Pain Management
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Learn the different pain management treatment that we offer to help you manage your aches and pain.
Pain is a common yet complex phenomenon. It affects a lot of individuals, and yet, its treatment will depend on where it is being felt and what causes it. The fact that every sensation of pain varies from person to person also makes it difficult to treat.
At AZ Pain Medicine Clinic, our experts specialize in treating all types of pain sensations. With services that cater to your needs, our clinic can manage the pain suffered by patients. But before we can discuss how we can help you manage your pain, we must first understand the basics of pain.
What Is Pain?
Pain is any type of sensation that is characterized by an unpleasant or uncomfortable experience in the human body. It is a sort of built-in security measure that tells the human body that something is wrong with it.
Pain can either stay for short or long periods and can either be throbbing, steady, aching, stabbing, or pinching. They can also stay put in one area of the body or spread widely.
At AZ Pain Medicine Clinic, we suggest that you take every painful sensation you feel very seriously. Some pain may be felt through non-physical means and may be internal. There are also sensations of pain that are felt without any known cause, so the sooner you schedule a consultation with our pain care experts, the sooner also that you can manage your pain.
What Are The Different Types Of Pain?
While no one likes to feel pain, some people are just more susceptible to it. The body can experience a variety of pain types, so we are discussing the most common types of pain that we at AZ Pain Medicine Clinic help our patients manage:
- Acute or short-lived pain. As the name suggests, acute or short-lived pain is a painful sensation that patients feel rapidly and often disappears immediately. It is commonly caused by a very specific event or injury, such as cuts, sprains, burns, going under the knife for surgery, and broken bones. This pain type can be further classified into three types: somatic pain (which is a superficial pain that patients may feel on the tissues under or on the skin), referred pain (which can be felt at some other region of the body that is not the source of injury), and visceral pain (which transpires when the internal organs get damaged or injured and the source is hard to point out).
- Chronic or long-term pain. This type of pain affects patients for long periods of time and usually persists for months or even longer. Chronic pain can be experienced from a mild to severe intensity, depending on what ails the patient. Examples of chronic pain are arthritis, back pain, diabetes, constant migraines, cancer, and many others.
- Nociceptive pain. The most common kind of pain that patients experience, nociceptive pain occurs when the body experiences pain as a result of potential or physical damage.
- Neuropathic pain. Oftentimes described as a burning or shooting pain, neuropathic pain is typically a result of chronic illnesses that involve the body suffering from damage. It is usually associated with an injury or damage to the sensory system.
- Bone pain Pain of this type is often experienced in joints and in fractures. Sensations of bone pain can be acute or chronic since this type of pain can stem from a simple sprain of an ankle or an aching in the joints by someone who suffers from arthritis. Our patients here at AZ Pain Medicine Clinic usually describe this type of pain to be uncomfortable, tender, and aching.
- Phantom limb pain. Phantom limb pain is a form of pain that people with traumatic experiences usually suffer from. Amputees mostly deal with phantom pain since it gives them a painful sensation in some parts of their body that are no longer present. Doctors initially thought that phantom pain was a psychological problem, but they later discovered that these sensations are, in fact, real pain that patients experience.
- Nerve pain. Patients who suffer from nerve damage are usually the ones who feel this type of pain. Nerve pain can affect a person’s way of living since people who need pain management for this type of pain are often sensitive to touch or any form of sensation. Patients commonly characterize the pain that they experience from nerve damage as sharp-shooting as if they were being electrocuted.
- Soft-tissue pain. Soft-tissue pain is usually the result of injuries in or damage to soft tissues, such as excessive use of your tissues, strain on your key muscles, and trauma to your tendons. This type of pain is usually overlooked since it can be difficult to diagnose. People with this type of pain also often disregard the aches and hurts they feel.
It is very important that you immediately talk to your doctor about the pain that you experience so that they can help you find the most effective remedy for your case. at AZ Pain Medicine Clinic, our pain care specialists often treat painful sensations in accordance with the specific ailments that each patient experiences. So, you can expect that we will only suggest pain relief remedies depending on your pain management needs.
What Is Pain Management?
Pain management is the complex study of diagnosing, healing, and alleviating pain through medical or non-medical means. Since pain is a very complex subject, this approach consists of several approaches, methods, and programs that aim to aid the patient in managing whatever pain they suffer from.
