The Treatment Of Chronic Painful Conditions

Chronic pain is a difficult and at best frustrating condition. Patients often undergo needless diagnostic testing leading to unnecessary surgery and emotional trauma. The condition usually persists despite multiple interventions and treatments leading to patient dissatisfaction  and mistrust in the medical establishment.

Pain as defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain(IASP) : An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage. In laymen's terms, whatever the patient says hurts.

Purpose of the Pain Physician: The difficulty with pain is that it is a subjective sensory experience without a useful diagnostic test to assess the location. There is no current technology that can identify the location or source of the pain. Thus, all diagnostic tests to date are incapable of making a connection between pathology and the source of pain. This is where the Pain Physician comes in. They are trained to identify the source of the painful condition and then apply a treatment. In addition, Pain Specialists offer minimally invasive alternatives to traditional medical conditions such as back pain, herniated discs, headaches and previous back surgery and neuropathic pain conditions. Also, the Integrative approach utilizes other areas of medicine including Physical Therapy, Exercise Specialists, Nutritional Medicine, Alternative Medicine, Osteopathy, etc.

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Types of pain:

(1). Somatic Pain - Results from noxious stimulation of the musculoskeletal system (bone, ligament, joint, muscle). This pain is typically aching and throbbing, as when you strike your leg against a table. 

(2). Neurogenic Pain - Irritation or damage to neurologic structures. This pain can be burning, shooting like electricity, cold, numb, stabbing or jabbing. Patients typically have difficulty describing this type of pain because they are unfamiliar sensations.

(3).  Referred Pain – Pain perceived in a region innervated by nerves other than those that innervate the actual source of pain. An example of this is pain in the left arm during a heart attack. There is nothing wrong with the left arm, it just feels as if there is.

(4). Visceral Pain-Pain arising from the organs. This pain is typically dull vague pain and is due to distension of the intestine.

The information provided in this web site should be relied upon for medical education purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice of physicians. For diagnosis and treatment you must consult with a physician.