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Renaissance Hospital
Services
Pain Management
How We Approach Diagnosis and
Treatment of Chronic Pain
The words chronic pain mean different things to different
people. The general definition is "pain which has lasted for
more than six months." The problem with this definition is
that it does not differentiate between mild pain and severe,
constant, disabling pain--pain that ruins lives.
At Renaissance Hospital we deal
with the patients at both ends of the spectrum and who
indeed have severe, disabling, ongoing pain.
Modern science has fortunately evolved to the point where we
are now able to diagnose the source of many of these types
of chronic pain. In the past before this could be done,
patients were told "the pain is in your head." Now with our
sophisticated diagnostic testing, we can often find the
source of the pain. It's exciting that not only do we now
have a diagnosis, but we can look toward a rational
treatment of the problem.
In our clinic we diagnose the source of pain in about 60% to
70% of patients. Very often they have not had a diagnosis
before, and so they were not being treated on a rational
basis. Our clinic is dedicated to finding the diagnosis,
that is, to finding the source of the pain rather than
simply telling the patients they have a nebulous condition
called "chronic pain".
We also recognize that often, because of ongoing chronic
severe pain, the patient's financial stability and private
life are put in jeopardy. It is natural that when someone is
in constant pain he will be unable to work effectively, and
sooner or later maybe lose their job. The interferences to
family life may lead to family breakups. The unrelenting
pain, poor sleep, financial and family worries, inevitably
lead towards psychological meltdown.
It is no surprise that with everything falling apart, many
of these patients have suicidal thoughts--one of the
recognized dangers of chronic pain. The goal of Renaissance
Hospital is to provide total
support - to make all the pieces fit.
Chronic
Pain
When you get injured or have
surgery, you expect to hurt for a while, but you know that
in time, you'll heal and the pain will leave. If you have a
medical condition — from arthritis to heart disease to
shingles — you recognize discomfort as a symptom and trust
that treatment will help. While you wait for your body to
mend, pain medication provides relief.
Chronic pain is different. Sometimes, it's an aftereffect of
an injury that appears to have healed. Sometimes, it's a
lingering symptom of a past illness. And in some cases,
chronic pain develops out of the blue, with no link to
trauma or disease. However you try to explain it, chronic
pain is something of a mystery. Tests and examinations may
uncover nothing abnormal, but your body's distress is real.
Over time, physical pain takes an emotional toll, making
your body hurt even more. Anxiety magnifies unpleasant
sensations, and sleep problems leave you feeling weak and
helpless.
When you have chronic pain, it can dominate your thinking,
sometimes in ways that aren't obvious. To become informed
about your condition, for instance, you may spend a lot of
time monitoring pain-related publications and Internet
newsgroups. Of course it's important to understand what's
happening to your body and perhaps connect with people who
have similar problems. But constantly reading and talking
about pain keeps you focused on what's wrong when you could
be finding ways to build on everything that's still right.
Persistence, poor response to treatment, unknown cause,
sleep disruption and emotional fallout — these are the
hallmarks of chronic pain. And the longer you've had it, the
less likely it will be to disappear, whatever you do. But
chronic pain doesn't have to rule your life.
Initial Evaluation for Pain Management
Since most individuals with chronic back pain conditions
have already received some medical tests or treatment, it is
requested that you bring any of the following diagnostic
tests and information to your appointment:
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Current x-ray films and
reports
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MRI films and reports
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CT or myelogram films and
reports
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EMG/nerve conduction reports
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List of current medications
including dosage and length of time on each med
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List of medications tried in
the past
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 Chronic
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Chronic pain takes its toll on its victims in a
physical, psychological and functional manner.
Pain can negatively affect sleep, disrupt family
relationships, cause poor work performance and
put a strain on one’s entire lifestyle.
We can help with “tailor-made,” comprehensive
treatment programs to meet particular medical
and personal needs.
Our philosophy is to keep patients pain-free,
alert, functional and to avoid narcotics as much
as possible. We accomplish this with up-to-date
diagnostic and treatment techniques.
Our approach is to use various x-ray-guided
injections in a modern operating room. We also
use sedation whenever possible to reduce the
pain and anxiety of the procedure. We are
committed to providing the latest in effective
diagnosis and treatment.
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