Dr. Chris Faubel
Pain Management
Sycamore, IL
16 years experience male
Locations
MOI Spine Center
Sycamore, IL
My office hours
Thursday: 8:00am - 5:00pm
Show morePhone
Practice website
Insurances accepted
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
Aetna
Cigna
Humana Insurance Company
Medicare
About
Bio
I am double board-certified in both Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) as well as Interventional Pain Management. My practice focuses primarily in Spine pain management. What's great about my PM&R background is that I am amply trained and qualified to evaluated a patient's muscles, joint, ligament, tendon and nerve conditions throughout the body. Patients don't typically have pain in one part of the body alone, and so this extra PM&R knowledge allows me to treat 90% of the other musculoskeletal pain that arises without having to send patients out to multiple other specialists.
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Pain Management
Physical & Rehabilitation Medicine
Doctor Q&A
131 Answers
40 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 24-year-old male asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Don't use one: I know this isn't the answer you're wanting but i almost never recommend a back brace. I think only one patient actually, and this was a older gentle... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
No and maybe: Spinal canal narrowing is what we call central canal stenosis. This can certainly cause burning in the cervical spine area if the stenosis is in that... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A male asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Pred/melox first: In our spine center (including two pm;r interventional pain specialists and one ortho spine surgeon), over 90% of the cases are managed effectively w/... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Spine specialist: Chronic opioid use is probably the last option someone should try. There is very little functional gain from using narcotic medications chronically.
... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Seek PCP: Even as a physiatry spine specialist, if i had all these symptoms, i'd start with seeing my pcp (internal medicine or family doc). Rule out serious a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Varies: Sacroiliac joint pain lasts until it's fixed, and this depends on the cause.
Simple arthritic si joint pain can be helped with steroid injections i... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 29-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
All other options?: If you mean just trigger point injections and physical therapy, you're far from having tried all the options.
Chronic medication use is not the bes... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Yes but...: A non-contrast ct is horribly inferior to an mri, but yes, it is still possible.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Local PM;R doc: Seek out a local pm;r doctor. Without more detail it's impossible to tell for sure, but this is likely not a surgical issue. Pain at the level of th... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old male asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Yes: The mckenzie method frequently incorporates extension of the lumbar spine. If the lumbar facet joints are painful, this will exacerbate that pain an... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old male asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
PT may help: The first thing to figure out is if the disc herniation is even the cause of the low back pain. A skilled pm;r interventional pain physician can help... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 50-year-old member asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Stop vacuuming: It means you need to see a spine specialist (pm;r/physiatrist or anesth. With spine fellowship).
This is a very common complaint with my patients... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 30-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Cervical radic.: Without knowing more information, this sounds like a classic C6 radiculopathy. In other words, a pinching of the 6th cervical nerve in the neck that ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 35-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Yes: I see you also take oxycodone. Keep in mind that both tramadol and oxycodone are opioid pain killers that work similarly. I never prescribe the two ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 60-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Depends: If you mean there was trauma and now a particular joint is hypermobile, i'd suggest an orthopedic surgeon that specializes in the particular joint in ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 33-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Lumbar radiculopathy: Are you asking what the diagnosis likely is?
If a patient came to me with these symptoms, it would be a clearly diagnosis of "lumbar radiculopathy"... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 26-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Arthritic neck pain?: Quite possibly arthritic neck pain. Google "cervical spondylosis referral patterns". If this is the case, cervical radiofrequency ablation can help ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 29-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Upper cervical issue: The symptoms listed could be caused by a plethora of conditions. The one that is lesser known is arthritis at the atlanto-occipital joint and atlanto... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
CT scan: A ct scan of the neck may be warranted to rule out any bleed from the IV insertion procedure. It's of course possible that a bleed was caused and thi... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 17-year-old male asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Definitely, but...: Well, kyphosis and cervical disc bulges can certainly cause neck, shoulder and upper back pain, but it by no means that this is what's causing your pa... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
MRI: An x-ray is usually not helpful at all in cases with symptoms like this. Mris provide much more information.
Back pain with pain down the leg(s) a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 17-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Absolutely not: If you truly had your menses a few hours after having sex, there is no plausible way you're pregnant from that. That said, u could certainly be pregna... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Absolutely: If the doctor you're referring to is a family doc then it depends on their training and how comfortable they are performing them.
