Pain Management

What is pain management?

Many people think of pain management as little more than taking medications. However, pain management involves a broader and more effective approach.

As experts in interventional pain medicine, the physicians at Michigan Advanced Pain & Spine begin your pain management with intensive diagnostics that determine the exact cause of your pain. They specialize in identifying the specific nerves responsible for your pain and developing a treatment plan that targets the problem.

What conditions benefit from pain management?

Pain management works for acute and chronic pain arising from any cause:

Acute pain

Acute pain refers to the symptoms that immediately occur due to an injury or illness. Though this pain can last a few months, it usually goes away as the underlying problem heals. However, you should never live with acute pain, waiting for it to improve.

Getting early treatment is vital, not only to ease your discomfort but also to prevent it from turning into chronic pain. Without management, ongoing pain changes your nervous system, making it more sensitive and resulting in further pain that lasts long after the injury or illness heals.

Chronic pain

Chronic pain refers to pain lasting longer than 3-6 months or that persists after healing from the original injury or illness. This type of pain seldom responds to conventional medications, but Michigan Advanced Pain & Spine can ease your discomfort with a pain management program.

What should I expect during pain management?

Michigan Advanced Pain & Spine does a comprehensive diagnostic assessment, including a physical exam, diagnostic imaging, psychosocial screening, and electromyography. These diagnostic tools allow your provider to determine the cause of your pain and understand its effect on your health and wellbeing.

Once they determine the source of your pain, your treatment may include medication management, including opioids if needed, as well as one of many advanced interventional techniques such as:

• Epidural steroid injections
• Selective nerve root blocks
• Medial branch blocks
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Spinal cord stimulation
• Intrathecal pain pump
• Rhizotomy

These treatments work by targeting the nerves responsible for your pain. Some treatments, such as steroid injections, ease your pain by reducing nerve inflammation. 

Other interventional techniques block the nerve from sending pain signals to your brain. When your brain doesn’t get the message, you experience significant pain relief.

Don’t wait to seek help for your pain. Call Michigan Advanced Pain & Spine or book an appointment online today.

If you live with pain that doesn’t improve with standard medical treatments, it may be time to consider if rhizotomy can help. Martin Quiroga, DO, MBA, at Michigan Advanced Pain & Spine has helped many patients overcome their pain and restore their quality of life with rhizotomy. This minimally invasive procedure can ease your pain for nine months to several years. To learn how it can help you get back to an active life, call the office in Warren, Michigan, or schedule an appointment online today.