PAIN IS INEVITABLE…SUFFERING IS OPTIONAL

OACM’s Pain Management Program

OACM’s pain management program was designed to address all pain issues while providing a unique merging of services. Delivering orthopedic services and pain management within the same walls provides patients with the highest quality, most efficient and cost effective care, which are three major goals of OACM and the Center for Advanced Orthopaedics. According to Dr. Matsunaga, OACM’s pain management program combines multidisciplinary and advanced pain management modalities to assist people in maintaining and regaining their quality of life and function. Additionally, the program allows physicians to follow patients through the entire surgical process to manage pain pre- and post-operatively.

“Pain management can be very effective in keeping someone as functional as possible while minimizing the disruption pain can cause to a person’s quality of life,” says Dr. Matsunaga. Pain management therapies are viable solutions for individuals who feel they are just too young for a total joint replacement surgery, for example, or for people simply seeking to postpone surgical intervention for reasons such as busy work or family schedules.

Multi Modalities Offered for Patients

OACM’s pain management program offers patients a wide variety of advanced pain management options for a variety of orthopedic conditions including complex regional pain syndrome, osteoarthritis, joint pain (knee, hips, shoulder, etc.), total joint replacement pain as well as post-operative pain. Therapies for pain include:

  • Medication management, which utilizes individual and/or a combination of medications for treatment of various types and levels of pain.
  • Epidural steroid injections, which are the most common type of injections for back pain
  • Sacroiliac (SI) joint injection, which contains numbing medication and is primarily used to treat lower back pain and/or symptoms of sciatica.
  • Trigger point injections (TPI), which contain a local anesthetic and are used to treat painful areas of muscles where knots, or trigger points, cause the muscles to cramp and irritate surrounding nerves, causing pain.
  • Neuromodulation, which utilizes a special implanted device that emits and sends mild electric pulses to nerves in order to mask pain in certain areas of the body including the back and joints.
  • Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS)- is used to treat chronic pain and involves the implantation of a small electrical device next to one of the peripheral nerves (nerves in the spinal cord). The electrical impulses send to the nerves help alleviate the pain. PNS is a newer treatment option in which OACM is known for in the region.
  • Resources such as physical therapy, chiropractic care and acupuncture for holistic pain management.

Dr. Matsunaga explains that in addition to relieving patients’ chronic pain, the program and therapies employed also help people once inactive because of pain, to become active and lose weight and get physically fit in preparation for orthopedic surgeries such as total joint replacements. This allows surgical patients to be better prepared for a successful surgery and recovery.

To learn more about OACM’s Pain Management Program, visit www.mdbonedocs.com or call (866) 927-1338.