Pain Management

Opioids are a class of powerful drugs. They can control severe pain. Oxycodone, hydrocodone, and codeine are examples of prescription opioids. So are morphine and fentanyl.

Opioids are powerful drugs. They control severe pain. But they can be dangerous or even life threatening if used incorrectly. Follow these guidelines for safe use.

Your surgery is done, and now it's time to focus on pain control and recovery. Most people can expect to have some pain after surgery. But it should never be unbearable. Your doctor wants you to be comfortable enough to take deep breaths and move as needed. This will help your recovery.

Opioids are a powerful class of drugs. They can control severe pain. But many people who use opioids experience some side effects. You should be aware of these side effects so you can use these drugs safely.

Because we all feel pain differently, managing it after surgery can be tricky. In the past, we focused mostly on medications. Often, these were opioids. But now, we use a mix of pain-fighting techniques. We call it the "multimodal" method. It deals with the whole body and the mind. And it can cut down on the need for opioids.

This form of constipation is linked to opioids. It's a common problem for patients who manage pain with these drugs.

You take an opioid medication for pain, and it's causing constipation. This is a common problem for people who take these kinds of medications. But the symptoms can be improved. We can treat your constipation without changing your pain medication. But first, you need to tell your doctor about the problem. Here are some tips to help.

Opioids are a powerful class of drugs. They can control severe pain. But they often aren't recommended for many types of chronic pain. That's because their long-term use can cause your body to begin to depend on them.

You've had surgery, and you're recovering at home. During this time, it's normal to have some pain. But your pain should never be unbearable. If you're following your care plan, you should be keeping it under control. Here are some tips for a comfortable recovery.

Opioids are a class of powerful drugs. They can block pain signals, and they can help control severe pain. But they can be dangerous. Over time, you may find it hard to stop taking opioids. And some people become addicted to the drugs.

If you've had an injury or a surgery, your doctor may prescribe an "opioid." This is a type of powerful painkiller. Opioids can mask severe pain. They may help when other pain control methods aren't working. But they can also affect your brain in a way that's harmful. You can become addicted. Let's learn about how they interact with your brain.

Opioids are often prescribed to relieve the intense pain that accompanies a serious injury or surgical procedure. While opioids can be addictive, they are considered safe and effective for acute pain management if used for the shortest length of time and at the lowest effective dose necessary. A doctor who prescribes opioids for pain management should regularly monitor your pain levels with the goal of safely discontinuing their use when your pain is more manageable (or under control).

If you're taking an opioid to control pain, your doctor may have warned you about misuse. That's because opioid misuse leads to addiction. And opioid addiction has become a widespread problem. Let's learn about this public health crisis.

We know pain and depression are linked. If you're in pain, you can become depressed about it. But did you know depression is also linked to certain pain medications? Let's take a few minutes to learn about this connection.

When it's time for you to stop taking your opioid medication, you need to do it safely. If you've only been using your medication for a brief time, your doctor may say it's OK to stop suddenly. But if you've used it for longer, your doctor may say you need to stop gradually to let your body adjust. We call this "tapering."

If you're done taking opioids but have some pills left over, it's time to get rid of them. Keeping unused pills isn't safe. They can be deadly to people or pets who may find them. But don't simply throw opioids in the trash. Here's how to dispose of them safely.

Opioids are powerful tools for controlling short-term pain. But using them for a long time can be dangerous. That's because long-term use causes severe side effects. Let's look at how they can impact you.

Opioids are powerful for controlling pain. But too often, they are abused. This leads to dependence and addiction. And as this happens, your personality can change.

There is no medical test that can tell your healthcare provider what level of pain you might be experiencing following an injury or surgery. That information has to come from you as the patient. Learning how to honestly describe and rate your pain will help your doctor determine the best way to manage that pain and get you on the road to recovery.

When you are being treated for an injury, illness or a chronic condition, you may be asked to talk about the level of pain you feel. This can be tricky, because pain can be difficult to describe. Pain can cause many types of sensations, and what feels very painful for one person may not feel so bad for another.

A PCA or patient-controlled analgesia pump is one way to receive pain medication in the hospital. Your healthcare team will determine if you are a good candidate for this treatment, which allows you to push a button to receive medication directly into a vein when you experience pain. The pump is programmed so that you cannot give yourself too much.

While you are hospitalized, your doctor may choose to let you control your own pain medication with a device called a patient-controlled analgesia (or PCA) pump. This pump is especially helpful for patients who are recovering from surgery. Because you control your own medication, you can fight pain as soon as you begin to feel it.

This is a method of pain control. With it, you push a button attached to an IV pump device to give yourself a dose of pain relief medication. PCEA is often used to ease the pain of childbirth. It can also be helpful in the days immediately after some surgical procedures.

This is a treatment that helps with the pain of trigger points. Those are small, tender knots in your muscles. They can be very sore when you press them. Sometimes they cause pain in other parts of your body. With dry needling, your therapist targets these knots directly with a thin needle. No medicine is injected.

This outpatient procedure is an injection performed to relieve pain in the upper back.

This is an injection of medicine. It targets pain in the ilioinguinal nerve, which travels from your spine to your groin. This injection can help your doctor find the source of your pain. It can also give you pain relief.

If you live with pain that won't go away, you know how frustrating it can be. Interventional pain management is a branch of medical care that can help. Specialists in this field find the cause of your pain. They treat it at its source. This can give you a better quality of life.

When we think of BOTOX, we often think of wrinkle reduction. But these injections have other uses. They also treat pain. Let's learn about BOTOX and what types of pain it treats.

This happens when a muscle stretches too far. It causes the muscle fibers to tear, leaving the muscle in two separate pieces. The two parts of the muscle may pull apart, leaving a gap between them.

