Frequently Asked Questions

What insurance do you take?

Our clinic takes most insurance with rare exceptions. Contact our office front desk if you are unsure.

What do I need to make an appointment?

Call the office at 720-455-3775. Some insurances may require that you get a referral from your primary care provider.

How quickly can you see me?

This often depends on your specific insurance. We can often do injections within one week to at most 2 weeks from your visit.

Will the injections hurt?

Most patients rate the pain from injections that Dr. Carrera gives between 1 to 3 out of 10. Patients usually come out saying “That’s it?!” Dr. Carrera likes to joke with his patients, “I’m a pain doctor. If I gave painful injections, I’d be out of business pretty quickly!”

Should I see a spine surgeon first?

In most cases, it makes sense to see an interventional pain physician first. At worst, you can make an appointment with a spine surgeon and an interventional pain physician. A good surgeon will want you to try conservative treatments first, which is what Dr. Carrera specializes in.

Do you offer telehealth/video appointments?

We do not offer telehealth for the first visit as a face-to-face examination is required to understand your pain. We can offer telehealth for some follow-up visits.

Do I need to obtain a disc of my MRI for my appointment?

Dr. Carrera has access to imaging and reports from Health Images, University of Colorado Hospital (UCH), Simon Med, Salle Jobe, Touchstone, and Penrad. He is able to request images easily from Skyridge, OCC, OpenSided MRI of Denver, and Open MRI of Pueblo.

For other imaging facilities, we strongly encourage you to obtain a disc and printed radiologist report.

I have seen other pain doctors and am trying to transfer care. What should I do?

Please obtain and bring records from other offices, especially of what injections you’ve had done. Other offices can take weeks to fax records to our team, which can slow down how fast we can help you with your pain.

What conditions do you treat?

Dr. Carrera treats spine, joint and nerve pain. This includes, but is not limited to, neck pain, back pain, arthritis of spine or major joints, disc herniations, sciatica, whiplash, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, compression fractures of the spine, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, complex regional pain syndrome, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, pain from nerve damage, phantom limb pain, hip and leg pain.

What areas do you serve?

Dr. Carrera sees patients with spine, joint, and nerve pain from all over Colorado. Most patients come from Castle Rock, Castle Pines, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Parker, Centennial, Denver, Colorado Springs, and surrounding areas.