Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Pain is one of the most common reasons people seek medical care—but what actually causes pain, and when should you seek treatment?
Two Mount Sinai experts—Drs. Tanvir Choudrhi and Houman Danesh—discuss how physicians diagnose and treat pain, particularly neck and back pain that originates in the spine. Together, they break down:
Why pain is often more complex than it seems
How signals travel between the body and brain
Why identifying the root cause is key to effective treatment.
🩺 To learn more about pain management or spine care at Mount Sinai Health System, or to schedule an appointment with a specialist, visit Mount Sinai’s website: mountsinai.org/?pk_vid=174eeee090819798177342044977c34c
🎧 Subscribe to The Vitals and explore more podcast programming from Mount Sinai for expert conversations on the biggest issues in medicine, research, and patient care: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCT7BA-HcHliU8QIXyuk_74L_uH0gyKGt
00:00 — “What causes pain?”: Pain as a series complex signals to and from the brain.
04:09 — “When to see a specialist”: Seek evaluation if pain persists ~4–6 weeks or sooner for intolerable pain/red flags.
08:29 — “Foundations — sleep and exercise”: Sleep 7–8 hrs and correct muscle imbalances to prevent injury.
19:41 — “How injections work”: Steroid injections reduce inflammation; radio frequency ablation turns off pain nerves temporarily.
21:25 — “Goal of treatments”: Use injections/PT to enable exercise — long-term muscle stability over quick fixes.
21:49 — “Surgery as a last resort”: Avoid surgery as a quick fix; operate when nonoperative care fails or neurologic deficits exist.
28:27 — “Weight and GLP-1s”: Weight loss drugs help but watch for muscle loss — maintain resistance training and protein.
Pain is one of the most common reasons people seek medical care—but what actually causes pain, and when should you seek treatment?
Two Mount Sinai experts—Drs. Tanvir Choudrhi and Houman Danesh—discuss how physicians diagnose and treat pain, particularly neck and back pain that originates in the spine. Together, they break down:
Why pain is often more complex than it seems
How signals travel between the body and brain
Why identifying the root cause is key to effective treatment.
🩺 To learn more about pain management or spine care at Mount Sinai Health System, or to schedule an appointment with a specialist, visit Mount Sinai’s website: mountsinai.org/?pk_vid=174eeee090819798177342044977c34c
🎧 Subscribe to The Vitals and explore more podcast programming from Mount Sinai for expert conversations on the biggest issues in medicine, research, and patient care: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCT7BA-HcHliU8QIXyuk_74L_uH0gyKGt
00:00 — “What causes pain?”: Pain as a series complex signals to and from the brain.
04:09 — “When to see a specialist”: Seek evaluation if pain persists ~4–6 weeks or sooner for intolerable pain/red flags.
08:29 — “Foundations — sleep and exercise”: Sleep 7–8 hrs and correct muscle imbalances to prevent injury.
19:41 — “How injections work”: Steroid injections reduce inflammation; radio frequency ablation turns off pain nerves temporarily.
21:25 — “Goal of treatments”: Use injections/PT to enable exercise — long-term muscle stability over quick fixes.
21:49 — “Surgery as a last resort”: Avoid surgery as a quick fix; operate when nonoperative care fails or neurologic deficits exist.
28:27 — “Weight and GLP-1s”: Weight loss drugs help but watch for muscle loss — maintain resistance training and protein.
