What is pain medicine?
Pain medicine involves much more than prescribing some medication to mask your pain. The team at Physicians Medical Group of San Jose provides a comprehensive approach to managing, reducing, and eliminating pain.
Pain medicine services include medication as well as other non-pharmaceutical pain interventions. Whenever possible, the team also offers customized treatment plans to heal the condition causing your pain.
What are some of the common causes of pain?
Many injuries and conditions cause acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) pain. For example, you might experience acute pain from a sports or automobile accident-related injury or after surgery.
Some of the common causes of chronic pain include:
- Arthritis
- Degenerative disc disease
- Herniated discs
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
- Migraines
- Endometriosis
- Stomach ulcers
- Neuropathy
- Multiple sclerosis
Your risk of developing chronic pain increases with age as the tissues of your body become dry, less flexible, and vulnerable to damage. Additionally, being overweight, smoking, or having poor posture can increase your risk of pain.
When should I talk to a doctor about pain?
When you have pain, your body is signaling that something is wrong and you should never ignore it. You should call your Physicians Medical Group of San Jose physician to talk about your symptoms if you have a traumatic injury or if your pain is so severe that it limits your mobility.
Additionally, everyone experiences mild-to-moderate pain occasionally. Maybe you overdid it at the gym or slept in an abnormal position. In these cases, you can take some time to rest and try at-home therapies like over-the-counter pain relievers and ice. If your pain doesn’t get better in a few days or if it intensifies, make an appointment with the pain medicine team.
What are some of the available pain medicine treatments?
Physicians Medical Group of San Jose provides highly customized pain medicine services. Your specialist begins with a comprehensive exam, including diagnostic testing, to identify the issue causing your pain. Then, they create a personalized pain management plan to reduce your pain and address the condition causing it. Your program could include:
- Medication
- Joint injections
- Spine injections
- Trigger point injections
- Nerve blocks
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
- Physical therapy
- Botox® injections
Your provider might also recommend mental health counseling to help you deal with the mental and emotional effects of chronic pain.
Call your Physicians Medical Group of San Jose physician today!
