FAQ

Acute pain lasts only a short time, and is often related to an injury or illness. Acute pain should lessen naturally during the healing process. Chronic pain, however, is an ongoing condition. Many people experience chronic pain in the neck, back or head. Chronic pain can also be caused by nerve damage, musculoskeletal injuries and conditions, or illness. Typically, the treatments that work for acute pain are not effective against chronic pain. We develop individually-tailored treatment plans for each patient to best manage their long-term condition.

Chronic pain can become so intense and overwhelm the body and mind to such a degree that it can affect all areas of life. People become so afflicted that they often cannot work. Their appetite falls off. Physical activity of any kind is exhausting and may aggravate the pain. Often, the person becomes the victim of a vicious cycle in which total preoccupation with pain leads to irritability and depression. Adding to these ailments, the fatigue sufferers experience from not being able to sleep at night.

Pain Medicine, a subspecialty with roots in Anesthesiology, provides patients treatment options that were not readily available in the past. Chronic pain is a complex medical problem that can affect all areas of your life. The purpose of pain management is to help minimize your pain, and return you to your highest level of function and quality of life.

We see a wide range of chronic pain patients. The following are the most common reasons patients seek treatment at the Pain Management and Treatment Center.

Treatments vary depending on your exact diagnosis but often include what is called a “multi-disciplinary” approach including:

• Treatment of the pain itself with injections/medications/surgery or related approaches
• Treatment of the patients impaired functioning with rehabilitation approaches to strengthen functionality
• Addressing the patient’s psychological state for depression, anxiety and related conditions that cause pain
• We will work with you to design a custom treatment approach for your chronic pain condition.

Not necessarily. With proper treatment, people can live full, normal lives after having experienced chronic pain.

We offer various treatments for a wide range of pain sufferers. If you live with chronic pain, you might benefit from our services.

The best way is to describe your pain as clearly and in as much detail as you possibly can. Most doctors and nurses ask you to describe your level of pain on a scale.

Friends and family can benefit you by helping you to live as normally and independently as possible.

We participate with most major insurance carriers, including Medicare and Medicaid.