Pain serves a useful purpose in our survival because it alerts us to illness or injury. But pain that goes on for a long time (chronic pain) is another matter.
Sometimes there is a clear cause such as arthritis, cancer, a back injury or post-operative pain after surgery. In other cases, however, people find that no one has been able to explain the reason for their pain. Chronic pain can have a negative influence on your quality of life, affecting not only your physical health but also your emotional well being, your employment and your family. Fortunately, there are many methods to control pain and help you get back to a fulfilling lifestyle. Pain management takes a holistic view, treating the whole person with a combination of methods that suit the individual best. Some of the treatments available from Berkshire Pain Clinic include:
- Nerve blocks
- Spine (epidural) injections and infusions
- Joint injections
- Muscle injections
- Prolotherapy (a new type of injection for pain)
- Medication, including intravenous pain control if needed
- Nerve destruction (radiofrequency denervation or rhizolysis)
- Electrical stimulation (PENS and TENS)
- Exercises and physiotherapy