This common injury is an overstretching of a muscle. It causes muscle fibers to tear. A muscle strain can happen to any muscle in the body, and it can range from mild to severe. A very bad strain can cause a complete muscle tear.

This movement disorder causes your neck muscles to contract. Your head may turn or tilt. This can happen in brief spasms, or it can be a constant contraction. You can't control it, and it may be painful. Cervical dystonia can disrupt your daily life.

This movement disorder involves muscle contractions you can't control. You might experience cramping or twisting. You might make slow, repetitive movements. It can affect one or more parts of your body. Dystonia can be painful. And it may make daily tasks hard to do.

Continuous epidural infusion is a way to give pain medicine. The medicine is sent to the spinal cord and nerves. This is done through a soft tube (catheter). The catheter is put in the spine into the epidural space, which surrounds your spinal cord.

Hyperalgesia is when a person becomes more sensitive to pain. Changes in nerves and nerve pathways may lead to this overactive response in the body.

A PCA pump lets you give yourself pain medicine after surgery, as you need it. The medicine is delivered through an IV (intravenous) line, a thin tube that goes into your vein.

Once you're home after surgery, you may have some pain. For effective pain management, follow the tips you may have learned in the hospital.

If a facet joint in your back or neck becomes inflamed, you may need a facet joint injection. This is medicine injected directly into the inflamed joint.

Learn what to expect when you get a facet joint injection.

If you have muscle pain or spasms, it may be due to a trigger point. This is a tight, painful knot of muscle fiber. Your doctor can inject medicine into the trigger point to ease pain.

Learn what to expect when you have a trigger point injection.

A sympathetic nerve block helps your healthcare provider find the cause of the burning, pain, or tingling in your arms and hands or legs and feet.

A healthcare provider injects a local pain medicine near the ganglion to numb your nerves. The block will ease your symptoms for a while.

This procedure uses a device to send signals to your spine. These signals help block pain.

Spinal cord stimulation uses a medical device to send signals to the nerve pathways inside your spinal cord. These signals help block chronic pain. Here's what to expect from this procedure.

For certain types of neck pain, your doctor may suggest a cervical epidural injection. During this procedure, medicine is injected deep into your neck near your spine.

Cervical epidural injection is a treatment for certain types of neck pain. During this procedure, medicine is injected deep into your neck near your spine. Learn what to expect before, during, and after this treatment.

Back or neck pain may be due to problems with certain nerves near your spine. If so, a medial branch neurotomy can help relieve your pain.

Learn details about this procedure, which is done to help ease back or neck pain caused by problems with certain nerves near your spine.

Pain can slow healing and keep you from being active. You can work with your healthcare provider to find relief.

A pain scale measures your pain changes for you as a way to keep track of your pain. You can then share this information with your healthcare provider.

Medicines can help to block pain, decrease inflammation, and treat related problems.

Alternative treatments for back pain include massage, chiropractic and acupuncture.

Discuss your pain with your health care provider so you can receive treatment to help you relieve pain or reach a pain level you can live with.

Electrothermal therapy, also known as intradiscal electrothermal therapy, uses heat to change the structure of the tissue inside the disk in your back. It doesn't relieve pain right away. Pain is reduced as the disk heals.

Electrothermal therapy is often done in a hospital or surgery center. You won't need to stay overnight. Before the procedure, you and your healthcare provider will discuss how you need to prepare.

An electrothermal therapy procedure may take up to 2 hours. During the procedure, you'll be awake but relaxed. Read on for details about what to expect.

Learn what to expect after electrothermal catheter therapy, both in the hospital and when you're at home.

A lumbar injection can reduce pain in your back. It can also help find the source of back pain.

A lumbar epidural injection is an outpatient procedure. That means you go home the same day. Here's what you can expect before, during, and after your injection.

Know what to expect as you recover at home from a lumbar epidural injection.

A thoracic epidural injection is a shot that helps ease pain in your upper to middle back (thoracic) area. Medicine is injected into the area around your spinal cord.

A thoracic epidural injection is a shot that helps ease pain in your upper to middle back (thoracic) area. Medicine is injected into the area around your spinal cord.

An intrathecal pain pump implant is a way to relieve some kinds of long-term pain or cancer pain. It sends pain medicine through a thin, flexible tube. The tube is updateed into the space around the spinal cord.

Peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) are a type of regional anesthesia. To do the block, a healthcare provider injects numbing medicine into a certain nerve or bundle of nerves. The area below the nerves is then numbed for a time.

Radiofrequency denervation is a treatment for some kinds of lower back and neck pain. It uses an electrical current created by radio waves.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a therapy that uses mild electricity to treat pain.

Opioids are medicines that can help ease pain. They can be used to treat both acute and chronic pain that ranges from moderate to severe.

Opioids are strong medicines that work by blocking or suppressing how your body feels pain. Before prescribing opioids, your healthcare provider will work closely with you to form a treatment plan.

For your health and safety, it's important to take opioids exactly as directed. This helps make sure they work as they should.

When opioids are taken as prescribed, they are often safe and can help manage pain effectively. But these medicines come with risks and side effects that are important to understand.

Spinal cord stimulation is one way to manage various types of pain. A spinal cord stimulator is an implanted device that sends low levels of electricity directly into the spinal cord.

A thoracic epidural injection is a shot that temporarily helps ease pain in your thoracic region. That's the upper to middle part of your back. Medicine is injected into an area around your spinal cord. This area is known as the epidural space.

Dry needling is like acupuncture. A healthcare provider puts needles into painful parts of the body and touches, taps, or pricks tissues to ease pain.

Be gentle with the pump area. Don't pull clothing tightly over it. Don't move too quickly, exercise, or play sports in ways that may jerk the pump around.