Dr. Miguel Pappolla, MD
Pain Medicine  · Â
Male  · Â
Age 63
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Dr. Miguel Pappolla, MD is a pain medicine specialist in Houston, TX and has been practicing for 40 years. He graduated from Universidad De Buenos Aires, Facultad De Ciencias Medicas in 1978 and specializes in pain medicine and neurology.Read his story
St Michaels Pain & Spine Clinics. Houston Texas
2646 S Loop W
Houston, TX 77054
Insurance Accepted
- Aetna
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas
- Cigna
- Humana
- MultiPlan
*Please verify this information when scheduling an appointment.
Learn about Dr. Pappolla
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Top Care Areas
See how frequently Dr. Pappolla performs your care needs compared to other doctors.
Fibromyalgia
very high
more than 97% of peers
Autoimmune Diseases
very high
more than 91% of peers
Benign Chronic Pain Syndrome
high
more than 88% of peers
Dr. Pappolla's percentages are based on the rate of treatment compared to peers nationwide from insurance data. Learn more info about our data and this Top Care Areas component.
Dr. Pappolla's bio
This content was provided by Dr. Pappolla " Dr. Pappolla's training includes medical residencies and fellowships training in Neurology and Pain Medicine (Anesthesia based) and also in Clinical Pathology, Anatomic Pathology, and Neuropathology. This training required 10 additional years of formal medical education (following graduation from Medical School) all pursued in programs accredited by the American Board of Medical Specialties, considered the "gold-standard" in physician education in the United States. Dr. Pappolla holds active board-certifications in 5 disciplines of Medicine (Pain Management, Neurology, Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology and Neuropathology). He has also been serving the public at large for over 20 years as a consultant for the NIH (National Institutes of Health) and a full Professor or Faculty at several of the most prestigious medical schools in the USA (LSU New Orleans, Mount Sinai Medical School in New York City, University of Texas at Houston) where he taught Neurosciences to medical students and medical residents for over 20 years. Dr. Pappolla has also served as Chairman of Neurology and Director of Neurosciences in one of the largest tertiary care centers in Mississippi, till about the time when his practice was disrupted by hurricane Katrina. His scientific work includes more than 100 publications and book chapters in neuroscience. Dr. Pappolla's research is cited in thousands of textbooks worldwide. Dr. Pappolla has been among the very first investigators to identify evidence of oxidative stress in Alzheimer's disease brain. This has led to neuroprotective strategies worldwide currently under development. Along with Dr. Larry Refolo, Dr Suzana Petanceska at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and others, he conducted groundbreaking research on cholesterolemia as an early risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. As a neuropathologist, he described several unique neuropathologic lesions including the colloid body of Parkinson's disease (later renamed "pale body") and the ubiquitinilated "dot like inclusions" in the aged brain. One other area of research is the development of neuroprotective drugs. He produced several patents; one of these drugs is currently on phase 2 clinical trial for Friedriech's ataxia (OX1, a melatonin analog) and melatonin related analogs for Alzheimers disease. Dr. Pappolla's goal and that of all the staff at St. Michael's is to place our experience and dedication at the service of patients in our communities in Texas.The St. Michael's Pain and Spine Clinics provide care for back pain, neck pain, spine disorders, headache and other chronic pain disorders in Houston, Pasadena, NASA, Clear Lake and surrounding communities. We pride ourselves in having a professional, experienced team of health care specialists who attend to patients in a compassionate low-stress environment. For patients with chronic pain, the St. Michael's approach is multidisciplinary. We work closely with many other specialists including neurologists, psychologists, orthopedic and spine surgeons, physiatrists, oncologists, and psychiatrists to optimally coordinate the care of our patients."
