Services & Options
Virtual Consultations
for Pain Medicine.
Accessible pain medicine evaluation from home. Dr. Simon Dardashti offers virtual consultations for selected patients with spine, nerve, and joint pain. Virtual visits can make it easier to begin the evaluation process, review symptoms and prior imaging, discuss treatment options, and determine whether an in-person examination or procedure may be appropriate.
Virtual consultations may be especially helpful for patients with limited mobility, disability, transportation barriers, work or family scheduling limitations, or long wait times for specialty care.
Earlier Care
Reducing Suffering Through Earlier Evaluation
Pain can become more difficult to manage when evaluation is delayed. After a car accident, workplace accident, fall, or acute injury, patients may be left waiting without clear direction while pain, uncertainty, and functional limitations continue.
A virtual consultation can help begin the assessment process sooner. During the visit, Dr. Dardashti can review the mechanism of injury, pain location, neurologic symptoms, functional limitations, prior treatment, medication history, and any available imaging or records.
When appropriate, this may allow earlier recommendations for imaging, additional diagnostic workup, conservative care, medication considerations, interventional pain procedures, or an in-person examination.
Virtual consultations may be especially helpful for patients who need timely review of whether imaging should be requested, or for patients who already have imaging reports, MRI or CT studies, medical records, or prior treatment notes available for review.
Eligibility
Who Virtual Consultations May Help
Virtual consultations may be helpful for patients with spine, nerve, or joint pain who have difficulty attending an in-person visit or who need earlier direction regarding next steps in care.
Limited mobility or disability
Transportation barriers
Long wait times for specialty care
Work or family scheduling constraints
Recent car accidents
Workplace accidents
Falls or acute injuries
Existing MRI, CT, X-ray, or medical records available for review
For some patients, an earlier virtual consultation can help determine whether imaging, additional diagnostic testing, conservative treatment, medication management, interventional pain procedures, or an in-person examination may be appropriate.
Planning
Faster Diagnosis and Treatment Planning
Virtual consultations can help organize the next steps in care. By reviewing the history, pain pattern, functional limitations, prior treatments, and available records, Dr. Dardashti can help identify possible pain generators and determine what additional information may be needed.
This may include review of whether imaging should be requested, whether prior imaging needs to be obtained, whether conservative care should be started or continued, or whether an in-person examination or procedure should be considered.
The goal is to reduce unnecessary delay and help patients move from uncertainty toward a clearer diagnostic and treatment plan.
Accessibility
Convenience Without Delaying Care
For many patients, travel itself can worsen pain. Sitting in traffic, arranging transportation, missing work, relying on caregivers, or transferring in and out of a vehicle may create additional barriers to care.
A virtual consultation allows selected patients to begin the discussion from home. This can be especially valuable when the first priority is to review symptoms, records, imaging reports, prior treatment, and determine the next appropriate step.
Limitations
When an In-Person Visit May Still Be Needed
Virtual consultations do not replace every aspect of an in-person physical examination. Some patients may still require an in-office examination, imaging review, neurologic assessment, or procedure.
Patients with severe or progressive weakness, bowel or bladder dysfunction, fever, infection concern, recent major trauma, or rapidly worsening neurologic symptoms should seek urgent or emergency medical care.
Evidence
Supporting Literature
Published pain medicine literature has emphasized that telehealth can improve access for patients with mobility, travel, or time constraints, reduce the burden of travel, support timely consultation, and help patients receive care in a more efficient manner.
Pritzlaff SG, Singh N, Sanghvi C, Schatman ME. Telehealth is Crucial for Pain Medicine: Patients and Doctors are at the Brink, and Medicare Must Act Now. Journal of Pain Research. 2025;18:1057-1059.
Summary
Virtual Consultation Summary
Virtual consultations may help selected patients receive earlier evaluation, reduce unnecessary delays, review whether imaging or additional diagnostic workup may be appropriate, and move toward a clearer treatment plan.
This option may be especially helpful for patients with spine, nerve, or joint pain after a car accident, workplace accident, fall, acute injury, or for patients who already have imaging or medical records available for review.
Important
This page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or create a physician-patient relationship. All medical decisions should be made in consultation with a qualified healthcare provider following a thorough clinical evaluation.
Dr. Dardashti sees patients in Mission Hills, California, serving patients from the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, and surrounding Los Angeles communities.
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