Pain & Spine

What is pain management?

Pain management specialists help you control pain with medications, procedures, exercises and therapy. To reduce or relieve pain, your provider may recommend one approach or a combination of several. Your provider will work with you to adjust your pain management plan so you can feel better.

Who needs pain management?

Anyone with pain can benefit from a pain management plan. A comprehensive plan can help people manage pain that lasts a few days (such as after an injury or surgery). It can also help people who have long-term pain from disease or chronic health conditions.

Pain is the main symptom of a wide range of injuries, infections and diseases. Cancer pain can result from nearly every type of cancer. One of the first signs of a heart attack is often chest pain that may move to your arms, back or jaw. Some of the most common conditions that cause pain include:

• Arthritis and muscle and joint injuries: Several types of arthritis, including osteoarthritis and gout, cause severe pain in the joints. Orthopedic injuries (such as frozen shoulder) limit mobility and lead to pain and stiffness.
• Autoimmune disorders: Lupus, Crohn’s disease and other autoimmune disorders cause your immune system to attack the body.
• Back injuries: Herniated disks, sciatica and other back problems are common causes of pain and limited mobility.
• Chronic pain disorders: There are several disorders that can lead to widespread pain all over your body. These include fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and central pain syndrome.
• Endometriosis: This painful condition causes the lining of the uterus to grow outside of the uterine walls. Endometriosis causes abdominal pain and irregular periods.
• Facial pain: Several conditions can cause pain in your face, including trigeminal neuralgia (TN), an abscessed tooth and other dental problems.
• Headaches: Migraine headaches and cluster headaches cause pain in the head and neck.
• Kidney stones and urinary tract problems: Kidney stones can cause severe pain when they pass through your body with urine (pee). Interstitial cystitis (painful bladder syndrome) causes pelvic pain and pressure.
• Nerve damage (neuropathy): Damaged nerves can lead to pain, stinging and tingling. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common type of neuropathy.

What are the types of pain?

Some types of pain result from a disease or accident. Other pain may linger or come back after treatment. Sometimes, pain results from treatments (such as pain after surgery). Some pain has no known cause. The types of pain include:

• Acute: This type of pain is sharp and often results from an injury. Acute pain gets better when providers treat the injury or disease that’s causing the pain. This type of pain can result from a bone fracture, muscle spasms, a burn or other kinds of accident. Some illnesses and disorders, such as appendicitis and shingles, cause acute pain.
• Chronic: Providers call pain that lasts more than six months chronic pain. This type of pain can result from an untreated injury or disease. It can also result from conditions like arthritis, fibromyalgia or nerve damage (neuropathy). Low back pain is another type of chronic pain.
• Nociceptive: Nerve cell endings (nociceptors) send pain signals to your brain when you have an injury. Nociceptive pain happens when you break a bone, bump your head or pull a muscle. The pain can be sudden and short-lived or long-lasting. It can affect your internal organs (visceral pain) or your musculoskeletal system (somatic pain).
• Neuropathic: Problems with the nervous system cause neuropathic pain (nerve pain). It happens when nerves fire pain signals to the brain by mistake, even when they aren’t damaged. Diabetes, multiple sclerosis (MS) and HIV commonly cause this type of pain.