If the doctor is ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 17-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Lidocaine: There is a Lidocaine cream that can be applied but it is very difficult to use. It must be slapped on in a thick layer and be wrapped with plastic wra... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Related: A herniated disc is just referring to the intervertebral disc bulging out towards the space where the nerves "live". This bulging disc doesn't necess... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Probably not: That's just impossible to say. It depends heavily on what's causing the pinched nerve. Is it just a bulged/herniated disc? Is there some joint arth... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Tinnitus : Absolutely not. There is no neurological connection that could explain a connection between the two things.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Nope: The new antibiotic treatments are only for axial low back pain being caused by certain disc abnormalities on mri. It won't help at all with radicular... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 45-year-old male asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Many possibilities: Possible ankylosing spondylitis (as), but what's much more common is just simply pain in the sacroiliac joint from arthritic changes. An injection of... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Cervical radic.: Cervical radiculopathy can present like this. The numbness/tingling would go usually down the arm and into the thumb mostly for a C6 radiculopathy.
... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old male asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Absolutely: Mild facet joint arthropathy is very very common on ct and mri. This is not a death sentence and may not even be the cause of your low back pain.
... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 37-year-old male asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Ignore: Stretching the piriformis muscle can relieve the pain when not caused by disc herniation.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Pillow: Best guess would be a horrible pillow. As a spine specialist i can't overemphasize the importance of a great pillow that supports your neck at night.... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Yes, but...: The first issue is finding out what exactly is causing the chronic low back pain. A spine specialist can help with that.
If the pain is from the... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 20-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
No affect: A pinched nerve will not affect your periods at all.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 63-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Yes: I am unaware of any contraindications to performing an epidural steroid injection in patients with cancer (unless of course the tumor is in the direct... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
PM;R physician: Because of the breath of knowledge and training, a board certified pm;r interventional pain specialist is a great place to go to get evaluated for the... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 18-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
High ankle sprain: A high ankle sprain or distal fibula fracture needs to be considered. I would get evaluated by a pm;r physician, sports medicine orthopedist, or pod... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Could be: It certainly could be a herniated disc causing lumbar radiculopathy.
A formal exam by a pm;r doctor or other spine specialist could help to deter... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 45-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Yes: As always, a proper evaluation by a spine specialist (pm;r physician, ortho spine, or neurosurgeon for example) is needed.
Chronic burning in the b... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old male asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Not needed: An L1 vertebral body compression fracture does not need to be "fixed". A kyphoplasty is not needed because the bone is otherwise strong and healthy (... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Spine specialist: Shoulder problems can occasionally cause pain in the neck, but neck pathology very commonly cause pain in the "shoulder". With that knowledge, it's ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 37-year-old male asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Ignore: Do get a formal evaluation by a physiatrist or other spine specialist.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
T1 radiculopathy?: Without knowing more, i'd suspect a t1 radiculopathy. The first thoracic nerve provides sensation in this area.
A good physiatry spine specialist... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Tricky: An epidural steroid injection may provide immediate relief just after the procedure if a numbing medication is mixed with the steroid; this will wear ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Depends: Depends what you mean by "hip". Posterior hip pain can be from the musculature in the buttock or may be the hip joint itself.
Sacroiliac joint p... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 22-year-old male asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Not usually: We really only worry about sacroiliac ligaments being too lax in pregnant women, which you are not.
A spine specialist can help. At your young age... Read More
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4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 42-year-old male asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
No difference: No difference in strength; just more expensive.
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4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 17-year-old male asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Not typically: As a spine specialist, i can say that this is not a typical radiating pattern for cervical nerves.
Other possibilities would be myofascial trigger ... Read More
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4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:
Dr. Chris Faubelanswered
Pain Management 16 years experience
Absolutely: The big unknown though is for how long it will help. Also, multiple blocks may be needed.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
3
Recommendations
103
Thank you notes
Jun 10, 2014
Provides excellent answers to difficult questions. A rare specialist who is expert in both pain management and rehabilitation.
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2015
Dr. Faubel is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Faubel is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! Just hoping to help him out a bit! Our old ped was no help, switched!!
HealthTap member
Thanks for your quick reply! I see a neuro in Pittsburgh next week, hope to come up with an answer
HealthTap member
Thanks for your quick reply! Thank you this is the first time hearing that so I will look it up.
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
Saba University School of Medicine, Netherlands Antilles
Graduated 2007MD
Residency
Louisiana State University - New Orleans
Awards
Chief Resident, Louisiana State University - PM&R
2012 Patient's Choice Award - Vitals.com
Associate Chief Resident, Louisiana State University - PM&R
Affiliations
International Spine Intervention Society (ISIS)
American Society Of Interventional Pain Physicians
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