Treating & Managing Pain
Treatment We Provide for Pain Management
We create a pain management plan that works for you. Wherever your pain is coming from, we can help.
Our team of specialists are also available to administer anesthesia for general surgery at University Hospital. We help minimize acute pain for trauma patients, handle pre- and post-operation pain, and assist with care for cancer patients.
Our team also consults with palliative care clinicians at the hospital to assist with:
- Cancer pain management
- End-of-life symptom management
Non-invasive Pain Management Therapies
We will usually recommend non-invasive treatments first before trying invasive methods. Oftentimes, you will find that these non-invasive methods and lifestyle changes can help significantly reduce your pain.
- Rehabilitation therapy. If you qualify, you may work with a physical therapist who can develop a rehabilitative exercise program that will help restore your range of motion and increase your mobility and strength.
- Behavioral therapy. You may find that talking with a licensed psychologist or counselor can help you process your pain
- Healthy diet and exercise. Fortunately, a majority of our patients experience some improvement in their condition and report lower pain levels after embracing a healthy diet and regular exercise. This can be particularly helpful to those who have symptoms of pain from various forms of arthritis.
- Medication. In many cases, medication is part of the pain management treatment process, usually prescribed as a supplement to other ongoing treatment therapies.
- Non-opioid medications are considered first with the exception of life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer. Opioids are not recommended for long-term use due to the possibility of addiction. Our physicians prescribe opioids only when medically necessary and under strict guidelines and oversight.
Before recommending a treatment plan, your pain management doctor will review details of your medical history. They will also conduct a thorough physical exam and may order imaging tests such as X-ray, ultrasound, MRI or CT scan.
We Use Advanced Pain Management Strategies When Needed
All non-invasive options are explored first, but we have a number of interventional pain management therapies that can be performed to restore you to the highest level of functionality possible.
Pain Management Treatments
Ablation therapy
Manejo del dolor crónico
Ya sea que tengas dolor en las articulaciones, en la espalda, nervioso o alguna otra afección, como la espasticidad, podemos elaborar un plan de tratamiento personalizado para ti. Somos conscientes de que el dolor crónico tiene muchos efectos secundarios que afectan tu calidad de vida en general. Nos tomamos el tiempo necesario para obtener un panorama completo de su historial médico mediante exámenes detallados que, a menudo, incluyen pruebas de diagnóstico.
Dado que varios miembros de nuestro equipo de medicina del dolor trabajan en estrecha colaboración, nosotrosre capaz de determinar de manera eficiente qué técnicas serán las más eficaces para mejorar tu condición. Además, nos comunicamos con profesionales de la salud fuera de nuestro departamento, incluyendo a tu médico de atención primaria y a los terapeutas de rehabilitación, para planificar tu tratamiento.
Nerve & Muscle Testing
If you have a painful nerve or muscle disorder that is troubling you, but no one seems to know how to find the source or how to treat it, we can help. Our pain medicine doctors use an advanced technique called electromyography to pinpoint the exact area of the body that is injured or inflamed.
A pain specialist attaches electrodes to the skin or inserts them into the muscle that hurts. By viewing the electrical activity in your muscle tissue, they can accurately pinpoint the nerves or muscles causing the pain. This can be helpful in making an accurate diagnosis.
You might experience pain in areas other than the part of the body that’s causing the pain. This is why getting an electromyography can be instrumental to finally finding the source of your chronic pain.
A pain medicine doctor can use this diagnostic procedure to detect nerve dysfunction, muscle dysfunction, or problems with nerve-to-muscle signal transmission.
Bloqueos nerviosos e inyecciones
Si padeces dolor crónico, los bloqueos nerviosos o las inyecciones pueden ayudarte a mejorar tu movilidad para que puedas retomar tus actividades normales.
Nuestros médicos realizan bloqueos nerviosos para tratar el dolor de columna, espalda, cabeza y cuello. Cuando es necesario, los bloqueos de nervios periféricos pueden servir como anestesia para una región específica del cuerpo. También atendemos a pacientes con diversos tipos de inyecciones, como las de puntos gatillo, epidurales, de cadera, facetarias, bursales y de Botox.
Algunos tipos de bloqueos nerviosos e inyecciones se utilizan para controlar el dolor, mientras que otros sirven para localizar el origen del dolor. Los bloqueos nerviosos podrían ser un tratamiento alternativo si no puedest someterse a una cirugía.
Los bloqueos nerviosos y las inyecciones se utilizan como parte de una estrategia integral para el manejo del dolor, con el fin de reducir o eliminar el dolor muscular, nervioso, articular y de espalda. Estas técnicas son de gran ayuda porque sonre eficaz para interrumpir las señales de dolor a lo largo de las vías específicas del sistema nervioso. Se utilizan sedantes y anestesia local para reducir las molestias durante estos procedimientos.
Spinal cord implants or stimulation
Sometimes, non-invasive treatments just aren’t enough to relieve your pain.
When you have a long-term, painful condition, an intrathecal pump (pain pump) may be the solution. This device delivers pain-relieving medication to the problem area. Other implant devices may be an option, such as a spinal cord stimulator in which a device sends electrical signals to interrupt pain signals from reaching the brain.
Neurostimulation therapy may be used. Electrodes disrupt pain signals at the source area. Neuromodulation may be part of your specialist’s pain management strategy. Neuromodulation can be used to either purposely activate nerves to kick-start them into a normal biological response, or it can deliver medicine in carefully selected doses to the injured area causing the pain.
Treatment for spasticity
Our pain medicine specialists can help with the challenges of spasticity, which causes muscle stiffness. When the muscles stiffen, they often contract, and it’s harder to stretch your arms and legs. This affects your overall movement, speech, and the way you walk.
Spasticity may be caused by:
- Brain and spinal injuries
- Cerebral palsy
- Multiple sclerosis
- Stroke
Your doctor might recommend one of the following:
- Botox injections
- Upper motor neuron treatment
- Specialized MS symptom treatment
- Spinal pumps
