04/8/13

Intra-Articular Injections For Pain Management

In cases of severe pain, patients often seek medical help and advice on the best possible solution or course of treatment for the pain. One such treatment is the intra-articular injection for pain management. An intra-articular injection is one that is placed within the cavity of a joint. This form of pain relief will most often be administered when the patient has followed other courses of pain management to no avail.Intra-articular injections for pain management are administered to patients with pain of the joints of the body. Specific conditions indicating the administration of intra-articular injections for pain management include relief of inflammation causing a reduction in range of motion or normal daily activity and administration of corticosteroids to the site of joint inflammation to relieve cases of severe, seemingly untreatable, pain.

Most often associated with joint disorders or conditions such as joint replacements and arthritis of the joint, the anti-inflammatory and pain medications can be delivered to the immediate causal site of the pain as opposed to utilization from the bloodstream or digestion. The injection thus decreases the inflammation of the area and relieves the pain associated with the inflammation.During the administration of an intra-articular injection for pain management, the patient may feel pain and pressure from the needle.

04/8/13

Pain Management: Natural Ways To Ease Your Pain

People with chronic pain are always looking for ways to manage or ease their pain in safer and more natural ways. Both over-the-counter and prescription pain medication are starting to be unpopular choices among those who are suffering from chronic pain. This is due to the possibilities of getting addicted to pain medications because of long-term use. People have also grown wary about the side effects of over-the-counter medications such as damage to the liver, stomach bleeding and ulcers.The current trend in pain management is avoiding taking too much pain medication and engaging instead in activities and alternative procedures which are also known to ease and reduce pain but without the ugly side effects. This shift to more harmless and natural ways of managing pain are even encouraged by pain management specialists.

This is why pain management clinics now offer alternative options in handling pain. Among the most popular are deep-tissue massages, chiropractic, regular exercise and herbal and dietary supplements. All these options are universally and widely accepted because of the health benefits that they provide. Even if they do not necessarily cure or treat pain instantly, no one doubts their long-term positive effects on the body. Best of all, these pain management options have no negative or harmful side effects.

Massages have been known to relax the body and treat common illnesses and pains. A regular massage, especially a deep-tissue massage, can stimulate pressure points in muscles and tissues. Applying moderate pressure to these points can greatly reduce or prevent the sensation of pain in that area. This is also the same concept used in chiropractic and yoga. Stimulating the right points using moderate pressure seems to be the key which is why it is important to make sure that your therapist or chiropractor is well-trained.

No one can argue about the benefits that one gets out of regular exercise. All persons, whether or not in pain, should regularly exercise to stay fit, to improve their health or to remedy certain diseases and conditions. Exercise resolves a whole range of illnesses and conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, sleeping disorders and arthritis, among others. Many if not most of these ailments cause chronic pain. It is a known fact that people who exercise more are less likely to experience or suffer from chronic pain.

 

04/8/13

Pain Management – An Introduction to Pain Management

What is Pain Management? Pain management is a medical specialty that is rapidly growing in popularity and application. This specialty deals with the reduction of pain in the body by applying the principles of science and medicine. Today, it is common to come across medical doctors who have specialized in the treatment and management of pain.

The management of pain may require the application of simple or complex therapies. The treatment method depends on various factors surrounding the history of the pain. These include the duration of the pain, its intensity, whether the pain is increasing in intensity or reducing, the contribution of the pain to other symptoms of illness and the physical cause of the pain.

Pain management is based on two goals. These are to find the structure causing the discomfort and to determine the best possible treatment based on the findings. Every structure within the body capable of causing pain must have a nerve supply. The sensations to these nerves are interpreted as pain. Finding the problem structure will help these medical specialists determine the best way to deal with your situation.

There are various skills and techniques that are applied in Pain management. The type and number of techniques used to treat pain depends on the factors mentioned earlier. Skills and techniques used for the management of pain include interventional procedures (these may include procedures such as surgery to correct a structural problem that is causing pain), medication (the use of drugs designed to reduce the discomfort, such as an epidural steroid injection), physical therapy, alternative therapies such as acupuncture and massages as well as psychological counseling.