Aside from that, pain management also addresses other aspects of the pain that affect the patient. At our pain clinic, for instance, not only do our pain specialists focus on the physical aspect of pain, but we also help patients manage the emotional, mental, and psychological aspects of their pain.
What To Expect From A Pain Management Doctor?
Specialists on pain management are board-certified doctors and physicians who have undergone rigorous training that especially focuses on the study of pain. They mostly work on evaluating, diagnosing, addressing, and treating different types of pain.
Because these medical care professionals are experts in the field of pain management, you can expect your pain doctors to be able to treat the pain you feel through effective coordination of the entire aspect of your care. For instance, they may suggest a good pain program that is based on your pain management goals, or they may create a short-term plan that takes into account your past medical records, your list of medications, prior diagnostic results, and your pain symptoms, among other things.
AZ Pain Medicine Clinic, strongly encourage patients to be open and direct, as much as possible, about the pain they experience since knowing all the details will help us assess your pain effectively and suggest possible treatments that work best for you. Being honest about your personal and medical information will also play a factor in what types of approaches or treatments your pain doctor won’t prescribe in your case. Our health care providers are the kind of pain care experts you will need for the effective and efficient treatment for all types of pain that you or your loved one may suffer from.
How Do I Manage Pain?
There are a lot of ways to address pain, from medicinal approaches to non-invasive pain management techniques. At AZ Pain Medicine Clinic, our health experts can help you deal with your pain through the various types of treatments that we offer. Bear in mind, however, that the treatment that works best for you will take your preference and pain details into consideration. Hence, the pain management method that may work for other patients may not be as effective in your case.
Here are some of the ways that we can help you manage your pain at AZ Pain Medicine Clinic:
Pain Medicine Approaches
Medicinal approaches to managing pain will depend on what type of pain a patient may suffer from, its location, its degree of intensity, and its duration.
If you are one of those who are wondering how to ask your doctor for prescriptions medications, you may can ask them based on the following classifications of pain management that you will need:
Opioid Medications
Opioid medications are legally prescribed medicines that primarily function as pain relievers. Pain medication doctors usually prescribe these types of medicines for treating severe pains. These medicines also come highly recommended for people with persistent pain, such as chronic migraine and back pain.
Non-opioid Medications
These types of medicines are the safest way for patients to manage pain without experiencing the risk of side effects and without becoming highly dependent on opioids for pain management. Medications that are non-opioids can often be purchased over the counter, as they do not need a prescription from the doctor.
Physical Therapy
If you would rather have pain management without drugs, physical therapy is one of the most common methods of relieving patients’ pain. It tackles the physical side of your pain while encouraging your body to recover much faster through the production of natural chemicals that help your bodily system heal and possibly repair itself. It is also an effective way of manage pain without medication.
Surgery
Pain can also be caused by unidentified anomalies on the body. These anomalies, if not treated or excised, can cause further complications other than pain and may even lead to permanent negative effects. By removing or correcting the cause of the pain through surgery, patients can ease their pain more completely.
Nerve blocks
Also known as neural blockades, nerve blocks employ the use of pain-blocking medical injections that help make aching nerves numb to any type of pain. These medical procedure oftentimes work well for patients who regularly suffer from aching joints and bones, chronic health conditions, and injuries that damage, irritate, or inflame the nerves. Before getting these types of pain injections, however, we recommend that you talk to your surgeon or anesthesiologist first to check for any pre-existing health condition that may make you ineligible for neural blockades.
How effective these pain treatments are will vary from one patient to another, depending on the type of pain that a patient wants to alleviate, where it is located, how often they experience the pain, as well as the personal preference of the patient when it comes to the treatments that they want to get.
We understand that pain can be very debilitating and that it can affect patients’ quality of life and their way of living. It is for this reason that we at AZ Pain Medicine Clinic offer quality pain treatment services. We want to help you get rid of the discomfort, aches, and pain that you may feel and raise your quality of life. So, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us right away if you feel that pain is becoming a hindrance to your daily life and everyday activities.
For consultations, appointments, or questions to ask your pain management doctor, you may reach us at this phone number: +1-844-999-2976. You may also visit our Arizona Office. Office hours are from 8am to 6pm from Monday to Friday, so you can visit us anytime at your convenience. Directly click here to start booking your appointment.