Pain Relief is Possible
Stop living in pain and get back to the things you love with a long-term, comprehensive approach to pain management
Chronic Pain Management
Chronic pain isn’t just a symptom, it’s a medical condition that needs to be properly diagnosed and addressed head-on. No one’s experience of pain is exactly the same and that is why the first step in getting out of pain lies in identifying the root causes that contribute to your pain.
Chronic pain, meaning that the pain persists for three months or longer, can occur after an acute injury (e.g. broken bone, surgery, etc.) or along with a chronic health condition, such as arthritis. The pain can be constant or come and go, and it is often described as throbbing, aching, shooting, burning, stabbing, squeezing, and/or stiffness.
Chronic pain can affect other aspects of your life including your mood, ability to perform your daily tasks, relationships, quality of life, physical activity, and sleep. It can also change your brain’s perception of pain, causing you to be hypersensitive to stimuli. However, chronic pain does not always mean forever pain. It can be treated or managed so that you can achieve the quality of life that you desire.
At Center for Pain and Supportive Care our primary concern is helping patients minimize the impact of their health condition on everyday functioning: physical, emotional and social. It is our mission to facilitate lasting change, requiring a commitment from healthcare providers, active participation from patients, and continuous support from families and friends. Pain relief is possible!
Causes of Chronic Pain
Acute injury
Chronic pain is usually caused by an initial injury, such as a back sprain, sports injury, car accident, or surgery. Despite healing, changes to your body and brain can lead to persistent pain.
Chronic health conditions
Pain is often the result of other medical conditions. Arthritis, autoimmune disorders, and neurologic disorders are all common causes of chronic pain.
Psychologic
Some people can also experience pain that is not caused by a physical injury. This pain is called psychogenic or psychosomatic pain.
Symptoms of Chronic Pain
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Nerve PainNerve Pain, or neuropathic pain, is caused by pressure on the nerves or damage to the nerves. Cancer itself can compress the nerves or spinal cord and nerves can be damaged following surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. This pain is often described as burning or shooting.
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Bone PainBone Pain, also referred to as Somatic Pain, is typically caused from bone metastases. This pain is often described as aching, throbbing, cramping, and gnawing.
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Visceral PainVisceral pain results from damage to tissue or pressure on internal organs. This pain is often described as deep, throbbing, and squeezing.
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Phantom PainPhantom Pain can occur when a part of the body has been removed. For example, following a mastectomy for a patient with breast cancer.
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Referred PainReferred Pain is pain that initiates from one part of the body but is felt in an entirely different, usually due to where the nerve ends.
Treatments for Chronic Pain
Traditional Injections
Epidurals, joint injections, and trigger points
Ablation
This technique uses heat to destroy nerves that transmit pain. Common ablation sites are medial branches involved in chronic back pain, genicular nerves involved in knee pain, and lateral branches involved in sacroiliac joint pain
Vertebroplasty/Kyphoplasty/Spine-Jack
Vertebral augmentation is the process of using cement to stabilize compression fractures in your spine. These fractures are caused by osteoporosis, trauma, and cancer. Before injecting cement a balloon (kyphoplasty) or titanium implant (Spine-Jack) can be deployed to help restore the normal height of your vertebrae
Neuromodulation - Chemical
Implantable pain pumps are used to delivery small amounts of medicine directly to your spinal cord bypassing the barriers encountered by oral medications
Neuromodulation Devices - Electrical
Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG), Peripheral Nerve, and Spinal Cord Stimulation devices use electrical signals to treat conditions such as post-herpetic neuralgia, peripheral nerve injury, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, foot/ankle/knee pain, low back and leg pain after surgery, and diabetic neuropathy
MILD (Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression)
Do you have pain in the back and legs that limits your ability to walk? Is your pain improved when bending forward? Has your doctor diagnosed you with spinal stenosis? MILD can be used to treat spinal stenosis due to an enlargement of the ligamentum flavum
Vertiflex/Superion
Another option for spinal and foraminal stenosis is the use of a titanium implant that helps keep the space around your nerves open and free of compression
Sacroiliac Joint Fusion
Fusion is indicated for treatment of Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction. This occurs when the Sacroiliac Joint, normally an immobile joint, becomes mobile and causes pain
Peripheral Nerve Block Catheters
These devices are temporary. Ultrasound is used to place a catheter next to your nerve which is then connected to a pump that delivers numbing medicine. They are great options for treating post-operative pain and for reducing dependency on oral opioids
Botox
Botox can help treat chronic migraines and spasticity
Regenerative Therapies (PRP “Platelet Rich Plasma,” Hyaluronic Acid, and Stem Cell)
Platelet-rich plasma is rich in growth factors that are important in the healing process. PRP is made by taking a sample of your blood and removing the part that contains platelets only. PRP is used to treat muscle tears, rotator cuff injuries, and joint pain.Hyaluronic Acid, a natural occurring substance found in joint fluid, is used as a lubricant in patients with chronic knee pain. Stem cells involve harvesting some of your own cells from the bone marrow and then using these cells to help regenerate damaged tissue common in tendinopathies, ligamentous injuries and painful joints
Group Therapy
CPSC is the first pain practice in Phoenix to offer group therapy. This 6-month course helps to educate patients on the causes of chronic pain, teaches patients non-pharmacologic ways to manage their pain, and provides patients with a support group
Medications
Opioid and non-opioid