The techniques used to treat pain are largely dependent on the type present. It can broadly be divided into two groups based on the sources. These are Neuropathic and nociceptive pain. Nociceptive pain is defined as the discomfort that presents itself as sensations to the brain telling your brain that you are injured. In this case, the nervous system is functioning properly. The nerves pick up the sensation and transmit it to your brain. Your brain is then able to locate the source of the ailment and identify the injury. This pain may be caused by injuries such as cuts and bruises or injuries to internal organs and tissues such as your back.

Neuropathic pain on the other hand results from a broken down nervous system. The patient feels a negative sensation but is unable to pin point the source. This type of pain normally results from illnesses such as infections of internal organs.The diagnosis of your injury and the type of ailment begins with a preliminary evaluation. The doctor may ask you questions about your medical history and your symptoms. A diagnostic test is then recommended based on the results of the preliminary test.

04/8/13

The Purpose Of The Pain Management Clinic

For those who live every day with chronic pain, the simplest activity can be torturous. There are places that can help when it feels that there is nowhere to turn. The purpose of the pain management clinic is to give back some part of a patient’s life that was stolen by uncontrollable pain. Not every doctor is a specialist in the treatment of pain, particularly chronic pain. Referrals aren’t always necessary to be seen by a specialist, but it is always best to make sure before making an appointment. Confirm the type of coverage an insurance policy provides, but it’s important to know pain can be managed.

Various conditions can result in the need for specialty care. Physicians who haven’t been trained to care for them do not always understand neurological and physiological pain conditions. Chronic pain is defined as pain that routine treatment and care has not helped for six months or longer. The pain may come and go. It may be piercing and sharp or dull and achy. When these pain signals remain active in the nerves for months or more, the sufferer may literally become incapacitated due to the limitations caused by their pain.

Most often, chronic pain stems from ongoing pain due to injury, headaches, joint pain and back problems. Muscle and nerve pain, as well as carpal tunnel syndrome and pelvic pain, may also lead to a chronic pain situation. An original injury or a trauma may precede the development of chronic pain. However, there are many instances of people who develop chronic pain but have never experienced any known injury or damage to their body. While there is still much to learn about unprovoked chronic conditions, great advancements in medicine are being made. Pain doctors are gaining a more in-depth understanding of the role nerves play in pain where no obvious injury is present.

Each physician approaches pain management their own way. Some try drug-free interventions, such as massage, acupuncture, physical therapy and electrical nerve stimulation. When there is no improvement, the doctor considers more traditional medical intervention. NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are a first-line drug for pain doctors. By relieving inflammation in muscles, the hope is to see a reduction in pain for the patient.

The next step typically consists of corticosteroid delivery. These drugs are used in cases where severe inflammation and swelling are believed to be the major cause of pain. Antidepressants have been used somewhat successfully for Fibromyalgia. Doctors cannot be certain why antidepressants work, but they show great promise for pain relief. The last resort for treatment involves narcotic pain relievers.

These are the drugs of choice for pain relief when a patient has lost their quality of life due to pain, and when less drastic treatments have proven unsuccessful. Opioid narcotic medications are typically morphine-like. Most often used for cancer pain and in acute, short-term causes of pain, such as after surgery, they may be prescribed to chronic pain sufferers who demonstrate no relief from any other treatment. Short-acting narcotics, such as Vicodin, are not recommended for long-term use. The least risky option for long-term use of narcotic pain relief involves prescribing a long-acting form of the drug. There are patches that can provide relief up to a full week, such as the Butrans Patch, which releases a steady dose of the drug buprenorphine into the skin. Other stronger narcotics, such as morphine, can be prescribed in pill form that will last 12-24 hours with each dose.

Some patients who seek treatment from a pain management clinic worry about the possibility of addiction to narcotics. In all honesty, the chance of becoming addicted to a needed pain medication is very small. In one study conducted among 12,000 patients on long-term morphine treatment, only 4 became addicted. That represents less than 1/10th of 1%. Pain doctors are trained to handle this type of patient. So long as the dosage schedule is followed precisely, it is unnecessary to worry. Just enjoy living a life free of debilitating pain.