What do you do when you experience a lingering pain that refuses to go away? You take medicines, try balms, use alternative methods to subside it, and consider the most unlikely options just to get some relief. But what do you do if despite all the interventions your pain remains? This is when a doctor may recommend that you visit a pain management clinic. A new concept in the realm of contemporary healthcare – a pain management clinic, as the name suggests, helps you manage and reduce chronic pain and enjoy a quality life.
How are pain management clinics different from individual physical therapy?
This was the question Arwa Ratalmwala a 56 year old Bengaluru school teacher asked her physician when she was advised to visit a pain management clinic.
“I was dealing with arthritis and I wanted to get rid of the nagging joint pain due to my health condition,” says the teacher who wondered why physiotherapy and a modified diet couldn’t solve her problem.
Arefa Ali a Bengaluru-based physiotherapist agrees that physical therapy plays a significant role in the management of pain but she also draws attention to another valid point. According to her, chronic physical pain causes a lot of emotional and mental trauma which needs to be addressed. The modern pain management approach encapsulates an interdisciplinary approach that aims at treating a person as a whole. Hence at a pain management clinic, there is a team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, counsellors, and specialists in pain consultation who work collectively to help a person deal with their pain in the best possible way physically and emotionally. The intention is not to provide symptomatic relief but identify the root cause of pain, treat it and eliminate it as much as possible.
Which conditions are treated at a pain management clinic?
A wide range of pain-related health conditions can be treated effectively at a pain management clinic. They include:
- Chronic Pain Syndrome- This condition leads to secondary symptoms such as anxiety and depression.
- Fibromyalgia- which leads to pain across the body.
- Neuropathic pain- A condition that causes pain due to a nerve injury or nerve disease.
- Regional Pain Syndrome- When a person experiences persistent pain in a specific part of the body.
- Orthopedic conditions- Conditions like arthritis etc that trigger nagging pain in the bones and joints.
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome- When a person experiences pain and tiredness due to a long-term illness.
- Post-surgical pain- Pain caused after surgery.
- Cancer-related pain- Pain due to cancer and its treatment.
What to expect at a pain management clinic?
Evaluation- When a person visits a pain management clinic, they are thoroughly evaluated by a pain management consultant. The consultant enquires about the symptoms, the person has been experiencing, along with the location and intensity of the pain. They will also assess the overall condition of the person as in their physical ability, their emotional and mental state, and the quality of their personal and professional life. A note of all the earlier treatment and medication is made. This primary assessment is important for an accurate diagnosis of the person’s health condition and for formulating the most workable treatment plan for them. A physical evaluation is also conducted and if required the consultant may suggest certain diagnostic tests for review.
The treatment plan- After a comprehensive evaluation a personalized treatment plan is created with specific goals and milestones that a person can achieve based on their ability and health. The treatment consists of-
Pain intervention includes acupuncture, an alternative therapy that is effective in the reduction of pain, TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) which uses mild electric current to manage pain and pain medication such as injections or pills to reduce chronic pain. In some cases, spinal cord stimulation and radiofrequency ablation are also recommended to block pain-carrying signals.
Rehabilitation which is a program that consists of physical therapy to manage pain effectively, occupational therapy to help people regain their functional abilities, psychotherapy to help cope with the pain better, nutritional guidance to modify the diet to reduce inflammation and pain in the body, lifestyle management to help the person develop healthier habits like sufficient sleep, physical activity, etc for better health and independence.
Monitoring and follow-up- As the treatment progresses the specialists at the clinic conduct regular checks to monitor the person’s progress. They make the necessary changes to the plan if required and ensure that the person is responding well to the treatment module. After the treatment, the specialists at the clinic will schedule follow-up visits to encourage the person to continue with the lifestyle changes and medication recommended for optimal recovery.
What is the estimated duration of treatment?
The amount of time needed for treatment depends on pain severity together with patient well-being, treatment tolerance, and their ability to stick to doctors’ recommendations. Time to recovery exists anywhere from days to weeks or months.
Living with constant pain is not easy. It takes a toll on the overall wellness and functionality of a person. Ratlamwala signed up with a pain management clinic and has experienced significant relief from the pain that had affected her life in a big way. “A physiotherapist can help you with physical exercises to reduce your pain but what I have experienced and gained from a pain clinic is much more than that,” she says. “I realized why my pain wasn’t going away, and was given specific guidance to keep it at bay.” It is a year since Ratlamwala received the treatment and she finally has begun feeling like herself again. She can now travel without hesitation and enjoy social functions like never before.
