Treatments & Procedures for Chronic Pain & Pain Conditions
When it comes to treating pain, whether chronic or acute, treatment options are as varied as the underlying causes of your discomfort. Treatments for chronic pain can include noninvasive therapies like massage, acupuncture, and lifestyle changes, or more aggressive therapies such as steroid injections, nerve blocks, or surgery. The experts at Balcones Pain Consultants have a broad range of traditional, nontraditional, and new pain therapies for treating pain in any area of the body, resulting from a variety of underlying causes or conditions. The focus at Balcones Pain Consultants is on a compassionate and individualized approach to treating chronic pain.
Medication Options for Pain Treatment
Both non-prescription and prescription drugs can play a significant role in the treatment of chronic pain. Many types of pain can be managed with the use of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), opioids, or steroid injections, especially pain from an injury or from inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, bursitis, tendinitis, or plantar fasciitis.
Muscle relaxants can play a beneficial role in reducing pain due to certain conditions like tension headaches or back muscle spasms. Antidepressants and anticonvulsant medications can alleviate pain due to conditions like chronic headaches, arthritis, and nerve damage.
Treating Pain from Damaged Nerves
For some chronic pain conditions, nerve blocks or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation are highly effective in reducing pain. Neuropathy and neuralgia both respond well to these therapies, along with chronic back and limb pain. Spinal cord stimulation, a treatment method in which low-level electrical signals transmitted to the spinal cord are used to block pain signals, can also be quite effective in pain management.
Sprains, Strains, Fractures, and Other Problems
Pain from sprains and bone fractures can be treated with pain medications as well as splinting, casting, and physical therapy that incorporates special stretches and exercise. Back and limb pain due to spinal problems can be treated with a variety of therapies, such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation or anti-inflammatory medications. In some cases, surgery may be required to treat pain by correcting a problem at the source, such as back pain resulting from a herniated disc or leg and foot pain due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Non-Invasive and Alternative Therapies
Physical therapy, massage, exercise, weight management, and nutritional support can all play important roles in a holistic approach to pain management. Counseling can also be an effective treatment for chronic pain, whether the pain causes depression or emotional conditions like depression, stress, or anxiety contribute to the pain condition. Yoga and meditation can help in treating chronic pain by assisting the patient in developing effective pain management strategies along with a holistic sense of wellbeing.
Acupuncture and biofeedback can also be effective in the treatment of pain from a variety of conditions. Acupuncture uses fine, sterile needles to stimulate the body’s natural healing responses. Biofeedback uses information provided by electrical sensors to help patients learn to control certain bodily functions such as heart rate and muscle tension to reduce pain symptoms.
Procedures for Acute and Chronic Pain
When you’re living with chronic pain, finding pain relief can sometimes be tough. At Balcones Pain Consultants, we offer a variety of approaches to chronic pain management, including several procedures that can help. Below are some of the procedures that are available from Balcones Pain Consultants as part of our multi-disciplinary approach to chronic pain management.
NSS – Neuro-Stim System
The Neuro-Stim System is a family of products, methods, training, and services conveniently designed to allow clinicians the option of providing non-narcotic alternatives to a target population of acute and chronic pain patients.
Probuphine
Probuphine is an implant that contains the medication buprenorphine. Probuphine is used to treat certain adults who are dependent on opioid drugs.
Superion Indirect Decompression System
This device is the new standard of care for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis (LSS). It provides patients with a clinically-proven treatment option in the form of a minimally invasive procedure that is simple, safe and effective.
Disc-FX System
The elliquence Disc-FX® System safely, rapidly, and effectively performs minimally invasive discectomy procedures for contained lumbar spine herniations. The innovative, patented design combines simple, intuitive function with precise surgical results.
Surgery and Post-Surgical Pain Treatment
Sometimes, surgery is necessary for treating back pain due to herniated discs, bone spurs, and other conditions. Many, but not all, back surgery procedures will be successful in reducing pain. Some people experience failed back syndrome after surgery, when surgery intended to correct a painful back condition does not diminish the pain, or results in further chronic pain.
In this case, treatment of the residual pain might involve physical therapy, medications, and pain management techniques. Exercises to reduce the formation of scar tissue can be particularly helpful, as they keep the back limber and flexible. This activity, in turn, prevents scar tissue from pressing on nerves in the back and causing further discomfort.
Diagnostic Therapeutic Injections
- Epidural Steroid Injection - Thoracic (Upper Back)
- Facet Joint Injections
- Trigger Point Injections
- Sympathetic Blocks Lumbar/Stellate
- Myobloc for Headache/Myofascial Pain D Medication Management
- Sacroiliac Joint Injection
- Discogram Lumbar
- Implantable Spinal Pump
- Implantable Spinal Cord Stimulator
- Selective Nerve Root Block
- Nerve Blocks
- PRP Injections
Your caring provider at Balcones Pain Consultants will listen compassionately to your symptoms, in order to develop an individualized plan for treating your particular type of pain and the underlying condition that is causing it.
