Pain Management Clinic
The Pain Management Clinic sees children and young adults with a variety of long-term painful conditions. Some of the conditions we treat in the clinic are:
- Recurrent abdominal pain
- Headache
- Extremity pain
- Chest pain
- Back pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (formerly, RSD)
- Pain that results from nerve injury, rheumatologic conditions or is of unknown origin
Most patients have a primary care physician and a specialist who have been evaluating and managing the condition from a global standpoint. Our focus is primarily on the specific pain aspects of a problem. After your child has been referred to the pain clinic, you will first be speaking with our secretary and possibly one of our advanced practice nurses, who will introduce you to the clinic and help organize the first visit.
The clinic takes a multidisciplinary approach. We realize that the best treatment of pain in children involves more than just a pill or an injection -- the child in pain is a whole person, not just a hurting body part. Further, pain affects the family's whole life, as well as that of the child.
Our board-certified pain physicians are experienced in assessing and treating pain in children and young adults, and are responsible for the patients' overall care plan. They may prescribe medication or perform nerve blocks or other procedures if needed.
At the first visit, you will meet with one of our advanced practice nurses. They will be your main contact and liaison as the treatment plan unfolds. They have extensive experience in managing medications, helping with side effect management, interacting with schools, and can provide helpful and supportive suggestions if the going gets rough.
Behavioral medicine techniques are extremely effective in controlling pain and reducing the stress caused by the pain. Our pain psychologists are experts in the care of long-term pain conditions, and use evidence-based interventions to help improve our patients’ function and reduce pain.
We maintain an active relationship with our physical therapists as they play a crucial role in evaluating the effect of pain on the body's movement and strength, determining how posture has changed and may be making pain worse, and what exercises will help restore the body to optimal function. We have found that physical therapy often does more than nerve blocks and medication to relieve a number of painful conditions.
For the occasional patient who needs intensive inpatient treatment, we have a strong relationship with the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation group, and can arrange an inpatient, pain rehabilitation program.
