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As pain management evolves, so do we

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Medical Director, Co-founder

MD CCFP D-CAPM CROMIC

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Co-Founding Physician

MD CCFP

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Physician

DO ABFM AOBFP AOBNMM CCFP

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Physician

MD CCFP

When you choose our pain management doctors, you are choosing a team you can count on. Learn more about our team below. Contact our pain management clinic near Vancouver and Burnaby to schedule your first appointment. 

 Are the injections covered under MSP?

The following services are fully covered under MSP:

  • Consultations

  • Trigger point injections

  • Nerve blocks

 

The following services are not covered under MSP:

  • Prolotherapy

  • PRP

We will always try to solve your pain with MSP covered injections first.

What is injected?

Depending on the type of injection your doctor thinks would be most effective, the injected medication during your first few visits will most likely include 1% lidocaine or 5% dextrose. If you have a chemical sensitivity, normal saline can be used upon request. 

We use a steroid-sparing approach where only 1 in 100 treatments involve injection of cortisone steroids. If your doctor thinks you require a steroid injection, he/she will obtain your consent and explain the risks and benefits before proceeding.

What can I expect during the first consultation?

Before the consultation, your doctor will review your past medical history, medication list, previous imaging, and relevant specialist reports. During the consultation, your doctor will ask you questions and perform a physical examination to determine whether injection treatments are appropriate for you. If so, most patients do proceed with injections during the first consultation.

If you need more time to consider your treatment options, you are welcome to decline injections during your first consultation and call back to book for an injection treatment at a later day. We understand that the concept of having needles can be scary and do our best to start with a gentle approach. In fact, we have helped many patients overcome their needle phobia!

What can I expect to feel during injections?

Most patients say the injections are “not too bad”. Often, the anticipation of the pain turns out to be worse than the injection itself. Most of the time, you feel a small pinch when the needle enters the skin. Sometimes, you don’t feel the needle at all. Occasionally, the needle does hurt a bit more. Since each person’s body is different, we adjust the injections to match what your body can tolerate.

Many patients say trigger point injections hurt less than IMS (dry needling with physiotherapists). Sometimes, you may feel your muscle jump on its own when the needle enters a tight spot in the muscle. This is a normal reaction.

What is the recovery after a treatment?

Each person has a different response to injection therapies. Some patients can tolerate a maximum of 3 to 4 injections per session while others can tolerate hundreds per session. It is normal to feel moderate soreness in the injected muscle for 2 to 4 days after each treatment.

We always start with a gentle approach to minimize the chance of making you too sore from the injections.

Can I go to work after a treatment?

The vast majority of our patients can go to work right after a treatment. 

If you are concerned about your ability to function at work after a treatment, consider booking your appointment at the end of the day or before your weekend.

What can I expect at follow-up visits?

Your doctor will ask about your response to the previous treatment and adjust their injection technique according to what your body needs. 

Follow up visits will be shorter than the first consultation because your doctor has already formulated a treatment plan.

How many treatments will I need?

The number of treatments required is different from person to person. We have successfully treated some patients in 1 to 4 sessions while other patients have required up to two years of regular treatments. Generally, if you developed your pain more recently, you will require fewer sessions and vice versa.

Your doctor will have a better estimate after your first consultation. If you are not improving within the first few treatments, your doctor may suggest switching to a different type of injection.

What are the potential risks of injections?

Common side effects of our injections are the following:

  • Temporary increase in pain

  • Bruising

  • Fatigue

 

Rare side effects:

  • Fainting

  • Hematoma

  • Infection requiring antibiotics

 

Extremely rare side effects:

  • Allergic reaction to the injected medication

  • Nerve injury

  • Collapsed lung (pneumothorax)

  • Injury of abdominal organs

Do you prescribe oral medications?

Our special focus is in giving injections. We do not do medication management for oral medications.

If a medication for our injections requires a prescription, we will provide the prescription.

Do you treat athletes?

Our physicians have worked with professional athletes, amateur athletes, and professionals whose safety relies on strong physical performance.

We have treated kick boxers, soccer players, golfers, dancers, police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and more.

What if I have chronic injuries that no other treatments has worked?

Over-training can lead to chronic muscle tightness and imbalance. Trigger point injections are a powerful way to restore your muscle balance.

Chronic injuries for athletes can involve deeper structures such as ligaments, tendons, and joint capsules. If you are not a surgical candidate, our regenerative injections (prolotherapy or PRP) can address these issues and improve your performance.

Pain management experts

Management of soft tissue pain is a quickly evolving field. Our physicians are pain management experts focusing in injection treatments. We attend conferences and courses on a regular basis to maintain up-to-date knowledge. We work with some of North America's leading pain management experts to apply existing techniques in innovative ways.

We make the following promises to our patients:

  • To do our best to treat your pain

  • To be honest and realistic with you

  • To look out for your best interests

Dr. Xiao Yuan
MD CCFP D-CAPM CROMIC

Medical Director, Co-founder

Having delivered over 20,000 injection treatments, Dr. Yuan is an expert in managing soft-tissue injuries. She is passionate about pain management and continuously improves her skills. She has developed a wide skill-set because it allows her to help with more types of pain problems!

She has presented at several national-level conferences on various topics in musculoskeletal pain. She is an instructor for the annual Canadian prolotherapy course through the Canadian Association of Orthopaedic Medicine (CAOM). She is also a Clinical Instructor for the UBC Faculty of Medicine.

