Chronic pain is a common issue that affects millions of people across the globe. It can interfere with a person's daily life, making it difficult to perform everyday tasks and often causing emotional distress. Our pain management team at Genesis Medical Associates understands the struggles that come along with living with chronic pain and pain disorders. That's why we provide a range of treatments and therapies to help you manage your pain safely and effectively—so that you can get back to living the life that you want!
One-size-fits-all approaches to chronic pain management simply don't work; people's individual needs, conditions, and responses to treatment vary greatly. That's why we take a tailored approach to each of our patient's cases to ensure the best outcome. Here are 8 ways we help our patients manage chronic pain:
1. Identifying the Source Of Your Pain
Before a treatment plan can be made, it's important for patients to understand what chronic pain is, how people develop chronic pain, and what the source of their chronic pain is. Chronic pain can be caused by a variety of factors, including injury, surgery, overuse, arthritis, cancer, and more. When a person experiences acute pain, or pain that lasts for days or weeks following an injury, the body's natural healing process can usually take care of itself. However, sometimes the body continues sending pain signals to the brain even after the injury has healed. This is the most common cause of chronic pain.
By identifying the source of your chronic pain, whether that be a past or current injury or illness, our team will be better equipped to create a treatment plan that will help you manage and reduce your pain. For instance, a management plan for someone with chronic nerve pain will likely be different than a management plan for someone with chronic musculoskeletal pain.
2. Discovering Interventional Pain Management
So, once the cause is discovered, how is chronic pain treated? At Genesis Medical Associates, our pain management team takes an approach known as 'interventional pain management.' The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) describes interventional pain management as 'the discipline of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of pain-related disorders principally with the application of interventional techniques.' This practice focuses on using a combination of minimally invasive procedures to reduce pain and improve a person's quality of life.
3. Exploring Trigger Point Injections
Trigger-point injections (TPI) are among the most common treatments we use to help relieve chronic pain. This minimally invasive procedure targets trigger points, or knots of muscle that will not relax on their own, causing pain in both the muscle and the area surrounding it. The injection typically contains a local anesthetic, saline, and occasionally a corticosteroid. A TPI can help relieve muscle pain, tightness, and spasms, and they are typically a more long-term solution when compared to oral or topical medications.
4. Prescribing Medication for Pain Relief
Speaking of medications, pain relievers like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are another common option for managing pain. NSAIDs can help reduce inflammation associated with the source of your pain, as well as provide relief from more general aches. Though an NSAID or other pain medicine can be effective, they are typically prescribed alongside other treatment options.
5. Coordinating with Expert Physical Therapists
Physical therapy is a safe and effective way for people with chronic pain and other pain disorders to find relief. As a pain treatment, physical therapy focuses on improving strength, flexibility, endurance, and mobility, which can allow patients to move more comfortably and with greater ease when engaging in everyday activities. Physical therapy is especially effective for people dealing with chronic low back pain, arthritis pain, or conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome.
6. Working with Qualified Chiropractors
In addition to our chronic pain specialists, Genesis Medical Associates is also home to experienced chiropractors. Chiropractic care focuses on manipulating the spine and joints in order to reduce inflammation and relieve pain caused by musculoskeletal issues. By manually adjusting and manipulating a patient's spine and joints, our chiropractors influence the body's central nervous system and natural defense mechanisms, which in turn relieves pressure on the nerves and alleviates pain.
7. Counseling and Education on Pain-Related Issues
Something that commonly makes chronic pain worse is stress. Because the pain is typically the result of an injury or illness that has long healed, many people who experience chronic pain feel that it's 'all in their head' or that they should just 'get over it.' Worse, they may even be told this by other people in their lives. In addition to the stress caused by experiencing persistent pain that interferes with everyday life, this added frustration and pressure can actually worsen the pain, making it even more difficult to cope, both mentally and physically.
Our team uses supplemental counseling and education to help our patients learn how to manage these emotional responses in a healthy way. By taking a holistic approach and providing our patients with both the physical and emotional support they need, we can help them find the best way to manage their pain and improve their quality of life.
8. Creating a Personalized Treatment Plan
At Genesis Medical Associates, we understand that every patient and every case of chronic pain is unique and that taking an individualized approach is key to effectively managing it. That's why we create a personalized treatment plan for each and every one of our patients. This plan typically contains a variety of treatments and therapies discussed above to best address their particular needs. Moreover, we always prioritize treatments that work, rather than forcing our patients to stick with a single approach.
By providing comprehensive, compassionate, and customized care, the chronic pain specialists at Genesis Medical Associates strive to help each and every one of their patients find relief from their pain. From trigger-point injections and chiropractic care to medication and counseling, we are here to help you find the right combination of treatments that work best for you. Schedule your appointment online today and start your journey to a pain-free life!
