Pain Patient Information

The information on this page is intended for people suffering from chronic pain and their families.

PainCenter Mission

To empower individuals to ease pain, reduce pain related disability and achieve the highest possible Quality of Life through the creation of interdisciplinary partnerships in a caring environment where research and education blend with clinical practice.

Pain Center Vision

The pain center provides a dynamic interdisciplinary clinical practice serving medical, academic, and patient communities.

Why the effort to promote better pain relief is important

• Provide patients with pain management skills
• Improve quality of life
• Reduce medical costs

Why an interdisciplinary pain management model

• Patient participation in comprehensive care and treatment which includes health care professionals and specialists
• Support self management skills
• Cost effective, time efficient treatment and care

Pain Center Activities

• Assess the nature, cause, and effect of pain
• Develop care and treatment strategies
• Provide tools, information, and resources for health care decision making
• Make use of current research in pain management

Who can benefit?

• We work with patients of all ages, including children, who are experiencing chronic pain related to:

1. Arthritis: Inflammation of joints
2. Back pain: Muscle strain, nerve damage, muscle loss, osteoporosis, herniated disk or other sources
3. Complex regional pain syndrome: Intense, long-lassting nerve injury with pain typically in an arm or leg
4. Endometriossis: Abnormal growth of the lining of the uterus, which causes pelvic or abdominal pain
5. Fibromyalgia: Generalized pain felt in the muscles and around joints; often described as "aching all over"
6. Headaches
7. Interstitial cystitis: Pressure, pain, and tenderness around the bladder
8. Irritable bowel syndrome: Pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea or constipation
9. Mouth, jaw, and face apin: Dental, nerve, or joint problems
10. Neck pain: Muscle strain, nerve, or joint problems
11. Overuse injuries: Often in hands and wrists from computer use or repetitive motions
12. Pelvic floor pain: Discomfort in the pelvic muscles
13. Peripheral neuropathy: Tingling, numbness, and pain in the hands and feet
14. Postherpetic neuralgia: Nerve damage resulting from a viral infection

Innovative pain therapies used at the pain center

• Biobehavioral therapies (self hypnosis, imagery, etc.)
• Stress management
• Physical and vocational rehabilitation
• Nerve blocks
• Vertebrosplasty
• Spinal cord stimulation
• Epidurals
• Neuroablative procedures
• Spinal drug infusion
• Radio frequency or cryosurgical nerve blocks
• Epiduroscopy
• Repair of torn discs – Intradiscal Electrical Thermal Therapy (IDETT)
•Joint Injections
• Advanced diagnostic techniques