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Pain management is the discipline which deals with finding ways to provide
relief from pain. The International Association for the study of pain defines
pain as a sensory and emotional response to actual or perceived tissue injury.
There is no objective measure for pain. Unlike one’s blood pressure or heart
rate, there is no device that can measure patient pain. Pain may manifest itself
as aches, numbness, stiffness, burning and other irritating sensations.
Therefore, we who treat pain must believe patients when they complain of pain.
In other words, pain, is anything the patient says hurts.
Patients may suffer from acute or traumatic pain, as well as, chronic pain.
While acute pain can be considerably and more quickly relieved, once the
underlying problem is identified and treated, chronic pain, which may be a party
of some debilitating disease, is more difficult to diagnose and treat. The
treatment of pain requires us to address both the sensory and emotional
components of pain. Pain management treatment schedules require the service of
practitioners belonging to different branches of medicine. Pharmacologic, as
well as non-pharmacologic procedures, psychological approaches, all may become
necessary. The decreased self-worth, anxiety and depression caused by pain are
best treated by a psychologist / psychiatrist with cognitive and behavioral
therapies and biofeedback. The sensory component of pain is treated with
chiropractic and physical therapies, medications, routine injections, such as
trigger point and epidural injections, as well as, advanced interventional
therapies.
Our pain management techniques include: - Exercise
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
- Cutaneous Stimulation
- Manual Techniques
- Administration of analgesics, NSAIDs, narcotic medications, muscle relaxants,
and anti-convulsants and antidepressants.
- Radiofrequency radio ablation
- Surgically implanted electrotherapy devices
- Prolotherapy
- Injections
We have a team of anesthesiologists, physiatrists, psychiatrists, and
neurologists to work with patients and provide them speedy relief from pain.
Besides medical practitioners, physiotherapists, chiropractors, clinical
psychologists and occupational therapists also form part of our skilled team.
Working closely together with your dedicated doctors and support staff at
HealthQuest, we provide the Interventional Component of your multi-faceted pain
care. We all look forward to helping you better understand why you hurt and
aggressively try to decrease your pain, improve the quantity and quality of your
sleep and return you to your usual level of functioning.
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