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Still hurting? Treating Chronic Pain
by Jackie Makowski
Local anesthesiologists specialize in minimally invasive procedures for pain relief
Most everyone has experienced pain and the subsequent pursuit to relieve it. Due to its subjective nature, pain is often difficult to measure but is important to address. Pain serves as the body’s “warning signal” for a problem requiring attention. Fortunately, most cases of pain resolve within a few weeks or months. But for nearly 100 million Americans their pain persists longer than six months – becoming a condition known as “chronic pain.” This statistic has garnered considerable attention from the healthcare community and for good reason. More people live with chronic pain than diabetes, cancer and heart disease combined. Within recent years, many patients suffering with chronic pain have felt a stigma surrounding their condition. Chronic pain can negatively impact a patient’s quality of life, interfering with one’s ability to work, sleep and enjoy social activities. There are safe, proven and effective treatments available to help manage pain when it does not improve with standard treatments such as aspirin or ibuprofen. “The pain management specialty is designed to work with primary care physicians to diagnose the underlying cause of pain and determine an effective treatment plan,” says Ronald Collins, M.D., an anesthesiology and pain management physician with TVPC. “Many people can achieve pain relief without surgical intervention.” The most common conditions treated by pain management specialists include low back and neck pain, neuropathic pain, pre-and post-surgical pain, cancer and shingles-related pain. In recent years, the opioid epidemic has shed light on the issue of opioid abuse. However, the media narrative has left many chronic pain patients feeling stigmatized, mislabeled and fearful of receiving treatment. Pain management physicians such as the anesthesiologists at Tennessee Valley Pain Consultants (TVPC) provide minimally invasive procedural based options for patients with chronic and acute conditions. The most common conditions treated are those of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, joints or nerves. 32
Inside Medicine | Spring Issue 2019
As partners in healthcare with Huntsville Hospital, Tennessee Valley Pain Consultants has the region’s largest team of specialists double board-certified in anesthesiology and pain management. These physicians use the latest in diagnostic technology, along with medical and interventional treatments, to identify the source of pain, treat it and educate patients on how to manage it. “Our goal is to try and change the pain at its source,” says Morris Scherlis, M.D., anesthesiology and pain management physician with TVPC. “This often involves injections under fluoroscopy to specific and precise pain generators.”
Anesthesiologists have specialized training in x-ray guided interventional procedures such as epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation and implantable pain relief devices. These specialists also offer managed anesthesia care for procedures providing a more comfortable patient experience.
Anesthesiology and pain management physicians offer patients a variety of non-opioid based treatments as well as diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. These physicians collaborate with physical therapists, chiropractors and surgeons when necessary to comprehensively and safely treat chronic pain. “We strive to help reduce the stigma patients experiencing pain may feel and educate the community on the many advanced non-opioid, procedural options available,” says Thomas Kraus, D.O., anesthesiology and pain management physician with TVPC. Education is the best tool for reversing stigma and ultimately improving patient care and quality of life.
