Do you have pain that won’t go away? Are you wondering what the cause of your pain is? Have you tried other treatments and they haven’t worked? Do you want to stop or avoid taking opioid medications but find it difficult because you are in so much pain? Are you trying to avoid having surgery? We’ve heard these questions before and we know how frustrating chronic pain can be. However, there are options available! Interventional pain management is a branch of medical care that can help. Pain management specializes in pain control. Specialists in this field find the cause of your pain. They treat it at its source. This can give you a better quality of life.[1] This type of management for your pain can help you avoid expensive and invasive surgery. Keep reading to find out if interventional pain management is right for you!
Who can benefit from pain management?
Pain management may help you if you have pain that lasts for a long time. That’s known as chronic pain. You can develop chronic pain because of illness or injury. It can also be from surgery or some other medical treatment. Pain management can help reduce the pain of spine problems, cancer and other long-term illnesses. It can also help with injuries, like whiplash, or with feeling better after surgery and other painful medical treatments.[2] Spinal Interventions has been the leading pain management clinic in Utah County since 2002, treating head to toe pain and providing our patients with long-lasting pain relief.
Who practices pain management?
Pain management doctors have backgrounds in anesthesiology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, or psychiatry. Doctors who specialize in pain management recognize the complex nature of pain, and a pain doctor approaches the problem from all directions.[3] Your specialist works closely with your entire healthcare team. Spinal Interventions works hard to provide patients with the best care possible. We understand that even with our treatments, we may not have the total solution. Therefore, we also work to coordinate patient care in conjunction with other specialists such as physiatrists, physical therapists, spine surgeons, rehabilitation facilities, and psychologists.
Advances in Pain Management
Advances in medicine and technology around the world are providing more ways to treat pain every year. While the use of pain medications is slowing, more and more technology is able to fill the gaps.[4] The over-prescription of opioids has contributed to a national opioid epidemic crisis. It is estimated that the use of opioids costs over $700 billion annually. In the wake of the opioid crisis, various federal agencies introduced stricter guidelines to address prescription practices and prevent this situation from getting worse.[5] Pain management has become a viable substitution for opioid use.
More and more insurance companies are recognizing the benefits and need of pain management treatment. Instead of having to cover costly monthly medications or very expensive surgeries, they are choosing to cover inexpensive in-office injections that will relieve pain for long periods of time. Dr. Sameh Yonan, a pain management specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, said, “Better understanding of pain syndromes by communities and insurance companies and more studies on pain will help increase insurance coverage for pain management treatments. In the future, the use of technology will help improve the outcomes of interventional pain management techniques.”[6] Pain management is a rising form of medicine. There are many ways to treat your pain through interventional pain management.
Types of treatment
The treatment of pain is guided by the history of the pain, its intensity, duration, aggravating and relieving conditions, and structures involved in causing the pain.[7] Different types of pain respond to different methods. Your specialist may recommend injections or physical therapy. Interventional pain management specialists manage chronic pain with things like nerve blocks, joint injections, nerve stimulation, and radiofrequency ablation. An example of pain would be nerve root irritation from a herniated disc with pain radiating down the leg. This condition can often be alleviated with an epidural steroid injection and physical therapy.[8]
Spinal Interventions provides interventional pain management treatments with our primary emphasis on minimally invasive procedures. Many chronic pain conditions can be treated with injection type therapies. We perform these injections in our in-office suites, which contain C-arm fluoroscopy, lead-lined walls, and patient monitoring equipment. Our physicians are board-certified in anesthesia and pain medicine. This allows patients to receive safe, appropriate sedation when needed. Spinal Interventions does its best to offer as many resources as possible to treat and manage painful conditions.
You may also benefit from lifestyle changes, exercise, medication management, and psychological treatments. Your pain specialist will work closely with the rest of your healthcare team to create a plan that’s right for you. You’ll take an active role in your own care, too. You’ll give valuable feedback about your pain and make important decisions about your treatment. Your feedback helps your care team create the best plan for you.
Conclusion
Although some chronic pain can never be cured, interventional pain management can help reduce it. It can also give you a plan to cope with your pain. Don’t let chronic pain interfere with your life! If you’re dealing with chronic pain, you know how debilitating it can be. Don’t let pain keep you from doing the things you love. Take the first step to living pain free and call Spinal Interventions today at (801) 223-4860 for a consultation.
References:
[1] https://viewmedica.com/vm/index/brochure/6793/interventpain/en
[2] https://viewmedica.com/vm/index/brochure/6793/aboutpainmgmt/en
[3] https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-pain-management-296604
[4] https://health.clevelandclinic.org/good-news-technology-advances-will-help-chronic-pain/
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5710326/
[6] https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-pain-management-296604
[7] https://www.medicinenet.com/pain_management/article.htm#how_is_pain_treatment_guided
[8] https://www.medicinenet.com/pain_management/article.htm#introduction_to_pain_management