If you’ve been referred to a pain management clinic for neck and back pain or other conditions, you likely need strategies to facilitate movement, lessen pain, and improve your activity at home and on the job.
Let’s talk about what you will experience in a pain management clinic on your first visit and where you can go for outstanding pain management care.
What Is a Pain Management Clinic?
Our pain management clinic in Melbourne, FL, provides a number of diagnostic and treatment options for the control of chronic pain associated with:
- Accident
- Sports
- Injury
- Cancer
- Arthritis and other degenerative conditions
- Multiple sclerosis
- Osteoporosis
- Fibromyalgia
- Muscle strains
- Fractures
A pain is “chronic” when it lasts weeks to months and increases in intensity instead of improving. Also, chronic pain patients may struggle with several mental health issues, such as depression, and they experience a significant decrease in workplace performance and/or the ability to do ordinary tasks at home. In short, their lives are impacted by their persistent pain. They desire a non-operative, low- to no-drug solution which is truly effective.
As such, they ask their PCPs for help. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports anywhere from 11 to 40 percent of American adults seek medical intervention for chronic pain. Numbers vary because of socioeconomic factors, but regardless, the problem of pain is obvious to health care providers throughout the country. Fortunately, most primary care physicians see the tremendous value in pain management clinics in Melbourne, FL, and across the US and in the innovative treatments and therapies they offer.
What Will Be My First Visit Like?
You will meet with our pain management physician, Dr. Nicholas Giordano, to review your medical history, medications, and your pain symptoms. Be as detailed as possible about the kind of pain you experience (shooting, aching, stabbing, needles, and pins), its location (neck and back pain are common problems), and what provokes it. Name the strategies you have already used to relieve it.
Then, the doctor will perform a simple physical exam, looking at the painful areas of your body and determining what actions and positions precipitate pain. He may do X-rays or other imaging, such as a CT scan or MRI, if needed, perform in-office tests, such as:
- EMG, or electromyography, which measures muscular response to nerve stimulation
- Nerve conduction studies to detect disorders that compress or deteriorate nerve cells (carpal tunnel syndrome and others)
What Kind of Treatments Can I Expect?
The kind of treatments you receive largely depends on your diagnosis and personal goals for regaining function and decreasing chronic pain. At Central Florida Spine & Pain, we offer several state-of-the-art services on-site. Some examples include:
- Spinal cord stimulation
- Ultrasound-guided injections, including platelet-rich plasma therapy, Viscosupplementation for the knee, corticosteroid shots, etc.
- Nerve block injections to interfere with pain signals to the brain
- Radiofrequency ablation, or RFA, which uses radio waves to heat and destroy irritated nerve endings
Will I Feel Better?
The Central Florida Spine & Pain is a warm, welcoming place for interventional pain management, with experts on staff to tailor strategies to your specific diagnosis and desired outcomes.
In general, our pain management care plans really help people cope with chronic pain, improve mobility and independence, and enjoy their lives again.
To schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Nicholas Giordano, call us today at (321) 802-5021, or fill out the appointment request form on our website.
We look forward to working with you!
