Pain Management
Effective Treatment for Pain Management
We’re committed to providing the treatment you need to manage your pain with high quality care and an exceptional patient experience. A long list of satisfied patients and former patients attests to our success.
Approximately 40 million Americans suffer from pain that does not respond to aspirin or ibuprofen. Pain is your nervous system’s way to tell you something may be wrong.
Pain may be sharp or dull, may feel like an ache, sting, prickle, tingle or burn, and may occur in one spot or all over the body.
What is Pain Management?
Acute pain caused by a recent injury or surgery is typically of short duration and improves throughout the healing process. However, chronic pain persists for weeks, months or years. Long term pain may be caused by conditions such as arthritis and cancer or may occur for unknown reasons.
Some types of acute and chronic pain can be managed with prescriptions, over the counter pain relievers, or analgesics. Other types of pain do not respond to analgesics or cannot be cured and require advanced pain management treatment.
Types of Pain
- inflammatory — due to autoimmune disorders and infections
- mechanical — due to abnormal stress and strain
- musculoskeletal — pain in muscles, bones, nerves and connective tissues
- nociceptive — due to physical injuries and tissue damage
- neuropathic — due to nerve damage or nervous system disorders
- psychogenic — due to behavioral, emotional or psychological factors
Pain Management Treatments
Pain management is a treatment approach that reduces pain through a combination of therapeutic techniques.
Advanced pain management involves a multidisciplinary team of pain management physicians and other professionals using a combination of therapies. Restorative therapies include treatments such as physiotherapy, therapeutic exercise, massage therapy, application of cold and heat, and electric nerve stimulation.
Interventional approaches relieve pain using an array of minimally invasive procedures such as:
- cryo-neuroablation — uses intense cold to freeze sensory nerves
- epidural steroid injections — deliver anti-inflammatory medication directly into the epidural space, a fluid-filled sac surrounding the spinal cord and nerve roots
- intrathecal medication pumps — also called pain pumps, implanted to deliver small doses of medication directly to pain receptors
- neuromodulation — uses electrical or magnetic stimulation to reduce pain sensitivity
- nerve blocks — use anesthetics to numb nerves
- radio-frequency ablation — uses high energy bursts to block pain signals
- trigger point injections — target musculoskeletal pain and inflammation at the source
Medications for pain management may include a combination of drugs such as:
- analgesics — including acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve many types of pain
- anticonvulsants — anti-seizure medications for conditions such as fibromyalgia, migraine headaches and nerve pain
- anti-anxiety drugs — for the anxiety that often accompanies chronic pain
- antidepressants — for a variety of chronic pain conditions including fibromyalgia, musculoskeletal pain and neuropathic pain
- musculoskeletal agents — such as baclofen, tizanidine, and cyclobenzaprine for pain and inflammation of conditions such as osteoarthritis
- opioids — which are potent pain relievers for many conditions but have significant side effects and risk of addiction or overdose
Behavioral health approaches address the relationship between physical pain and mental and emotional well-being. These approaches focus on the thoughts, feelings, behaviors that influence the experience of pain and may include:
- acceptance and commitment therapy
- cognitive behavioral therapy
- mindfulness-based stress reduction