Helping to alleviate #chronic#pain in people involves more than just prescribing pills for them to pop or giving them a shot. Pain management, or algiatry, is the medical specialty of preventing, evaluating, treating, and rehabilitating persons in pain.Chronic pain may have originated with an injury or infection or there may be an ongoing cause of pain. Some people suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past injury or evidence of body damage.Whatever the cause of the pain, its management and relief should take a multidisciplinary and #holistic approach. It’s also important to note that there is not just one approach to pain management; what works for one person may not work for another person who has the same disease and is the same gender or age. 

Often, medications alone aren’t enough to treat chronic pain. Other treatments may be more effective and medication may be more effective when combined with other treatments. Other available treatments may include:

• Nerve blocks. If a group of nerves, called a ganglion or plexus, causes pain to a specific organ or body region, injections with local anesthetics may be useful for blocking the pain in that area.

• Electrical stimulation. The most common form of electrical stimulation is transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), a technique that uses a small, battery-operated device to stimulate nerve fibers through the skin.

• Injections. Local anesthetics, sometimes combined with a corticosteroid, may be injected around nerve roots or into muscles and joints to relieve irritation, swelling, and muscle spasms.

• Surgery. Although sometimes surgery is clearly necessary to relieve a problem that is causing pain, it is often a treatment of last resort. If pain has not responded to any other treatment, surgery on certain nerves may offer relief and allow you to resume normal activities.

• Massage therapy: Used for a variety of health-related purposes, including pain relief, rehabilitation of sports injuries, stress reduction, increased relaxation, addressing anxiety and depression and general wellness.

• Meditation: Sometimes used to increase calmness and physical relaxation, improve physiological balance, cope with an illness, or enhance overall well-being.

• Tai chi: Tai chi practitioners move their bodies slowly, gently and with awareness, while breathing deeply. Among other benefits, it can be practiced to ease pain and stiffness.

• Yoga: Yoga is a mind and body practice in complementary medicine with origins in ancient Indian philosophy. The various styles of yoga that people use for health purposes typically combine physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation or relaxation.

• Acupuncture: The most used and studied acupuncture technique involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by hand or electrical stimulation.

A multidisciplinary approach is designed to help people become part of the treatment team and take an active role in regaining control of their life. The focus of multidisciplinary pain management is to help restore their function in spite of the pain.

Paul Coelho, M.D., is a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician in the pain management department at The Corvallis Clinic. He can be reached at 541-754-1266.

Curated from A holistic approach to pain management | Columnists | democratherald.com

We provide a comprehensive lower back pain treatment in our office and recommend that anyone who is suffering from occasional or chronic pain visit us for help immediately. We use noninvasive methods to help our patients regain their mobility and feel better.

Treating office workers with back pain

Recently, we have been treating more and more office workers for low back pain. If you sit at a desk all day and have recently noticed that it is painful to remain in the chair, it may be time to schedule a treatment. Many people do not realize that there are two types of workplace injuries. The first is one that happens in a traumatic event such as the back being pulled out of alignment due to lifting a heavy object. The other is an injury that occurs over time due to repetitive motion. If an office worker is sitting in a chair that is not ergonomically correct and does not support the back, it is possible to begin suffering from low, mid and upper back pain as a result.

This could potentially be classified as a workplace injury so it may be possible to have worker’s compensation benefits pay for treatment. Most large corporations are happy to do so because treating back pain and providing workers with a more supportive workstation can prevent more drastic problems later on.

Our treatment is fast

For anyone who is busy at work, the idea of leaving to go to the doctor can be stressful. There are calls to make, appointments to keep and work to get done. We understand that and work diligently to ensure that our patients can get in and out of our office as quickly as possible. Our low back pain treatment can be completed in under an hour so it is possible to visit on your lunch break and still get back to the office in time for the next meeting.

Our treatment is noninvasive

Another benefit of our treatment is that it is noninvasive. There is no surgery, no cutting, and no injections. This is important for two reasons. First, there is no additional trauma placed on the body. For example, if someone were to have back surgery, the body would then have to deal with the trauma of recovering from that event in addition to the pain that it has already been suffering.

This is not the case with our treatment. Second, since it is a noninvasive treatment, there is no recovery time at all. Patients can visit our office for relief, leave and go about their day without any complications. Other types of back pain treatment may involve the need to recover for weeks or even months at home. This is certainly not conducive to maintaining a busy work schedule. Because of this, most busy professionals prefer our treatment option.

Our treatment is affordable

For anyone that is paying for the treatment, instead of receiving treatment through worker’s compensation insurance, our treatment is still affordable. We do accept insurance and can also discuss cash payment options when someone calls our office.

Our treatment produces real results

Even though our treatment is convenient, noninvasive and affordable, it is still highly effective and produces the desired results – a reduction in back pain. Patients that visit for treatment generally find that they begin experiencing relief immediately; and with continued treatments, their back pain either goes away entirely or is so minimal that it does not influence their day any longer.

Schedule an appointment

We encourage you to call our office and schedule a low back pain treatment today so that we can begin to help you feel better.

Are you looking for pain management information for ways to alleviate your low back pain? If you are looking for information on managing your lower back pain, it means that your pain is becoming more than you can bear. There are different types of back pain, which means that depending on the kind of back pain you have is going to determine what kind of pain management treatment is going to work ideally for you. Examples of back pain types include mild, severe, periodic, chronic, aching, throbbing and sharp.

What are the causes of lower back pain?

While there are many reasons why someone would be diagnosed with lower back pain, it is essential to understand that people who are overweight, have weak stomach muscles, have week back muscles and/or have poor posture are at a higher risk for lower back injury. The most common reason for back pain is pulling or straining a muscle or ligament. Certain medical conditions like osteoporosis, gallbladder disease, and fibromyalgia can cause back pain. Pregnancy can also cause back pain due to the extra weight.

Pain management ideas

The following are a few pain management ideas for the lower back pain that can help someone get the pain relief they need so they can still perform their everyday functions. Of course, it is necessary for anyone experiencing any back pain to see a health care professional for a proper diagnosis as soon as absolutely possible.

Pain management idea #1 – take an over the counter anti-inflammatory pain medication for mild or infrequent lower back pain that involves the muscles and nerves

Pain management idea #2 – alternate hot and cold packs during the first few days of injury

Pain management idea #3 – perform body strengthening exercises

According to Hopkins Medicine, if the source of the pain is not known or cannot be treated then working with a doctor to make the pain manageable is the ideal option.

Currently in pain?

If you are currently experiencing low back pain and need to make a consultation appointment, give us a call right now so we can schedule you in at a time that is convenient for you. Living with back pain can be extremely difficult, and that is why we are here to help you understand your options for relieving your back pain. If you have any questions for us, then go ahead and give us a call so we can provide you with the answers you need so you can make a decision that works for you. We are here for you!

Looking for lower back pain treatment services near the 91942 area? Call Neurological and Pain Institute at (619) 460-5850.