ORTHOPEDICS + SPORTS MEDICINE
Non-Opioid Pain Management in Sarasota, FL
OrthoLazer laser therapy and iovera° cryoanalgesia: drug-free ways to treat pain from injury, arthritis, and surgery, recommended by board-certified orthopedic specialists.
Pain is the reason most people call an orthopedic office, and for decades the default answer was a prescription. We take a different view. Opioids dull the signal without touching the cause, carry real risks, and are rarely the best tool for a sprain, an arthritic joint, or the first weeks after an operation. At Sforzo | Dillingham | Stewart Orthopedics + Sports Medicine, pain control is built into the treatment plan itself, and two of the options we rely on most, OrthoLazer laser therapy and iovera° cryoanalgesia, involve no drugs at all. Both are recommended by board-certified orthopedic specialists recognized by Castle Connolly as 2026 Top Doctors, and both are matched to a diagnosis rather than offered as a catch-all.
Which Option Is Right for You?
OrthoLazer and iovera° solve different problems. Laser therapy calms inflamed tissue and is well suited to recent injuries, tendon and joint pain, and post-operative swelling. iovera° quiets a specific nerve for weeks at a time and is most often used for knee arthritis and to reduce pain and opioid use around knee replacement. Some patients benefit from one, some from both, and some need something else entirely. An evaluation with our physicians sorts that out before anything is scheduled.
Why We Start Without Opioids
Opioids have a narrow job: they blunt pain for a short time while the body does the healing on its own. They do nothing for swelling, stiffness, or the inflamed tissue that is generating the pain, and they bring side effects that patients know well, from nausea and constipation to fog, dependence, and falls. Orthopedic guidance now favors a multimodal approach, combining several non-opioid methods so that each does part of the work and no single one has to do all of it.
That is how we practice. Depending on your condition, your plan may combine anti-inflammatory strategies, physical or occupational therapy, bracing, ultrasound-guided injections, orthobiologics, laser therapy, and targeted nerve cooling with iovera°. When an operation is needed, the same thinking applies: regional anesthesia, nerve blocks, iovera° before surgery, and laser therapy after it are used so that patients go home needing fewer pills, or none. If a short course of opioid medication is appropriate, it is prescribed deliberately, in the smallest useful amount, with a plan to stop.
OrthoLazer Laser Therapy
OrthoLazer is a high-intensity laser therapy that uses FDA-cleared Class IV lasers to reduce inflammation and support tissue repair. Specific wavelengths of light pass through the skin into the injured tissue below, where they are absorbed by the mitochondria inside cells. The response, known as photobiomodulation, increases the cellular energy used for repair, improves local circulation, and settles the chemical signals that drive swelling and pain. Nothing is injected and nothing has to be metabolized.
Recent injuries. Ankle and wrist sprains, ligament and joint strains, minor muscle tears, tendon injuries, and the bruising and swelling of soft tissue trauma. Treating early helps control inflammation while the tissue is most active in repair.
Ongoing pain. Osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, shoulder, and hand, tendinitis, bursitis, plantar fasciitis, chronic neck and back pain, sciatica, and neuropathy. For patients tired of managing daily pain with pills, laser therapy treats the inflamed tissue rather than masking the signal.
After surgery. Around the surgical site following knee and hip replacement, rotator cuff repair, foot and ankle reconstruction, hand and wrist fracture care, and tendon repairs, laser treatment reduces swelling and bruising and supports incisional healing. A typical post-operative course is six short treatments over two to three weeks, timed by your surgeon.
Sessions take five to fifteen minutes, are delivered by certified laser technicians, and feel like a gentle warmth. Treatment takes place at OrthoLazer Sarasota, the laser center our physicians opened in partnership with OrthoLazer, at 6312 S Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34231, (941) 274-4233, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4 pm.
iovera° Cryoanalgesia
iovera° is an FDA-cleared treatment that uses focused cold to quiet the nerve responsible for your pain. A small handheld device delivers precise, controlled cooling to a peripheral sensory nerve through a set of fine, closed tips. The cold temporarily interrupts the nerve’s ability to send pain signals, a process called cryoneurolysis, without damaging the surrounding tissue. Because the nerve is not cut or destroyed, it gradually recovers over the following months, and the treatment can be repeated.
