen on a regular basis to monitor the efficacy of the treatment and evaluate for adverse effects. You may be required to have laboratory studies done to monitor for adverse reactions to the medication. You may be required to participate in behavioral therapies, undergo behavioral testing, or provide random urine samples for a drug screen. Please see our policy on narcotic medications. For more information on medications please see our medication page and the links section.

Behavioral Therapy

Pain and medications can affect your mood, relationships, work, and other activities. Loss of income, dependency on medications, and inability to perform activities of daily living because of the pain changes your self image and can adversely impact your ability to improve. We may recommend that you complete a brief computer questionnaire for further assessment. Relaxation techniques and cognitive and coping strategies can be very helpful. We work with psychiatrists and psychologists who specialize in chronic pain. Please feel comfortable asking for more information. Our goal is to help you manage the pain.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy can help to reduce pain, restore exercise tolerance, physical well being, strength, and range of  motion. Depending on your painful condition, physical therapy may be appropriate.

Prescriptions, Appointments, Phone Calls, and Requests to Complete Forms

Please read this section for additional information. We will do our best to accommodate last minute prescription refill requests, changes in appointments, and requests to complete paperwork. We strive to call you back immediately and keep you updated on the status of requests. However, if you have not heard back from us after a day please back.

Patient's Rights, Responsibilities, and Privacy

Your confidentiality, expectations, satisfaction, and treatment are our high priority. Please see the Health Information Privacy Section   and the patient's rights and responsibilities section for more related information.