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Care Philosophy
This content was provided by Dr. Pappolla "The St. Michael's Pain and Spine Clinics is a premier Spine and Pain Management Clinic in Houston, Texas dedicated to excellence in Pain Care. Dr. Pappolla completed medical residencies and fellowship training in Neurology and Pain Medicine (Anesthesia based) and also in Clinical Pathology, Anatomic Pathology, and Neuropathology. This required 10 additional years of formal training (following graduation from Medical School). Dr. Pappolla is board certified in Neurology and Pain Medicine"
2 Â Specialties
- Pain Medicine
- Neurology
5 Â Board Certifications
- Anatomic PathologyAccredited by: American Board of Pathology*
- Clinical PathologyAccredited by: American Board of Pathology*
- NeurologyAccredited by: American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology*
- NeuropathologyAccredited by: American Board of Pathology*
- Pain MedicineAccredited by: American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology*
97 Â Conditions Treated
- All Headaches (incl. Migraine)
- Autoimmune Diseases
- Back Disorders
- Back Impairment
- Back Injuries
- Back Pain
- Back Strain
- Benign Chronic Pain Syndrome
- Benign Exertional Headache
- Benign Sex Headache
- Bone Disorders
- Brain Disorders
- Cancer Pain
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Cervicogenic Headache
- Chronic Back Pain
- Chronic Headache
- Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuritis
- Chronic Neck Pain
- Chronic Pain
- Chronic Pelvic Pain
- Chronic Postoperative Pain
- Cluster Headache
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
- Confusion
- Cough Headache
- Cranial Neuralgia
- Degenerative Disc Disease
- Diabetic Polyneuropathy
- Dorsal Neuralgia
- Drug Rebound Headache
- Elbow Pain
- Enthesopathy of Hip (incl. Trochanteric Bursitis)
- Fibromyalgia
- Fracture
- Gait Abnormality
- Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia
- Hand Pain
- Headache
- Herniated Disc
- Hypertension Headache
- Icepick Headache
- Inflammatory and Toxic Neuropathy
- Insomnia
- Intercostal Neuralgia
- Intervertebral Disc Disease
- Knee Disorders
- Kyphosis
- Leg Pain
- Lordosis
- Low Back Pain
- Lower Half Headache
- Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
- Menstrual Migraine
- Migraine
- Mild Headache
- Muscle Contraction Headache
- Neck Injuries
- Neck Muscle Strain
- Neck Pain
- Nerve Pain
- Nerve Root Injury and Plexus Disorders (incl. Pinched Nerve)
- Neuralgia in the Upper Extremity
- Occipital Neuralgia
- Osteoarthritis of Hip
- Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome or Knee Pain
- Peripheral Autonomic Neuropathy
- Peripheral Nerve Disorders
- Phantom Limb Pain
- Pinched Nerve in Back
- Postherpetic Neuralgia
- Post-Laminectomy Syndrome
- Post-Traumatic Headache
- Radiculopathy (Not Due to Disc Displacement)
- Recurrent Headache
- Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
- Restless Leg Syndrome
- Sciatica (Not Due to Disc Displacement)
- Scoliosis
- Severe Headache
- Shoulder Pain
- Sleep Apnea
- Sleep Disorders
- Spinal Stenosis
- Spine Deformities
- Spine Disorders
- Spine Fractures, Traumatic
- Spondylitis
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spondylosis
- Temporal Arteritis
- Tension Headache
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
- Upper Back Pain
- Vascular Disease
- Vascular Headache
- Wrist Pain
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30 Â Procedures
- Cervical Block
- Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection
- EMG (Electromyography)
- Epidural Block
- Epidural Block, Facet Blocks
- Epidural Steroid Injections
- Facet Block
- Facet Joint Injection
- Ganglion Impar Block
- Ilioinguinal and Iliohypogastric Block
- Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection
- Lumbar Sympathetic Block
- Medical Branch Block
- Myofascial Trigger Point Injection
- Nerve Block, Somatic
- Nerve Block, Sympathetic
- Nerve Blocks
- Nerve Conduction Studies
- Nerve Destruction by Neurolytic Agent
- Neurolytic Nerve Block
- Pain Management
- Peripheral Nerve Block
- Radiofrequency Denervation
- Radiofrequency Nerve Ablation
- Spinal Cord Stimulation
- Spinal Nerve Block
- Stellate Ganglion Block
- Steroid Injection
- Thoracic Epidural Steroid Injection
- Trigger Point Injection
Background Check
0 Malpractice Claims
No malpractice history found for Texas.
0 Sanctions
No sanctions history found for the years that Healthgrades collects data.
0 Board Actions
No board actions found for the years that Healthgrades collects data.
Education
- Universidad De Buenos Aires, Facultad De Ciencias MedicasMedical School | Graduated 1978
- Case West Res UniversityResidency Hospital | Completed
- Case Western Reserve University School Of MedicineResidency Hospital | Completed
- Ne Ohio University Affil HospsResidency Hospital | Completed
- Univ Of South Alabama Medical CenterResidency Hospital | Completed 2000
- Cleveland Clin FdnFellowship Hospital | Completed
- University Of Mississippi Medical CenterFellowship Hospital | Completed 2006
Awards & Recognition
Awards & Honors
- Healthgrades Honor Roll
- Zenith Award by Alzheimers Association, 2000
- Academic Excellence and Leadership Award, LSU New Orleans, 2007
- Endowed Chair Recipient (Neuropathology) by State of South Carolina, 2006
- Commedation Award for Clinical Excellence by Dept of Veterans Affairs, 1990
- Weil Award by American Association of Neuropathologists for Research leading to medical advances, 2000
- Directors Award by national Institutes of Health, 1996
Media & Publications
- PAPPOLLAS RESEARCH,
- Pappollas research,
Languages Spoken
- English
- Spanish
Memberships & Professional Affiliations
Dr. Pappolla does not have any memberships or affiliations listed. If you are Dr. Pappolla and would like to add memberships or affiliations, please update your profile.
Dr. Pappolla's Reviews
Likelihood of recommending Dr. Pappolla to family and friends
35 total reviews (5 have comments)
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Dr. Pappolla accepts 6 insurance carriers
- AetnaAetna HMOChoice Plus POS II
- Blue Cross Blue ShieldBlue Card PPO
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of TexasBlue Advantage HMOBlue Choice
- CignaCigna HMOCigna PPOLocalPlusOpen Access Plus
- HumanaChoice Care PPO
- MultiPlanMultiPlan PPOPHCS Network PPO
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