The result is drug-free pain relief that lasts up to 90 days from a single office treatment. We use iovera° most often in two situations. For patients with painful knee osteoarthritis who are not ready for, or are not candidates for, replacement, it can turn a joint that limits every day into one that tolerates walking, exercise, and therapy again. For patients scheduled for knee replacement, treating the nerves around the knee before surgery has been shown in clinical studies to reduce pain and the need for opioids in the days after the operation, improve early range of motion, and lower stiffness at 30 days. It is also used for selected hip, shoulder, foot and ankle, and spine-related pain.
The procedure is done in our office. The skin is numbed, the nerve is located, and the treatment itself takes minutes. Most patients notice relief immediately or within a few days. Temporary bruising, swelling, redness, or numbness at the treatment site are the most common effects. iovera° is not appropriate for patients with cold-sensitivity conditions or an infection at the treatment area, which your physician will review with you.
Bill Ives, PA-C, explains how iovera° works and what patients can expect at Sforzo | Dillingham | Stewart.
What to Expect at Your Visit
Before Treatment
Your care begins with an orthopedic evaluation and, when needed, imaging, so that the diagnosis is clear before any treatment starts. Your physician will explain which option fits your condition, how it works alongside therapy or other care, what it costs, and what results are realistic. Neither treatment is right for everyone, and your history is reviewed before you begin.
Treatment Day
OrthoLazer: a five to fifteen minute session at the laser center with protective eyewear and a technician guiding the laser over the treatment area. No needles, no numbing, no downtime. iovera°: an office visit with our physicians and physician assistants. The area is numbed, the nerve is mapped, and the cold treatment is applied through the handheld device. You walk out the same day and can drive yourself home.
After Your Treatment
With laser therapy, improvement builds over a course of sessions spread across a few weeks; you can keep up normal activity between visits. With iovera°, most patients notice relief immediately or within days, and it typically lasts up to 90 days as the treated nerve slowly recovers. In both cases, progress is reviewed as you go, the rest of your plan continues in parallel, and the treatment is repeated, adjusted, or stopped based on how you are responding.
When You Still Need More
Non-opioid pain treatments manage inflammation and pain signals. They do not repair a torn tendon, restore cartilage that is gone, or stabilize a fracture. When your examination or imaging shows a structural problem, our surgeons will tell you plainly and walk you through the options, from injections and therapy to arthroscopy or joint replacement. And when surgery is the answer, the same non-opioid tools are built into your recovery plan. One practice, every option, and a recommendation based on what actually serves you.
Why Patients Choose Sforzo | Dillingham | Stewart
- Board-certified orthopedic specialists, recognized by Castle Connolly as 2026 Top Doctors, directing every plan
- Two proven drug-free options, OrthoLazer and iovera°, plus therapy, injections, and orthobiologics under one care team
- Our own OrthoLazer Sarasota laser center, opened in partnership with OrthoLazer and staffed by certified technicians
- iovera° performed in our office, so there is no separate facility visit
- Appointments built around you: morning, lunch-hour, or afternoon, often within the week
Non-Opioid Pain Management FAQs
No. Most patients feel a mild, pleasant warmth over the treatment area. There are no needles and no downtime, and you can drive yourself and return to normal activity immediately.
The skin is numbed before treatment, so most patients feel pressure and cold rather than pain. Relief typically begins right away or within a few days and lasts up to 90 days as the nerve gradually recovers. The treatment can be repeated.
Yes, and that is usually the point. Calming pain and inflammation makes therapy more comfortable and productive. Our physicians coordinate laser therapy, iovera°, injections, and therapy as one plan rather than separate services.
iovera° is billed as a medical procedure and is covered by many insurance plans for approved indications such as knee osteoarthritis and knee replacement; our office will verify your benefits before scheduling. OrthoLazer laser therapy is generally not covered by insurance but is reasonably priced and eligible for HSA funds. Costs are explained before you begin.
Often within the week. Call (941) 378-5100 or request an appointment online, and our team will find a morning, lunch-hour, or afternoon time that works around your schedule.
Treat the Pain, Skip the Prescription
Schedule an evaluation with our orthopedic team in Sarasota to find out whether OrthoLazer, iovera°, or another drug-free option belongs in your plan.