Joint pain can bring your life to a standstill, especially when your pain has become chronic. Pain management specialists identify the source of your pain to create the most effective pain management and/or treatment plan to relieve your pain. Joint pain is one of the most common types of pain people experience. It can be caused by osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, bursitis, sprains, strains or other injuries. If your joint pain doesn’t go away in a few weeks, it's time to visit a pain management specialist.
Pain management treatment varies depending on the cause of your pain but may include:
Medications
If over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications don't help relieve your pain, muscle relaxants, antidepressants and other prescription medications may be prescribed by your pain management specialist. Drugs, such as antidepressants help to reduce pain by interrupting pain signals. All these medications are managed under a closely monitored treatment plan.
Steroid Injections
Steroid injections are helpful if your pain is caused by tendinitis, arthritis or joint disease. Injected directly into the affected joint, the steroid injections can be repeated every few months for optimum pain relief.
For example, a sacroiliac or SI joint injection involves inserting a steroidal agent and local anesthetic directly into the joints of the very low back region. The procedure is used to provide relief of pain associated with sacroiliac joint disease, low back pain, and arthritis.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy sessions along with interventional pain management can help improve your range of motion and stabilize the joint. Your physical therapist with teach you strengthening and stretching exercises to strengthen the muscles that support your joint.
Nerve Blocks
A nerve block involves injecting a numbing substance or an anesthetic into the painful area to prevent the affected nerve from sending the pain signal to the brain. Nerve blocks are effective in relieving pain anywhere from a few hours to a few months.
Spinal Cord Stimulation
Spinal cord stimulation works on the principle of using electric current to block pain signals. Spinal cord stimulation uses small leads implanted under the skin to generate a mild electrical current. This mild current blocks nerve impulses at the spinal cord. Spinal cord stimulation therapy is used to treat leg, arm and back pain when other treatments don't work.
To learn more about chronic joint pain treatment, call the leading pain doctors in Phoenix at Pain and Spine Clinics at 480.565.PAIN(7246).
Pain doctors in Phoenix Arizona are experts in treating all types of pain including different kind of headaches such as migraines, cluster headaches etc. They also specialize in treating back and neck pain, pelvic/abdominal pain, RSD and discomfort in one’s shoulder, hip, knees and ankle joints.