Our goal is to help you decrease your level of pain and suffering, to return you to your maximum level of functioning and independence, and to help you restore your quality of life. Your physician may refer you to the Pain Management Center for evaluation, for one or more specific procedures, or for ongoing treatment. We have prepared this information to provide an overview of services available at the Center and to explain what you may expect during your treatment. Because perception and tolerance of pain vary widely from individual to individual, pain is difficult to define and describe. Essentially, pain is the way your brain interprets information about a particular sensation that your body is experiencing.
Acute pain is of short duration, usually the result of an injury, surgery or illness.
Your physician may refer you to the Pain Management Center because your chronic pain condition has not responded to conventional therapies. Treatments for acute and chronic pain are generally quite different. In some cases, pain can be stopped or alleviated by a single procedure or series of procedures. Sometimes, chronic pain is part of a widespread disease process, and the specific cause may be difficult to pinpoint. Once we have identified the specific factor causing the pain, we may be able to treat it so that the condition no longer occurs.