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Defining Pain Management

Pain management is a branch of medical science concerned with easing both acute and chronic pain and increasing quality of life. Using a multi-disciplinary approach (medical care, physical therapy, chiropractic, etc.), pain management specialists help patients to reduce or eradicate pain while preventing future suffering.

The initial sensation of acute pain is helpful in that it alerts the body to damage and/or disease. Once this message has been received and interpreted, it is no longer useful or relevant. In fact, additional pain is counterproductive, leading to reduced quality of life and even more pain. Whether pain is caused by illness or trauma, extraneous suffering can impede the healing process.

Using healthy, conservative, and effective techniques, pain management can help patients improve overall functioning and movement while putting an end to pain. Pain management in our Monmouth County office can help patients with the following conditions, among many others:

Unhealthy, Harmful, and Ineffective Pain Management

Pain management techniques fall under two basic categories: Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological. Pharmacological pain management refers to medication management, while non-pharmacological pain management encompasses a number of drug-free techniques, such as physical therapy, laser therapy, and acupuncture. Surgery is another option.

Long-Term Drug Use
Used as a temporary, short-term response to acute pain, painkilling medications are an excellent option for helping patients get out of pain. The goal with medication management is to help patients feel well enough to address the causes of pain so that drugs will no longer be necessary. However, this is not always how it works. Whether under the care of a medical doctor, or self-medicating with over-the-counter medications, long-term use of medications for pain management is an unhealthy and unproductive strategy.

Painkillers (analgesics) include acetaminophen; opioid drugs such as codeine or oxycodone; and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), a class of drugs which includes aspirin or ibuprofen. Generally speaking, the risks of using such drugs include gastrointestinal bleeding, ulcers, liver and kidney damage, and addiction.

Unnecessary Surgery
For a number of reasons, surgeries—particularly for back pain—are on the rise. This spike in surgeries does not signify a greater need for surgeries, but rather that the perception of surgery as a panacea for back pain is rampant (although incorrect).

Back surgeries are ineffective often enough that the medical community has dubbed the failure of such interventions, ‘Failed Back Surgery Syndrome.’ The World Orthopaedic Organisation reports that there is a 53% failure rate for low back pain surgeries. Even worse, surgery is extremely traumatic and damaging to the body.

It’s true that, as the population ages, there are more back pain patients than ever before. However, there are also a larger number of healthy, conservative treatment options available than ever before.

Pain Management at Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation

For over 13 years, our founder and Director of Rehabilitation (Dr. Thomas Dandrea, D.C.) has been working to keep Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation at the forefront of pain management in Monmouth County. Beginning as a small chiropractic center, our New Jersey pain management office has greatly expanded and now offers patients every opportunity to get out of pain and back to normal movement by using healthy practices. Some of the treatment options offered are listed below:

• A customized plan of pain management, designed by our Medical Director, an expert in pain management and conditions affecting the musculoskeletal and neurological systems of the body.

• Interventional Pain Management: This includes Corticosteroid and/or Anesthetic Injections, such as Epidural Steroid Injections; Trigger Point Injections; Coccyx Injections; Sympathetic Nerve Blocks; and Sacroiliac Joint Injections. Additionally, our Medical Director may perform Radiofrequency Ablation for chronic pain.

• Physical Therapy Exercises (Active Rehabilitation)

• Power Plate Whole Body Vibration Technology (to increase the effectiveness of exercises);

• Spinal Decompression Traction;

• Passive Physical Therapy Practices, including Ultrasound, Electrotherapy, and Ice and Heat;

• Low Level Laser Therapy;

• Chiropractic Care for Pain; and

• Acupuncture for Pain Relief.

Please contact our New Jersey rehabilitation office to learn more about pain management in Monmouth County.