Who Can Benefit from Pain Management?

Pain can be acute or chronic and attack the joints, muscles or bones. Acute pain is usually fleeting and the result of an accident or temporary illness. But long-term or chronic pain can have a rather crippling effect on an individual's day-to-day existence. Such pain can destroy the quality of life, often forcing people to shun routine activities and even quit their jobs.  Fortunately, established multi-specialty health care centers now offer a comprehensive suite of effective treatments to manage pain. Read on to know about who can benefit from pain management.

Various Conditions that Can Benefit from Pain Treatment

Individuals suffering from one of the following types of pain can benefit from expert treatment at a pain management center:

• Lower back pain: Pain in the lower spine affects almost everybody at some point in life. It could occur due to a fall, injury caused by lifting a heavy object, or faulty posture. Chronic conditions such as spondylitis, fibromyalgia and spinal stentosis can also cause intense lower back pain.
  

• Neck pain: Like lower back pain, neck pain can also result from disc problems, spinal stenosis and muscle strain. Jobs that involve sitting in front of a computer for several hours can cause severe neck strain and pain.
  

• Sciatica pain: Sciatica pain is caused by the inflammation of the sciatic nerve due to a herniated spinal disc. The nerve gets compressed and sends painful spasms down the lower back.
  

• Ankle pain: Athletes and other sportspersons can injure the ankle easily, resulting in ligament sprains and ruptures to tendonitis, fractures and osteoarthritis.
  

• Neuropathic pain: This is a complex type of chronic pain that results from the injury of the tissues in the nervous system. It results when the nerves become damaged, injured or dysfunctional.

Pain management specialists can also treat conditions such as arthritis pain, headaches, knee pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, general joint pain, and more.

Chronic Pain Management – Treatment Overview

Pain management centers are manned by specialists in various fields - neurology, orthopedics, chiropractic, physical therapy, and neuromuscular rehabilitation. After you are thoroughly examined to establish the cause of your pain, an individualized treatment plan is drawn up, which may combine a variety of therapies.

• Exercise and physical therapy: Physical exercises can improve your musculoskeletal health. Ice and heat applications may be prescribed to relieve inflammation.


• Chiropractic treatment: Manipulation or active, hands-on care that can restore motion, improves flexibility, enhance blood circulation, reduce inflammation and muscle spasm, and encourage natural healing.


• Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS): This is ideal for both chronic and acute pain management. Direct electrical current is applied to stimulate the nerves and produce bodily chemicals that fight pain and stress.


• Radiofrequency radio ablation: Electrical energy sent through a probe heats a small volume nerve tissue in the affected area to relieve the pain there.


• Prolotherapy: The condition of some patients may not show much improvement with physical therapy, chiropractic or osteopathic manipulations. Prolotherapy or the injection of medication at the trigger points is then the preferred option. These injections can reduce pain, encourage healing and improve flexibility.


• NSAIDs: Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed to treat various types of pain. The drug prescribed depends on the diagnosis, level of pain and patient response.

Never neglect pain, especially if it persists. Approach an established multi-specialty health care center and benefit from their expert pain management solutions.