Your primary physician has basic knowledge and experience in managing pain. But for some who suffer from extremes of chronic pain caused by any number of reasons, may require more focused and intensive pain relieving options. Pain is a complex issue that often requires the expertise of more than one specialty as those treatments offered in a pain clinic to get to the root of a problem or a multitude of them.
Over the years, this realization by doctors has helped pain management develop into a distinct specialty, to which millions of suffering patients subscribe. A pain clinic uses a team approach to diagnose the specific pain issue and devise a plan of action to address those issues. The teams may consist of trained doctors, therapists, psychiatrists, physiatrists and alternative medicine practitioners, united in a common goal. With that approach, a person burdened with pain can expect to be offered the best strategies from most of the known and acceptable treatment procedures. With this all inclusive approach of a pain clinic, the net result shows great improvement in setting pain aside.
More often than not the first treatment offered is medication beginning with non-aspirin acetaminophen such as Tylenol or Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory products like Motrin and Aleve. For more acute pain, patients are prescribed opioid drugs or various anti depression drugs that alleviate pain in certain circumstances.
Pain issues in nerves or muscle and joints can be treated with local anesthetics blended with corticosteroid. In more severe cases, a doctor may order a nerve block applied to nerve groups that cause pain in specific areas of the body or to specific organs.
Physical Therapy is a method favored by many physicians and is commonly prescribed at a pain clinic. PT can be instrumental in eliminating pain and to strengthen core muscles. For some, a more suitable, less strenuous program of aquatic therapy has been shown to provide excellent pain relieving results.
Electrical Stimulation of the nerves by attaching pods to the surface of the body has some positive effects, as does implanted electrical devices that divert pain from the spine. The ancient science of Acupuncture is becoming a commonly used treatment component that is accepted and used in many pain clinics, along with self-help techniques using methods of relaxation, including chanting, hypnosis and relaxation works well for many people.
Surgery to alleviate pain should be considered as a last resort. While results are usually positive, there is always a chance for a mishap. Risk factors must be considered as the results cannot be guaranteed. Before committing to an operation, always research the surgeon and verify his success ratio.
The pain clinic you select will work with you to improve your overall wellbeing and improve your quality of life. It's important that you choose a pain clinic based on its overall merits and referrals from your family physician or from a hospital or clinic with which you have built a relationship. Constant pain is a life changing experience that can influence not only the patient's life, but also the lives of care takers and family members who must deal with the patient on an everyday basis.
If the person's personal wellbeing can be improved, so also can his overall health and happiness, a life filled with pain is a cruel way to go through life. Pain clinics offer an alternative to the suffering and are pioneers in new and promising ways to reduce pain.
