Still Hurting? Treating Chronic Pain

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.

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.

ANESTHESIOLOGY & PAIN MANAGEMENT: CONDITIONS TREATED

Cervical, Thoracic & Lumbar Spine

• Back & Neck pain

• Herniated Disc pain

• Radicular and Degenerative Disc pain

• Pre & Post-surgical pain

Joint Pain

• Knee & Hip pain

• Shoulder pain

• Osteoarthritis

• Sacroiliac Joint pain

Nerve Pain

• Peripheral Neuropathy

• Diabetic Neuropathy

• Shingles – Acute and Post-herpetic Neuropathy

• Occipital Neuralgia

• Cancer Pain

Visit tnvalleypain.com to learn more about the non-surgical offerings provided.

MINIMALLY INVASIVE ALTERNATIVES FOR ACUTE AND CHRONIC PAIN

Epidural Steroid Injections: Administered in the epidural space of the spinal cord to relieve inflammation secondary to spinal disc problems or pain associated with pinched nerves.

Trigger Point Injections: Performed on site of muscle pain improving blood flow and reducing pain.

Selective Nerve-Root Blocks: Utilized to diagnose the specific source of nerve root pain and for therapeutic relief of low back pain and/ or leg pain. Also, used for post-herpetic neuralgia.

Facet Joint Injections: Performed for temporary joint pain relief and in preparation for more long-term treatments such as facet radiofrequecy.

Sympathetic Nerve Blocks: Non-steriodal blocks often used for diabetic neuropathy.

Radiofrequency Ablation: Utilized to help patients with chronic low-back and neck pain and pain related to the degeneration of joints typically from arthritis. Physician precisely inserts a needle precisely delivering heat to a specific nerve disrupting the pain signals transmitted to the brain. Pain relief may last for several months to a year.

Spinal Cord Stimulation: Performed for patients with nerve root damage or failed back syndrome who have not responded to conservative treatments. This procedure involves implantation of a small, rechargeable device releasing electrode signals to the spinal cord, replacing pain with a more pleasant sensation.