Dr. Yuan received her medical degree from the University of British Columbia and completed her residency in family medicine in 2017. She is a Diplomat of the Canadian Academy of Pain Management. Her competence in prolotherapy and PRP is certified by the CAOM through the CROMIC (Canadian Regenerative Orthopaedic Medicine Injection Certification) designation. She speaks English and Mandarin. She enjoys cultivating bonsai and trying new teas in her spare time.

Dr. Xiao Yuan

Testimonials for Dr. Yuan

Dr. Yuan’s commitment to patient care is truly extraordinary. 

“Following a serious shoulder injury that required surgery, I was suffering from years of debilitating pain. Dr. Yuan was able to patiently target and significantly reduce my severe chronic pain as well as manage any recurring pain using  trigger point injections.  

A chronic ankle injury that had caused me years of discomfort was also resolved following a few months of prolotherapy injections. Her precise and comprehensive care gave me the confidence to improve my flexibility and strength, allowing me to return to my active lifestyle.

Getting long-term relief from chronic pain has been transformative. I have referred many friends and colleagues who have all been impressed with Dr. Yuan’s skills and compassion. Her devotion to advancing the clinical treatment of pain is heartening. I am grateful to have found her.”

-Lori

Dr. Yuan has made such a difference to my quality of life!

“As a person with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, and POTS, it’s rare to find a doctor who is knowledgeable, caring, eager to learn more, and able to provide meaningful treatment. Dr. Yuan is all these things and more!

Her approach of using multiple types of injection techniques enables her to treat my widespread and varied issues effectively and efficiently. I have received prolotherapy, trigger point injections, and ultrasound-guided fascia hydrodissection, all of which have been administered in a comfortable, educational, compassionate, and professional fashion.

The results speak to Dr. Yuan’s skill, as my physical improvement has been profound. I am so grateful to have Dr. Yuan as part of my medical team and look forward to her continued care here at White Oak Pain Clinic.”

-Melissa

Dr. Yun Fan (Jeff) Wang
MD CCFP

Co-Founding Physician

Dr. Wang graduated from the University of British Columbia medical school and the University of Alberta family medicine residency. He works as a family physician, hospitalist, and has developed a special interest in pain management including trigger point injections and more. He worked in pain management for many years before forming the White Oak Pain Clinic with Dr. Yuan. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Orthopedic Medicine. He speaks English and Mandarin.

Dr. Jeff Wang

Testimonials for Dr. Wang

Dr. Wang’s treatments have given me long term relief from my pain.

“I have suffered from severe, chronic, neck and back pain for over 17 years. I have tried various modalities of treatment – steroid injections, pain medication, massage, physiotherapy, chiropractic, acupuncture – none of which offered me any relief. I was introduced to trigger point injections 5 years ago and these treatments have changed my life. Then I had the further good fortune to be referred to Dr. Jeff Wang one year ago.

I really cannot recommend Dr. Wang enough. He is extremely knowledgeable, very good at explaining how the treatments work, and a good listener. He is always checking to see how the previous treatments worked and tweaks his next treatments accordingly.  He has a gentle technique which is not usually the case with other doctors offering the same treatments. 

I have never met a more personable doctor who immediately puts his patients at ease.  Although I wish I didn’t have to go to the doctor, it is always a pleasure to see Dr. Wang.”

-Jill

I can't say enough about Dr. Wang and the White Oak Pain Clinic.

“Dr. Wang is very passionate in treating pain and it really shows in his approach. He understands that there’s still a lot to learn in chronic pain issues.  He is always open to explaining something if I don’t understand. My experience has been a really positive one, both with him and his staff. I’m not exactly an easy case, which makes this worth the mention.”

-D

Dr. Min Je Woo
DO ABFM AOBFP AOBNMM CCFP

Physician

Dr. Woo graduated from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York and went to complete his Family Medicine residency, where he served as Chief Resident in Pennsylvania followed by an extra year of fellowship in Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine. He is board certified in Family Practice and Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine in the United States, as well as Family Medicine in Canada. He works as a family physician with a special interest in pain management.

During his free time, Dr. Woo enjoys reading about the intricacy of the human anatomy and regarding the philosophy of osteopathic medicine. He is passionate in investigating the source of pain and the role it plays on the mind, body, and spirit of the patient. He performs osteopathic manipulation, Trigger Point Injections, Perineural Injection Therapy, and Prolotherapy. He speaks English and Korean.

Dr. Min Je Woo

Dr. Qiming (Roger) Wu
MD CCFP

Physician

Dr. Wu received his medical degree from the University of British Columbia in 2015 and completed his residency training in family medicine at the University of Alberta in 2017. He moved back to Vancouver in 2022 and subsequently expanded his scope of practice to include myofascial pain treatment via trigger point injections. He speaks English and Chinese Mandarin.

Dr. Roger Wu
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Meet our pain management doctors near Vancouver

Get individualized care and access effective treatments when you consult with our pain management doctors.
We will explain the pain management treatments that fit your needs.

What Our Pain Management Treatments Include

At White Oak Pain Clinic, we are always looking for new ways to support our clients. We currently offer a wide range of treatments, including:

  • Trigger point injections (TPI)

  • Nerve blocks

  • Perineural injection therapy (PIT)

  • Prolotherapy

  • Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)

  • Fascia hydrodissection

Whenever possible, we focus on non-steroidal injections to limit long-term side effects.

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