14 Oct Chronic Pain Management
CLASSIFYING CHRONIC PAIN
Chronic pain is a debilitating disorder that often occurs after major injuries and can be classified as pain that persists for 3 to 6 months, and in many cases, much longer. Experiencing pain is a universal symptom of small and large injury alike, but when the pain continues for months and years after the initial injury, it is classified as Chronic Pain. Living in constant pain comes with a myriad of other complications ranging from depression and anxiety to sleeping and appetite issues, which is why it is highly recommended to consult with Pain Management professionals to help manage your symptoms. At the Illinois Pain & Spine Institute pain management clinics in Chicago, our practitioners can help you create the perfect treatment plan for the most pain relief.
PAIN MANAGEMENT
Pain management is a branch of medical care focused solely on decreasing a patient’s pain and improving their quality of life using many different modalities, medications, and in the inevitable cases, recommendations for orthopedic surgery. Easing the patient’s plethora of symptoms one at a time, and ultimately their overall suffering is the goal of successful pain management at the Illinois Pain & Spine Institute. Successful pain management will help a patient regain their sense of self, restore energy and appetite, and begin their journey towards healing.
TREATMENT OPTIONS
Pain is very complex in nature and requires a careful approach when considering options for treatment. Many things can be done to help patients find relief from their symptoms. However, it is important for the patient to understand that more often than not the goal is to reduce pain, rather than eliminate it. Below we will explore a few different options that may help guide you in finding a successful mode of pain management.
ACUPUNCTURE
Upon first exposure or recommendation, acupuncture may seem like a far-fetched and outdated modality of treatment but chronic pain specialists have seen patients benefit greatly from this traditional therapy. Pain management doctors recommend patients try acupuncture before other more invasive and risky procedures like orthopedic surgery and addictive medication regimens. The Illinois Pain & Spine Institute recognizes acupuncture as the best route of treatment for patients suffering from back and neck pain, knee pain, osteoarthritis sufferers, and chronic headaches.
REGENERATIVE TREATMENT
Another potentially less invasive and risky route of pain management treatment our pain management specialists recognize is Regenerative medicine. Regenerative therapy is a medical approach that focuses on using the body’s natural healing processes to accelerate healing and decrease pain from an injury, with very little to no side effects. There are many types of regenerative treatment options but the most common is Platelet Rich Plasma treatments and stem cell treatments.
In the past few years, regenerative medicine and stem cell treatment have gained in popularity as it is far less invasive than routine orthopedic surgery and oftentimes eliminates the need for pain medication and the side effects that accompany them. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have the ability to become specialized based on the location of the injury and have the ability to replace damaged cells and tissues to stimulate the body’s natural process of healing.
The Illinois Pain & Spine Institute and the Illinois pain management doctors recognize how beneficial treatments have been for patients suffering from orthopedic injury and trauma and believe it to be a safer alternative to more invasive procedures.