What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is a broad term used to define any pain that lasts longer than 3 months. It affects about ⅓ of adults in the United States and is responsible for ⅕ of all outpatient visits. In terms of total expenditures, the treatment of chronic pain in the United States is more expensive than the treatment of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease combined.
What causes Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain can be caused by many different things. Some chronic pains can be caused by multiple things, compounding the pain. Common causes include: post-surgical trauma, osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, fibromyalgia, back pain, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Interventions
Pain has an impact on all aspects of life. Chronic pain can affect sleep quality, mood, social lives, and jobs. Proper pain management can help you live your life to the fullest. At Culver Medical we have many treatments available to help you manage your pain. Those options include:
Joint injections
Epidural steroid injections
Sympathetic nerve blocks
Radiofrequency ablations
Spinal cord stimulators
Non-opioid management
Powerful opioids are often the go to prescription for pain management, but these drugs have side effects and can lead to addiction. If you would like to avoid the use of opioids, one of our physicians can work with you to develop a safe and effective treatment plan. At Culver Medical, we use a variety of non-opioid drug and nondrug therapies for pain management. Non-opioid pain management therapies include: over the counter medication, physical therapy, steroid injections, acupuncture, nerve blocks, and surgery.
