21 Oct Chronic Pain Diagnosis
When any pain that has lasted more than 3 months, it is defined as chronic pain.
The first and critical step in treating chronic pain is accurate diagnosis.
Your pain doctor will review your medical history and perform a physical examination. S/he will discuss your concerns and then move to diagnostic imaging tests to pinpoint the source of the pain, followed by suggesting a treatment plan specifically for you.
To identify what is causing an individual’s pain, the pain specialist may order X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans. Sometimes diagnostic procedures, such as injections or blocks, may also be used. Interventional injections and blocks can act as both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Instant pain relief tells your doctor about the exact source of your pain. An EMG can reveal information about the muscles and nerves in the body, for instance, in case of carpal tunnel syndrome, a pinched nerve, radiculopathy, sciatica, neuropathies, and muscle diseases.
Your pain specialist can then provide you with a customized treatment plan, that may include –
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- physical therapy
- epidural injections
- facet blocks
- nerve blocks
- Botox
- trigger point injections
- discectomy
- neurostimulation
- radiofrequency ablation, and more
If you are looking for pain management and treatment in Chicago, call one of the leading pain management clinics in Illinois, Illinois Pain Institute at 800-340-PAIN Today! Illinois Pain Institute is Chicago’s leading and longest-established, multi-site pain management practice. Our doctors specialize in the accurate diagnosis and precise treatment of neck pain, back pain, herniated discs, sciatica, headaches, pelvic pain, musculoskeletal pain, and many other painful conditions.